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18 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :- Flawed, but interesting, likable, and certainly worth watching., 20 March 2004 Author: aboblyndsae from Coral Springs, FL
I really like this movie, and it's hard to explain why as it's obviously full of flaws (overuse of narration, cheesy '70s soundtrack, some corny lines, awkward pacing, and repeated use of the same images/clips), but I think it's incredibly well-drawn (yes, the characters are very cartoonish, but they all have personality, and the backgrounds are simply gorgeous), and I found the character of Avatar so interesting and likable. The almighty Good wizard is laid back, unpretentious, good-natured, and seems unusually real for an animated character. The excellent atmosphere and strong central character are enough to make this a good movie. It just has this rough-around-the-edges charm to it that's hard to explain. Bakshi doesn't seem to have been striving for a masterpiece with this movie, so it's hard to call it a failure.I certainly wouldn't call this an "animated masterpiece" or anything of the sort, but it is interesting, and even lovable. And not in a "guilty pleasure" way either.
15 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :- A disturbingly displaced epic, 2 July 2004 Author: carey-14 from Nor-Cal, America
When one imagines wizards, usually knights, mounts, damsels, and dragons come to mind almost exclusively. But would one think of the haunting memories of the holocaust, or any actions Hitler's Nazi Regime took whenever magic-wielding wizards are mentioned? Not likely.Bakshi's able to pit the essence of fantasy against the monstrosity of an ever-growing being we call "technology." The animation is simple (albeit complex and interesting at times) yet unique, the characters are conflicted and well-developed, and the twisted, somewhat random humor adds a twist of reality in a seemingly hopeless world. Definitely a movie to watch and a movie to criticize in its own rite.
12 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :- Underrated, 23 June 2000 Author: Snow Dog-2 from Los Angeles, California
Ah, Wizards. Now this is a movie that newsgroups love to pick apart. But look past it's cheapness and it's technical flaws, and you'll find an underrated gem of animation. Although oddly structured (our protagonists don't set off on their quest until about half an hour into the movie) and weighed down with exposition, Wizards tells a good story, the art is excellent, and it has one of the coolest animated battles I've everseen... think Ralph Bakshi does Braveheart.
9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :- Everyone I know who has seen it has loved it, 23 January 2006 Author: MoviesRNeat from United States
I found this movie as a teen and used to show it to friends the morning after parties. It's sort of a Saturday morning cartoon gone horribly awry. I've never seen animation like it before, though I understand Bakshi has other stuff out there. I like it better than Heavy Metal and American Pop. I found it while looking for Rock and Rule, which I didn't find very memorable. This, however, I saw once and had to see again! Everyone I've shown it to has liked it- it's a sci-fi fantasy cartoon with a moral message and enough plot and humor to keep things interesting. Again, great morning after type stuff, though perhaps a bit intense and/or slow at times.
9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :- An animated masterpiece, 16 February 2000 Author: Funky A
Wizards is great! Even if you don't like Ralph Bakshi, you should watch this movie. The story about a fight between magic and technology is great. Two magician brothers(one evil, one good) fight in this movie. The evil one, Blackwolf, is a dark Hitler-inspired sorcerer who wants to dominate the world, while Avatar is a short, stocky, cigar-smoking, lazy, red-nose magician. Blackwolf uses old Nazi propaganda films to stimulate his troops, and uses old war machines(a.k.a. Tanks, machine guns and other World War II weapons). The story is excellent, some jokes are really funny, and the drawings and animation are beautiful and very artistic. The characters are very good, my favorite being Peace, the assassin. The bottom line is: I loved this movie. It's fun and it's not stupid at all. Along with "La Planète Sauvage", this ranks as the best animation film ever.10 out of 10!!!
