Sources told me that this was a cult classic. I fully expected an '80s sword-and-sorcery flick to be cheesy, but when YouTube suggested it, I figured it would at least be different from my other recent viewings.
Medieval peasant and habitual petty thief Phillipe "The Mouse" Gaston (young Matthew Broderick, mischievous as usual) escapes from an Italian dungeon but needs help evading guards ordered by the bishop of Aquila (John Wood) to kill him. Enter Etienne of Navarre (Rutger Hauer), former captain of said guards, who seeks to kill the bishop over a past treachery. Etienne is accompanied by a faithful red-tailed hawk, but by night, Phillipe sees neither of them, only the friendly Isabeau of Anjou (young Michelle Pfeiffer) and a black wolf who attacks only their enemies....
Yeah, it didn't take me long to guess what Phillipe doesn't: Etienne and Isabeau are a couple under a curse that prevents them from being human simultaneously for an appreciable amount of time per day. The bishop arranged for this out of sheer "If I can't have you, no one can" jealousy. Etienne asks Phillipe to look after Isabeau when Etienne can't, at the risk of provoking his own mad jealousy.
Lest you think the main villain signals an anti-Christian bent to the story, Etienne and even Phillipe keep praying to God. It's noted that the curse came from a demonic deal. And the monk who cast it (Leo McKern) does redeem himself.
Much as I like the Legend of Zelda predecessor-type scoring, I'm largely unimpressed with the action sequences, which never involve sorcery. Not only does the fight choreography leave something to be desired, but characters can be almost unbelievably slow to react. Actually, that's not just for battles. Pacing falters in a lot of scenes, especially at sunrise when the couple appears to waste half a minute reaching without touching in human form.
Contemporary critics had mixed feelings about the comic relief, particularly from Broderick. On one hand, it could amuse them; OTOH, Phillipe seemed less medieval for his style. This isn't a Mel Brooks parody. For my part, I barely paid him any mind one way or another.
What drew me in was the tragic romantasy concept. It helps to have rather beautiful cinematography -- and, of course, a beautiful female lead at her most enchanting. Etienne...meh. Maybe if he weren't so obsessed with vengeance over hope for the future.
The finale is arguably the weakest link, on multiple levels. Nonetheless, Ladyhawke is eminently watchable. I can easily understand the various responses to it.
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