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Wizards
 
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Wizards

Starring: Steve Gravers, Angelo Grisanti Director: Ralph Bakshi
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (99 customer reviews)

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11 new from CDN$ 10.63 1 used from CDN$ 27.47

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Far from the masterful treatment that groundbreaking animator Ralph Bakshi gave the similarly themed The Lord of the Rings just a year later, Wizards feels amateurish. A simplistic distillation of fantasy tropes, the scenario is millions of years after nuclear war wipes out civilization. Middle Earth fairies, elves, and magic emerge from the "good lands," while dimwitted mutants with poor comic timing emerge from the nuclear wastes. In the ultimate confrontation between good and evil, a hippie-ish wizard named Avatar defends his utopia against the technological and neo-Nazi revival of his bad-seed twin, Blackwolf. With volleys of jokes that couldn't hit a barn door, elves with Brooklyn accents, and the dubious climax that sees the kindly old wizard using one of the hated machines of war to triumph over evil, Wizards is one of fantasy animation's least successful examples. --Alan E. Rapp


Review

For a while in the 1970s, it looked as if animated movies might be entering a new era, one marked by a break with traditional (children's) subject matter, animation styles, and storytelling methods. Films such as Fritz the Cat, Allegro Non Troppo, and Heavy Traffic all challenged the Disney method, quite successfully. Wizards was part of this era, but it's a very mixed bag. The animation is in a different vein -- what might be termed a "multi-media" approach, employing the traditional cel-based process as well as extensive rotoscoping (though often in silhouette) and use of still sketches. It's an intriguing idea, but too sloppily executed to be successful. The story itself is convoluted and not particularly convincing; at times it seems as if director Ralph Bakshi didn't really have a story to tell, just an urge to put some images onscreen and move them through some exercises. However, there are some very nice isolated sequences, and the movie has a palpable sense of the period in which it was made. It somehow or other screams out "1977" in every frame, even though the design scheme is based upon both the distant past and the farflung future. Sometimes irritating, Wizards is of interest mostly to aficionados of animated film, who will find as many things to make them smile as to make them cringe. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

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Customer Reviews

99 Reviews
5 star:
 (55)
4 star:
 (23)
3 star:
 (10)
2 star:
 (5)
1 star:
 (6)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (99 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most helpful customer reviews

 
4.0 out of 5 stars Landmark animation, Feb 5 2008
By Terence Tan Co "tetsuo79" (Vancouver) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Probably one of the last best animated movies to come out from the USA.

Ralph Bakshi delivers quite well. Very underrated movie and the commentary is one of the best I have heard.
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4.0 out of 5 stars classic you will either hate or love, Jul 8 2004
By A. M Robertson "brother_entropy" (Seattle, wa United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is one of those rare movies that doesn't try to hide its flaws, and actually benefits from them giving the entire movie a campy feel to it. The accents are mixed up, the animation crude and often using recycled sequences, the movement is jerky, scenes are often using war footage that was animated over, and the jokes are often crude and dark natured. But the film in a whole works.

Though it is a bit preachy in its ways, this movie makes you interested in the characters. It also brings up some intersting and satirical ideas.

the world was destroyed in war, humans are few and most have mutated and live in badlands. Elves, faeries and dwarves, have returned and taken over the good lands, but nothing seems different. The factions are divided and uncooperative with each other. When the badlands mutants gets a powerful leader, they ignore it until it is too late. When the push is made for the mutants to take over the goodlands the enemy seemingly has too much up his sleeve.

The cartoon has a definite seventies feel to it. The humor is dark, twisted, and often times has a distinct feel of juxtoposition. It is a fantasy futuristic world that has the attitude and feeling of New York. There are fairy hookers, dirty streets with bums lying around, and bitter old men with brooklyn accents. The evil army has a strong Nazi theme to it, as well as their secret weapons.

It is also very violent, showing elves and fairies being killed by the hundreds, pow's being executed, and prisoners being forced to entertain soldiers any way they want.

This is a very warped movie that shouldn't work, but does. A classic from the 70's that had enough of a cult following to bring it to dvd today. watch it for the spectacle and you will either love it or hate it.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Lost Masterpiece!, Jun 27 2004
I remember seeing this film as young kid though I really wasn't supposed too. I saw it with the film LIGHT YEARS another film that I hope will come to dvd in the very near future. This film is basically about a centuries old battle between two brothers. One on the side of magic, the other on the side of Technology. It's basic good versus evil with a bit of social commentary in between. The animation may not be what people are used to now, but it serves it's purpose. I personally like the rendition of the elves. They look more like elves from say ELF QUEST and not the overly tall elves of D&D fame. Pretty good film. Check it out for nostalgia if anything else.
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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Bakshi's masterpiece finally on DVD!!!!
This 1977 Ralph Bakshi made animated sci-fi fantasy is set in the post-apocalyptic future where mutants, monsters, fairies, elves, dwarves, and magical creatures roam. Read more
Published on Jun 18 2004 by John Lindsey

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a beautiful Bakshi release on DVD
Ralph Bakshi has his admirers and his detractors, as any good filmmaker should. Wizards is an important film for many reasons, but mostly, in my opinion, because it really began... Read more
Published on Jun 17 2004 by D. Villalpando

5.0 out of 5 stars This was a classic of it's day
Alan E. Rapp has his opinion, and we all know about them, don't we Mr. Alan E. Rapp? they are like *****les, everyone has one! Read more
Published on Jun 16 2004 by Rich the Writer

4.0 out of 5 stars Technology and Magic Clash in a World of the Distant Future
Ralph Bakshi's Tolkien-esque animated film WIZARDS (1977) is a surreal depiction of life on Earth hundreds of thousands of years following a devastating nuclear holocaust... Read more
Published on Jun 8 2004 by Michael R Gates

5.0 out of 5 stars ROTOSCOPING AT IT'S BEST
Finally, my favorite Ralph Bakshi movie puts in an appearance on DVD. It's surprising that it took this long considering that most of his other films are already out on DVD. Read more
Published on Jun 8 2004 by M. R. ZOGLIO

3.0 out of 5 stars Split down the middle
Wizards captivated me when I first saw it in theaters years ago. It is well put together and a work of artistic achievement, wonderful in its day. Read more
Published on Jun 7 2004 by John A Lee III

4.0 out of 5 stars "They've killed Fritz!"
Wizards (1977) aka War Wizards (the name was changed at the behest of George Lucas as he thought two movies released at the same time by the same studio with war in the title, his... Read more
Published on Jun 7 2004 by cookieman108

3.0 out of 5 stars Whoa Dude
So like, the other night my friend Steve pulls out his film projector and he like, had these totally smokin old film reels. Read more
Published on May 29 2004 by Matthew L. Roffman

5.0 out of 5 stars Bakshi As A Film Artist is Finally Recognized
From the time I first saw Ralph Bakshi's animated film "Wizards," I was hooked on him. I was in college and discovered a VHS copy of the film at a local video store. Read more
Published on May 29 2004 by Preston R. Medeiros

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Classic hits the DVD collection
If you are into classic anti-war movies....this is one for the collection. No, it is not to the standards of today's animation. Read more
Published on May 29 2004

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