Wizards (1977) ( War Wizards ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, Blu-Ray, Reg.B Import - United Kingdom ]

My rating is more of a 4.5. Thank you for reading in advance! Wizards is a 1977 American animated post-apocalyptic science fantasy film directed, produced and written 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 industrial technology. The hardest part about writing with submitting reviews for these kind of films is deciding how to organize the information. There's just so much to write about! with that said, when I start by saying I enjoyed this film a lot more than I expected to . Firstly, the animation and soundtrack are very aggressively 70s. This alone is not a bad thing, as the story is told in a manner that appeals to both young adults and a more mature audience. not only this, but the animation and color scheme varies depending on what characters are being presented, which makes the association's we are meant to have with them easily understood. The wizards and fairies representing the forces of magic are brightly colored and are animated as very excitable beings. The wizard and his cohorts representing the force of industrial technology are mostly colored using muted palettes and have a much more organized fashion in regards to their animations. This contrast on its own is enough to illustrate the conflict between these two entities - but, hold that thought as I will be coming back to it later. Before starting this film I made a considerable amount of judgements about it; the wording on the theatrical poster for this movie struck me as reflecting some amount of bias the director has in regards to technology and magic. Through a Google search you will see that this film is described as ‘An epic fantasy of Peace and Magic ‘; it certainly isn't crystal clear by virtue of this wording alone, but this seems to imply that peace and magic are two completely separate entities. I don't suppose this counts as a spoiler, but perhaps it would be helpful for the audience to know that peace in this context is a character. More than that, this character becomes a symbol - a tangible one at that- of reconciliation between these two opposing forces (magic/technology), And his behavior varies in regards to whether or not we can label them as either bad or good. His mere existence alone poses a very important question to the audience: when I am deciding that something is either good or evil, what exactly am I looking for and is it possible that the process I've adapted could potentially be lacking in dimension? I went into this with the impression that this film would go to great lengths to highlight the benefits of the differing sources of power that are pitted against one another over the course of the plot. Strangely (and surprisingly pleasant) enough this story does the exact opposite; scenes are craftily inserted into the film to lightly touch on the /weakness/ associated with them instead. Magic - Despite being associated with beauty - can often act as a deterrent(distraction) to a specific goal and in some ways has a way of making people unbelievably naive. Technology, on the other hand, values efficiency over proficiency and can often make characters act on their impulses without taking into consideration the consequences their actions might have on their surrounding community. All right, you can stop holding that thought from earlier. as a means of providing context, this movie is very blunt about the association of the “evil” Character in the story and a figure from history that most sensible people do have a polarized opinion about: Adolf Hitler. Not only does this character embrace Nazi like values related to control and power, but it is explained in concise detail how his adapted techniques work (“Technology is used to control the masses”). This is contrary - and, again, I’m trying to avoid spoilers but it is so hard to do here - One of the “good” characters uses a tool that is unexpected and has up to this point never even been alluded to. I was shocked as I never saw this coming, and I think most people would share that sentiment. This leads to another question: is this an implication that some people may need to lose a part of themselves to overcome adversity, or is the overall message that two very different schools of thought or discipline can have much more in common than people would like to admit. I could go on and on in praising this film and the quality of it- but like any good film some complaints about it really need to be discussed; The totality of the “evil” character’s influence is addressed rather well, but this seems to drop off the face of the Earth soon after their defeat. Some may disagree, but I would say this makes the overall message a little less ambiguous and makes understanding the narrative this story encompasses less clearer. Given my critiques above it would more than fair to say this isn't exactly……..appropriate? When the conclusion is reached the characters seem to be living “happily ever after”, and I don't think this does much to honor the rest of the overall plot and possible character development up to this point. Not only does this seem ike a missed opportunity on the director's part, but this also seems rather ironic given the fact that most Nazi related symbols are associated with events happening more than 30 years prior to the creation and eventual production of this film. I digress, however, because this is simply one defective cog amongst a series of immaculate ones. Smart, entertaining (I actually laughed out loud at parts and I hardly ever do watching movies), and naturally engaging. I simply can’t recommend this film enough!

