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89 reviews in total

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27 out of 30 people found the following review 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.

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21 out of 29 people found the following review 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.

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18 out of 25 people found the following review 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 ever

seen... think Ralph Bakshi does Braveheart.

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11 out of 14 people found the following review 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...

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15 out of 22 people found the following review 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.

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8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Bakshi fans will hate me for this...., 23 May 2008

Author: JTurner82 from Highland Park, NJ

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I don't know what Ralph Bakshi was thinking when he made this post-apocalyptic animated "fantasy" about an evil wizard who uses Nazi propaganda films to stir his mutant minions to conquer the earth and his brother trying to stop him, but I know what I am thinking: if this is the sort of film Bakshi considers the pinnacle of his career, then I am a monkey's uncle. Granted, WIZARDS does have some interesting aspects, such as vibrantly drawn stills (accompanied by a very BORING, monotonous female voice-over/narrator) and a pretty song during the closing credits, but the overall package is an unbearable, incoherent mess that lacks any kind of entertainment for fans of adult animation or otherwise.

I am not an advocate against adult animated movies; there are some, like PERFECT BLUE, which are well done. WIZARDS attempts to be an edgy good VS evil fantasy epic. Unfortunately it fails on many regards. For one thing, the animation is appalling: it's cheap, nasty, and at times, almost like a cut-rate Saturday morning cartoon. In a story like this, such an atmosphere (with goofy-looking characters and some truly disgusting looking monsters) is inappropriate. Probably the most interesting sequences are when Bakshi uses "rotoscoped" techniques--which are actual live-actors painted with neon shadow colors in post-production. While this makes for a unique look (not to mention economically safer for Bakshi's sake), it clashes with the cartoonish backdrops, only ensuring the poor production values. There is even one bizarre sequence where we see actual footage from a war movie substituting as a background while the crudely drawn elves perform giggle-induced belly flops with the corresponding "BOINK!" sound effects in the background. These clashing styles only put an even bigger damper on the artwork itself; the mismatched visuals, believe it or not, actually look worse on DVD than on video or in theaters. (The digital transfer even suffers from digital defects.) Where WIZARDS really falls apart, however, is in the characterization and plot departments. The overly deadpan female voice-over informs us that the wizard brothers Avatar and Blackwolf are two different opposites: Avatar is pure and loving of nature, while Blackwolf relishes darkness. That description goes out the window when we actually meet the brothers on screen. Avatar, instead of being the gentle, grandfatherly like wizard the narrator described to us earlier, is a dwarfish, grouchy old codger, spending much of the time rambling and holding a cigar beneath his foot. Blackwolf is as gruesome and ugly as we would expect, but all we learn from him is that he wants to take over the world, and consequently, isn't much more interesting than his brother. The same sadly applies to the other characters. There's a very scantily clad fairy female that coos in a grating, giggly voice--she serves no purpose other than to provide something for hormonal boys to swoon at. Only an elf warrior displays something in the way of an interesting personality; very aggressive and bold, he probably might be the only one worth rooting for. But there's nothing appealing or compelling about any of the rest of the cast.

Matters are not helped by the needlessly jumbled overcomplicated plot, which jumps all over the place with no clear direction and throws in some needless, unnecessarily baffling plot twists (such as the fairy character suddenly turning evil and almost written off as a traitor... only to be redeemed at the end). There are even some offensively horrendous sequences (the bottom of a creature with a Jewish star marked on it dangling from a rope in a swastika-adorned throne room, and two praying dwarf priests who beat each other up), and plenty of others involving the cast muttering dialogue that only someone on drugs could construct. When a plot this confusing is gutted by an even more mind numbing script, it makes the experience of watching WIZARDS even more frustrating as a viewer.

The aural aspects of the film, aside from the aforementioned end title song, are just as displeasing. The voice acting (which includes a then unknown Mark Hamill) is dry and awkward, with the worst offenders being the fairy's obnoxious giggling and the boring (and I mean boring with a capital B) narrator. The cheesy synthesizer pop music is, well, just that: cheesy. (Matters are not made any better by the Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo or Mono tracks; both sound very hollow and flat.) I did find the extras on this disc somewhat interesting; there are still galleries, two (very bad) theatrical trailers, a TV spot, and a 30-minute interview with Bakshi himself. He comes across as a rambling, disgruntled fellow who tells a story that makes no more sense than this movie does; this probably explains the dubious quality of his output. Indeed, from seeing other films of his such as FIRE AND ICE (probably his best, though that's not saying much) and his hideous "treatment" of LORD OF THE RINGS, Bakshi does have some talent, but he spends most of the time offending rather than getting the point across.

