cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/13thFloor/t/423678
CW: They killed Fritz! Nazi mutants watching lots of Nazi propaganda. Elves with PTSD. Nuclear Armageddon. Pajama wearing assassins. Fairies of the night wearing near nothing. Evil Nazi wizard who skipped arm day.
Wizards is a 1977 American animated post-apocalyptic science fantasy film written, directed and produced by Ralph Bakshi and distributed by 20th Century-Fox. The film follows a battle between two wizards of opposing powers, one representing the forces of magic and the other representing the forces of technology.
The film is notable for being the first fantasy film by Bakshi, a filmmaker who was previously known only for “urban films” such as Fritz the Cat, Heavy Traffic and Coonskin. The film grossed US$9 million theatrically with a $2 million budget.
I have this on an old hard drive but haven’t watched it yet. Is it worth the time?
Depends on what your definition of “worth” is, and whether or not you’re sober. Animation wise, for the time, it was groundbreaking, and led to the LOTR contract for Bakshi, if I remember correctly. The script is heavy handed, a clear product of both Fritz the Cat and 70s attitudes at the time (particularly towards women), and is more an allegory than a real fantasy work. Think Piers Anthony in the illustrative style of Boris Vallejo with a bunch of Elf Quest and Cool World thrown in. It’s not a subtle film, and you can tell the precise moment where they ran out of production money.
But it does have enough fun scenes to make it worthwhile enough to spark up a bowl for, and it makes for excellent background visuals if you’re hosting a rave.
That final paragraph alone is enough to sell me on it. I especially look forward to watching for the moment that production money runs out.
Thanks for the reply, I’ll give it a watch.
This wizard speaks true. My guild and I saw this once on shitty crystal ball night and had a blast.