"An illiumanating history bearing on the everlasting struggle for world supremacy fought between the powers of technology and magic." This intriguing premise lured me in, and by the end, I realized that I was witness to one of the all-time great anti-war anime's, which succeeded in being quite entertaining as well. Films like this seem to be relics of the past, as our culture continues to strive towards ever-increasing levels of sterility and mediocrity concerning all art produced for the masses, especially mass-marketed films and music. I have had no known previous exposure to Ralph Bakshi, so I cannot comment on how this film stacks up against his other works like "Fritz the Cat", "Heavy Traffic", "Coonskin", "Lord of the Rings", "American Pop", "Hey Good Lookin'" or "Fire and Ice". But I did find his style to be a one-of-a-kind visual feast, with a brilliantly conceived plot, and plenty of tripped-out atmospherics (check out that hippy-dippy score!) sure to delight the aurae stimulated herb smokers among us. The story unfolds in a post-apocalyptic world destroyed by nuclear holocaust, where radiation in the "badlands" has turned man into hideously deformed mutants. In the goodlands there lives Delia, "Queen of the Fairies" who one night, under grave premonitions, gives birth to a set of twins who are the epitomy of polar opposites. Avatar, an elvish looking wizard, is kind and good, who spends his time growing up entertaining his benevolent mother. Blackwolf, a treacherous mutant, spends his youth torturing small animals. The film moves ahead 3000 years where Blackwolf has taken control of the mutants in a wasteland called "Scortch", and sends the monsters he controls out to obliterate the believers of magic. My favorite lines of the movie come from an old elf who is teaching the village children the wisdom of the ages. "My children, the only true form of technology is nature. All other forms of man-made technology are perversions. The ancient dictators used technology to enslave the masses." He is immediately slain with a sophisticated lazer-gun by one of Blackwolf's assassin's, a red-suited robot named Necron 99. During some of the frequent scenes utilizing the rotoscoping technique, (tracing a live-action film, and then animating the drawings) we are shown sequences of how Blackwolf's previous attempts at world domination are thwarted until he uncovers the secrets of ancient warfare and channels the spirit of Hitler. Now, The world once again faces imminent destruction and domination from the tyrannical forces of fascism. Blackwolf's diametrical brother Avatar lives peacefully in a phallus-shaped castle in the goodlands with an excitable, mask-faced wacko, "The President", and his daughter, the buxom fairie princess, Elinore. After a sneak-attack in which Necron 99 succeeds in assassinating the President, Avatar uses his magic to subdue the killer, and seemingly re-programs him as the aptly named "Peace". "...for this is what he hopefully will bring to pass." The remainder of the movie is a hypnotizing, psychedelic journey following the exploits of Avatar, Elinore, Peace, and the leader of the elves, "Weehawk", as they set off to destroy Blackwolf, and save the good creatures from the sure doom his rule represents. Although in no ways representative of my spiritual views, I found myself quite empathetic to the message espoused in the under-riding, parabolic themes of this film. I would pay no heed to the obviously narrow-minded hacks who have given this one or two stars for a variety of unenlightened reasons, and check this fine work out for yourself. Esp. if you are a fan of anime which seeks to do more than the shallow aims of modern Disney and Pixar. One of the corporate reviews goes on and on about how this film is filled to the gills with ill-advised attempts at humor and how uninspired it is. Well, I guess that's all in how your mind works. Some will no doubt take it that way, but I found the "jokesy" parts to be a skillful form of overt satire, skewering the evil desires found in the dark, desperate hearts of treacherous beasts. I would also recommend Rene Laloux's 1973 epic, "Fantastic Planet", and the short film "Cat Soup", as brilliant pieces of psychedelic, entertaining and intelligent anime with subtle anti-war undertones. As for me, I will now try to get my filthy rookers on the rest of Bakshi's catalogue. P.S. Anyone know when Laloux's "Time Masters" will be back in print?

La película llegó a tiempo y buen estado. La película es un clásico, muy buena película, para resaltar que viene doblada en español.

I never got to see Wizards when I was younger, but I wish I had. I’ve always enjoyed hand-drawn animation and the style here is exactly the kind I love, rough in places, but full of personality, expression, and imagination. There’s a real charm to it that you just don’t get from modern animation. The humour was a pleasant surprise too. It’s quirky and a bit off-beat, but it works. It gives the characters a bit of warmth and helps break up the heavier moments. What really stood out for me, though, is the message. The film’s take on propaganda, control, and the way imagery can manipulate people still hits hard today. It’s done in a simple way, but it’s sharp and honestly still very relevant. For anyone who appreciates hand-drawn art, clever humour, and a story with something to say, this is a film worth watching. I’m glad I finally did.

para los que les gustan estos dibujos míticos de 80s, esto es una joya, muy contento con esta compra y encima edición 35 aniversario

good quality no problems

Identique à mon souvenir.Magique!!! J'ai mis trés longtemps a trouver une copie dommage qu'il n'existe pas de version française.