I understand that this film has its loyal following and I do recognize that Bakshi has his merits as an artist, but WIZARDS has never been on my list of favorites, and I cannot recommend it. There are plenty of FAR, far better animated movies than this wretchedly animated, dated, misguided mess.

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8 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
A psychedelic mess, 17 January 2007

Author: ninjaandy1975 from Virginia, USA

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Yes, this is as bad as it gets. Unless you grew up in a wood-paneled basement in 1970's suburbia, breathing air with a lingering aftertaste of cheap cigarettes and a used-up dime bag wedged between the sofa cushions, this movie will astound you with its mere existence.

Wizards has been described as "thought-provoking", and it is, just not in the way director Ralph Bakshi intended. It's clear Bakshi thought he had the skills to deliver what he believed was the all-important social message of the 60's and 70's, but apparently subtlety wasn't one of those skills. The commentary is so heavy-handed that the term doesn't do it justice. It's a shame, because Bakshi's film style is unique and has a strange kind of stilted power to it, although in general his artwork is weird, ugly, and unpleasant. Think of Miyazaki, but with no concept of beauty, and completely insane.

Even that could have been redeemed, had it been used in the service of something other than ridiculous post-hippie ideology that simply flails like an angry child at everything the free-love generation wished they could do away with -- technology, the military, religion, and so on. Also, Hitler was bad. Bakshi thinks it's important to tell you this.

I mean sure, we could all do without nukes, zealotry, and Hitler, but this goes way beyond that.

This film really is like the proverbial train wreck you just can't look away from, complete with bloody corpses. Just add a wizard that smokes cigars with his toes, a promiscuous fairy, a hideous elf named "Weehawk" and a robot that is apparently missing his pelvic region (not just his groin, but the whole area), and you've got Wizards.

At times the movie goes places that are seriously unimaginable. Things happen that don't make any sense at all, or that are barely tangential to anything else you see. One example of many should suffice (SPOILER WARNING):

Near the beginning, after all the introductory back story that gets us to the "present" of the film (actually 2 million years or so in earth's future, the strung-out female voice-over tells us), we are shown a small room inside a high tower. Inside a stubby wizard named Avatar, dressed in green and with a full red beard and moustache that covers all but his nose and eyes, is talking to a crazy, gangly mannequin that is supposed to be the president of fairyland. He looks nothing like a fairy.

Nearby sits the ugly elf and the president's vapid, winged daughter, who does look like a fairy except that she's taller than the others, and has huge lips and a skimpy sex-pot dress, complete with pokey nipples (for some reason present throughout the entire film).

Lounging in a huge chair, with a vacant expression and a voice like a prototype for Foxy Cleopatra from "Austin Powers: Goldmember", she explains that she's not really entirely fairy yet. She touches her wings. For some reason, she laughs. About everything.

Suddenly, the crotchless robot wearing a red one-piece jumps through the window and blasts the president with a laser. The wizard takes out the robot, at which point the fairy screams like a banshee and proceeds to jump of the robot's corpse and tear into it with . . . fairy claws, I guess. Chunks fly everywhere. She keeps screaming. Meanwhile the elf and the wizard calmly discuss what to do next, as if she's not there. The fairy screams fade into the background. End scene.

We are suddenly back in the same room. The bodies are gone. The three "heroes" are still discussing plans, but now the wizard is lying in a bed and the fairy is sitting on him, hinting with Bakshi-like subtlety that she really would like to have sex with him. The elf is sharpening his sword. Oh, and they've decided to reanimate the robot and name him Peace.

I don't really need to go on. (END SPOILER)

Perhaps one of the most amusing yet bizarre aspects of the experience is the interview with Mr. Bakshi on the DVD. Unlike Disney, he says, he doesn't lie to children. Yes, Wizards is intended to be a kid movie. An "honest" one. Good one, Bakshi.

Now maybe this sounds like something you would enjoy. I didn't, except in all the ways I wasn't supposed to. In fact, I recommend watching it once (not with children), just for the experience. It'll make you feel weird. After all, this is THE quintessential whacked-out children's propaganda cartoon made by a self-important lech with an art kit, a camera, and some watercolors (all other films in that category also belong to Bakshi). It made me believe it might really be possible to lace a DVD with hallucinogens, designed to release on every viewing. It's that good/bad/odd.

Perhaps some folks are nostalgic for 70's suburbia and that wood-paneled basement. Even I am sometimes, and that's fine. But the huge, boxy VCR in our minds should be playing "Watership Down" or "The Last Unicorn", and hopefully not this mess of a movie.

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9 out of 13 people found the following review 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.

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10 out of 15 people found the following review 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.

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13 out of 21 people found the following review 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!!!

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