Wizards

PG

Released Mar 2, 1977

1h 20m

Fantasy

Animation

List

62%

29 Reviews

Tomatometer

69%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

After the death of his mother, the evil mutant wizard Blackwolf (Steve Gravers) discovers some long-lost military technologies. Full of ego and ambition, Blackwolf claims his mother's throne, assembles an army and sets out to brainwash and conquer Earth. Meanwhile, Blackwolf's gentle twin brother, the bearded and sage Avatar (Bob Holt), calls upon his own magical abilities to foil Blackwolf's plans for world domination -- even if it means destroying his own flesh and blood.

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Critics Consensus

Its central metaphor is a bit too on the nose, but Wizards is an otherwise psychedelic, freaky trip into an alternate version of our world.

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Noe G

Wizards is amazing Ralph Bakshi film i give this film a 10/10

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/06/24

Full Review

Angel P

Pretty & Mesmerizing Visuals, but stupid & very rushed Story, it could been better.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/04/24

Full Review

Poopie s

The movie is extremely sexist, has no point, no real story, and overall has no idea what it's trying to do or say. The only good tging abou the movie is the artstyle which sadly gets progressively corroded througoyt the movie. The characters have no real motivation and the whole thing is just all over the place. The opening sequence is probably the best part and that's just 10minutes of exposition.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/16/23

Full Review

Jerry R

The moviescrews itself in the end by using violence when throughout the entirety of the previous content, it was about non-violence

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/16/23

Full Review

ben n

I feel some nostalgia watching this movie. But the animation, the frame rate make it hard to watch. The plot is ok - but the movie goes out of it's way to be weird and quirky. I think it was trying to push the boundaries of it's time, which I respect. But looking at it now is an underwhelming experience.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Taylor L

Pretty convinced that Ralph Bakshi got into writing for his animation just to satisfy some cartoon fetishes. Between Wizards, Fritz the Cat, and Cool World, it seems he was living out some fantasies. Wizards is a strange, psychedelic film - a blend of the post-apocalypse and high fantasy with a very clear messaging regarding war and propaganda (the dark wizard Blackwolf unearths a weapon from the ancient past to embolden his armies - footage of the Third Reich); if you don't get the themes, don't worry - the production team makes sure to include plenty of swastikas and the odd Star of David every once in a while to make sure the point gets across. It's a very creative world that the film builds, but there's some definite limitations in the animation quality, which sees both some elaborate backgrounds and really well-drawn still images but frequent reuse of animation assets and quite a bit of rotoscoping for the action sequences (which was the result of budget limitations, but makes it more distinctive and unusual to some). Cool character design, but hampered by the execution. It also could be an 80-minute gag building up a showdown between wizard brothers only to have one of them whip out a gun. That's kind of hilarious. (2.5/5)

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/08/22

Full Review

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Ralph Bakshi

Director

Bob Holt

Avatar

Jesse Welles

Elinore

Richard Romanus

Weehawk

David Proval

Peace

Jim Connell

President

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Ralph Bakshi's animated sword-and-sorcery tale is a long way from his best work, marred by cut-rate techniques and a shapeless screenplay.

Nov 14, 2007

Full Review

Time Out

Moderate fun here and there.

Jan 26, 2006

Full Review

A.H. Weiler

New York Times

Mr. Bakshi's allegory is fairly obvious from the outset, but he and his animators are convincingly professional. They have devised a melange of animation and live footage that gives their feature mystical, slightly scary and, occasionally, comic tones.

Rated: 3/5

May 9, 2005

Full Review

Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

Trippy yet fascinating piece of animation history

Oct 3, 2022

Full Review

Peter Sobczynski

The Spool

Even accounting for its messiness, Wizards possesses a genuine, idiosyncratic personality.

Feb 27, 2022

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

What is at least galavanising and shocking in the context of Bakshi's earlier films seems more like an out-of-control tic here.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 19, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

After the death of his mother, the evil mutant wizard Blackwolf (Steve Gravers) discovers some long-lost military technologies. Full of ego and ambition, Blackwolf claims his mother's throne, assembles an army and sets out to brainwash and conquer Earth. Meanwhile, Blackwolf's gentle twin brother, the bearded and sage Avatar (Bob Holt), calls upon his own magical abilities to foil Blackwolf's plans for world domination -- even if it means destroying his own flesh and blood.

Director: Ralph Bakshi
Screenwriter: Ralph Bakshi
Rating: PG
Genre: Fantasy, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 2, 1977, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 20, 2015
Runtime: 1h 20m

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