Boobirt Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Executscan Expected more

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Allissa .Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

balsarius A neat conceptual tale that is only ruined by a few bad 80's wardrobe choices. This movie is worth a watch.I loved every minute of it and every character.But I felt like it should have been bolder in it's rating, and allowed for a bit of nudity to fill the boredom in places.But still, another fantasy movie I find fantastic in it's direction and acting alone.

Anssi Vartiainen Ladyhawke is an original fantasy film directed by Richard Donner. It tells of two lovers (Rutger Bauer and Michelle Pfeiffer) cursed by a bishop to never meet. The woman living her days as a hawk and her nights as a woman, while the man takes on the form of a wolf as soon as the sun sets. They are joined by a local pickpocket named Mouse (Matthew Broderick) as they travel to confront the bishop.This film was one of the biggest bombs of the 80s, not even making its money back. This despite the fact that it was nominated for two Academy Awards. It has gathered a minor cult following since then, but is still not a very known film. Which is a shame because there is substance here. This is a film that tries to be its own thing, something new. And that's rarer than you think in film.The film also largely succeeds. The story is intriguing, the characters are memorable and interesting, the film looks great (though a bit experimental in certain parts) and I'd honestly love to learn more about this world.Another thing the film is notorious for is the soundtrack. And for a reason. This film has some of the most baffling music choices I've ever encountered in film. There are a few traditional fantasy-ish tracks, but the vast majority of the score is pure synth music. I kept expecting Shaft to bust in any minute or for roller scatters to whiz by boom boxes blasting. That's how bad it is. Although... it is memorable, I'll give it that.Ladyhawke is not a great film. Largely because of the soundtrack and some other minor hiccups in style and tone. It is however refreshingly new and different. Well worth a watch for all fans of fantasy films.

reb-warrior It's a medieval fantasy with a great story. A curse is placed upon noble knight Navarre and his lady love, Isabeau. Navarre is a wolf at night and Isabeau is a hawk in the day. They essentially never see one another. It's always just out of reach for these star crossed lovers. Navarre enlist the help of the thief, Gaston played by Mathew Broderick.Sounds great right? But the sound track stinks. This movie is 1985 and the music sounds 1985. What I mean by that, is that it sounds like the same type you would hear in any Molly Ringwald movie from the 80s. I mean this is a medieval fantasy. Totally unsuitable music. It ruins the mood. Very distracting. Could have used some Joe LoDuca or the late great James Horner.Then we have the cinematography. Nothing special. In fact it looks like the director phoned it in. Super-bright sunny scenes. No shadowing, or filters to set the tone. Nothing. Finally the accents. Broderick, sounds English at first, but then drops completely into American. Michelle Pfeiffer didn't even bother, it was American all the way. Rutger Hauer, I'm not sure what the hell he was doing. He's from the Netherlands, but was doing some American thing that wasn't quite working. It's medieval France. These accents are distracting and sounded stupid. Broderick's character bordered on funny to downright annoying. It was the babbling. Very awful. Michell Pfeiffer was beautiful and serene, but really nothing special. Rutger was the most handsome I'd ever seen and he was dashing and likable.The story was there, but it seems everything else failed. I'd like to see it remade someday. Even an animated version might be great. If they had just fixed these things, it could really have been something. Not a recommended fantasy movie.

beresfordjd If the musical soundtrack had been more fitting then I may have given this a score of 10. Well paced, acted, directed and written, the story is engrossing and very romantic. Michelle Pfeiffer is so very beautiful in this (in fact in anything) and has the acting chops too. Rutger Hauer is charismatic and believable as her romantic interest. Matthew Broderick is his usual reliable self as a young thief who gets caught up in their story. A shame his American accent jars a little when he really should have an English one. It is a magical fantasy, of course, and it works well even though the musical score does not really fit the mood of the piece. I think this film is underrated and should be down as a classic romance.