10 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :- One of the best animated films from the 70's., 28 January 1999 Author: Critic-25 from Bermuda
This film was Bakshi's test-run, of sorts, for his upcoming version of 'Lord of the Rings'. Supposedly he originally wanted to make a fantasy based on the Holocaust, but settled for a more traditional fantasy. The story deals with wizards and elves in the distant future who dig up long-forgotten Nazi propaganda films and old war machinery, which are used by evil creatures to try and conquer the good creatures. The demons and evil creatures are obviously symbols of Nazis while the elves (with one being the voice of a young Mark Hamill) representing the Jews. It's almost disturbing at times watching old WWII war movie footage with German soldiers fighting alongside animated demons against psychedelic-colored backgrounds. The film is worth viewing for the still-drawings alone that appear throughout the film, with excellent artwork by Michael Ploog. The animation doesn't strive for realism (why bother, since Rotoscoping is so heavily used) but captures the dynamic motion depicted in comic book art. Very good. Highly recommended.
6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :- A story of a mystical land in the far distant future., 6 September 2007 Author: desotowright from United States
This is one of the most brilliant movies ever made. Though the film alters in tone quite often from dark and moody to light and whimsical, it's one of my all time favorite movies. It's Ralph Bakshi's first film aimed at children, but it's actually very intense, violent battle sequences, some mild adult language, suggestive material, and some dark themes that are more suited for older audiences. It's a story of Avatar and Blackwolf, two wizard brothers. Avatar rules the peaceful kingdom of Montagar with wisdom and magic, while the evil Blackwolf rules the dark land of Scortch with technology and war.It's a great combination of science fiction and fantasy set years into a strange post apocalyptic future where broken tanks, guns, and Nazi propaganda are regarded as ancient artifacts. Wonderful supporting characters include Weehawk, a courageous and cynical elf, Elinore, a young fairy princess whom Avatar is in love with, and Necron 99, a robotic assassin who is turned into a good robot named Peace. This movie has a great deal of symbolism and is very thought provoking, it deals with the power of propaganda and the dangers of the over reliance on technology.I was impressed by the surreal and creative animation, and I was mesmerized by the mystical and otherworldly music score. The film's climax is brilliant and fits the overall tone of the film. Treat yourself to a symbolic retro-future style film loaded with psychedelic animation, memorable characters, and a truly wonderful adventure that will transport you to a whole new world set ten million years into the distant future.
6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :- Its all about the ending, 16 August 2005 Author: itrumbley from Canada
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
The whole movie in terms of style is something done by stoners in the sixties, and one of many that fit this bill. The movie plot is simplistic good versus evil with as many stereotypes as possible (the villain is undead, his minions are demons, reptile-men, black knights and actual Nazis), the whole movie is an odd setup for the ending, that so many huge problems caused by evil men would be solved if those close to him just shot him. That really is the whole point to the movie, at least as I took away from it. There are lots of things in the movie geared to its target audience (the scantily clad women, the psychedelic colour, the jokes about religion, the list goes on and on) but that doesn't mean he didn't have at least one idea or message.
5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :- An Epic Fantasy of Peace Magic And Five Kinds of Animation, 11 June 2006 Author: masercot from Manassas, Va
This cartoon was one of those in the seventies when animation was almost dead. A few folks revived it with movies like Fritz the Cat, Lord of the Rings, Fire and Ice and Wizards. Although Wizards didn't do well during the prime time, it rocked as a midnight movie.But, even with the simple plot, engaging characters and sporadic humor, one gets the impression that this movie was not well-planned. There is conventional animation, rotoscoping and overexposed film sometimes being used on the same screen. It also seems that they ran out of money and had to resort to stills with a narrator (nice voice)...You'd think that this would make the movie worse; however, it gives the movie a charm that a slicker production wouldn't have...
8 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :- Rough animation but innovative ideas for a film., 25 February 2002 Author: stupidones (stupidones@hotmail.com) from Lincoln, NE USA
Wizards is a tale of epic proportions. The animation is a tad rough by todays standards, but can still be greatly appreciated. I enjoy the animation myself because of the 1970's liberation quality that the artwork has, not to mention that is within the rest of the film. When Blackwolf shows the nazi propaganda to his troops, a chill goes down my spine. The narrative goes on to show that after millions of years Adolf Hitler still lives on in those who hate; however, Hitler will always die because hate always fails in the end. This is the ultimate hippie film, and the "live-action" battle scenes (all in shadow) is still ahead of its time. A must for collectors.
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