You may have heard of Ralph Bakshi and by extension this movie, but most people haven’t. At least most people don’t remember it, but I do. I remember everything…and so let’s remember Wizards (1977) together shall we?

The Basics

Picture a post apocalyptic scenario involving mutants, wizards, nazis, elves, assassins and fairies. Pretty groovy huh? The plot centers around two brothers; both powerful wizards yet each on the opposite end of the Good/Evil scale. They are both born after the great holocaust which was caused by the wars of mankind, in the wake of which sprung out a world replete with creatures of fantasy. The evil wizard, known as Blackwolf is intent on ruling the world while the good wizard Avatar and others try to stop him. It’s Lord of the Rings meets (Insert favorite post-apocalyptic story of which there are dozens). 

The Review

Well, this is a mixed bag of a movie. It’s has moments of sheer beauty and there are other times when it is glaringly ugly, but one thing that is for sure is that it is definitely the work of Ralph Bakshi. If you’re familiar with his movies then you know what to expect; the eerie quality to the animation, rotoscoped sequences, improvised dialogue, groovy 70’s soundtrack, quirky character moments and of course sexy girls with their tits almost hanging out. Mind you, as disjointed as this film seems at times, the impression you’re left with after having seen it is akin to having spent the day in the part of town you’ve never considered stepping foot in and surprisingly enjoyed it. Not everyone will like it and in fact I’m pretty sure you’ll more than likely hate it, but you’ve gotta see it at least once. 

The Trailer

Rated J for Jivin’ Baby…