Wizards
|
List Price: Our Price: $7.09 You Save: $7.89 (53%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $5.27 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Wizards
Movie Review: Bakshi As A Film Artist is Finally Recognized
Summary: 5 Stars
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. I was so blown away, I continued to try to watch all of his films including "Fritz the Cat," "Heavy Traffic," "Coonskin" (aka Streetfight) etc. What I realized was that Bakshi is an artist using a medium that traditionally has been set aside for Children. "Wizards" is a great example of his creativity and his no "BS" approach to film as art. The dialogue is natural and to the point. The style is jarring and varied. The characters are always interesting, and the story is actually more complex than it seems. Magic is a metaphor for the "soul" and the human spirit which is in contstant war with technology.This long awaited DVD presentation is nothing short of spectacular. It is presented in an enhanced widescreen format and the picture is brilliant. It has never looked so good. What I really enjoyed about this DVD is the fantastic stories that Ralph Bakshi tells. One truly appreciates his passion for animated film and his great character. I think it is about time he got the respect and acknowledgment he deserves. Thank you FOX for releasing a wonderful film on DVD by a wonderful director. Any movie fan (especially avant-garde fans) should check this out.
Movie Review: Why such a negative editorial review?
Summary: 5 Stars
No need to really review this film as most people have seen it. The film still holds up, and has aged better than most films of its type coming out around this period though it is clearly a product of the 70's era. Many, myself included find it a better film than the Lord of the Rings animated movie that it was supposedly a test for. I believe many times reviewers tend to critique films based on all the films that have followed them rather than what preceded them. Animation in America was still considered strictly a Kiddie medium when Wizards was released. Wizards was among the few animated films to have adult themes, as anime was still years away from becoming a household word. There seems to be many negative reactions to it for it's "hippy philosophy", but when one considers that the movie Avatar pretty much shares that same philosophy and has become the highest grossing picture of all time, it becomes something of a puzzle. There are some surprise voice talent associated with this film including Mark Hamill and Susan Tyrell. For the comic fans this movie was a strong influence on Wendy Pini's Elfquest saga. It would have been nice to see a bit more extras, but hey. I remember Wizards being pretty popular when I was a kid, and the image of Peace/Necron99 is one of the most recognizable pictures out there. A Failure, I think not.Movie Review: a good transfer of a much loved film!
Summary: 5 Stars
i wont go into a long review of this movie, as others have done that already.
if you know BAKSHI'S films...you know youre in for something different.
if you DONT know BAKSHI'S films...youre in for something different.
he doesnt do 'disney' animation...it can be choppy here and there, but he says himself in the 'features' section 'its not about making it SLICK its about the HEART.'
and like all his movies, this has heart to spare...
ralph's movies are not for everone...(and despite the PG rating on this, i would think twice about letting the kids see it till about 15 or so)
i got my copy from MOVIEMARS. always a great ordering exp. with them...
my only MINOR gripe is the 'widescreen' transfer...why is it that 'wide screen' seems to mean 'lets just chop off the top and bottom 1/4 of the screen and call it 'wide screen' (i still have my VHS copy of 'wizards' and its 'full frame' and for this version. they simply chopped off the top and bottom of the 'full frame' version and called it 'wide screen' this seems to be a disturbing practice these days....
otherwise...i recomend it fully!
if you are in the mood for something different. something from the heart of its creator. something challenging. get this!
yep
Movie Review: Old facism in a new future
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow. How long has it been since I've seen this film? 20 years ago as a kid on The Movie Channel and ten years ago rented. I thought this would never get out to DVD. The story of an nuclear apocolypse ravaged world that has recreated the earth from society as we know it today into a fantasy/future world. Those who do not serve technology are assured death. Brothers Blackwolf and Avatar stand on opposing sides. Avatar is a wizard of peace while his brother Blackwolf yerns for domination. Blackwolf devises the ultimate plan to control society by finding and using old relics from a dark period in 20th century history. Need I mention it?With great animation coupled with old grainy film, this film is definately a rarity of adult-oriented animated cinema by Ralph Bakshi, director and creator of "Fritz The Cat" and "Coonskin". Bakshi's work stirred controversy long before Toshio Maeda shook up the anime world with the cult-classic "Urotsukidoji" and "La Blue Girl" stories.
Wizards, while definately not for kids, makes for a great replacement for Bakshi good but unfinished adaptation of "The Lord Of The Rings". With beautiful music and rotoscope visuals coupled with actual film footage, Wizards is definately a cult classic for many a DVD collector.
Movie Review: Bakshi's best film
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of my all time favorite movies. I saw this film back in the 70's right before Star Wars came out and I remember how I loved the characters the most, the hip old wizard, the babe, and the totally cool assassin, a villain turned hero (I never liked elves or fairies, or hobbits either).
I enjoyed most of the commentary where Bakshi goes on and on how he changed the name from war wizards to just wizards because George Lucas had War in his films title, how studio executives wouldn't give him money to finish the film, and finally he talks about how he had plans for a sequel. I can't imagine what a Wizards sequel would look like today, but the technology now is light years ahead of the techniques they used to finish the original film. I really don't like the rotoscope portions of the film, but they had to use the technique to finish the film.
Bakshi calls this his family film. But I wouldn't let my kids see this till they are older, I would think a ten year old could handle it, and they have probably seen worse on prime time TV anyway. This DVD had great color and sound, it's a gem of animation when the forum was rougher and but the freedom to push the boundaries was a great asset.