I recently had found out that Lord of the Rings, which had recently been released on Blu-ray last week, wasn’t the only animated fantasy film from the 70s that Ralph Bakshi directed. Wizards also uses that same neat style of animation and live action. This takes place in a world of fantasy creatures in a post-apocalyptic future. A small wizard named Avatar must save the world from his evil twin brother Blackwolf and his army of mutants and evil spirits. I’ve also noticed that Blackwolf has bony arms, very bony arms.
One of Blackwolf’s top assassins is a masked robot creature in a red suit named Necron 99. He is so fearsome that even the fairy floozies are afraid to talk to him. Luckily, Avatar used magic to turn him into a good guy. Or did he?
Blackwolf likes to confuse his enemies and inspire his troops by showing old footage of Adolph Hitler speeches during his attacks. Not a bad method, but how can one little film projector create an image that big and realistic? It’s not like the opposing army was wearing 3-D glasses during the attack.
Avatar’s allies on his quest to the land of Scorch are Weehawk the elf warrior, Elinora the pretty half fairy, and Necron 99 renamed Peace. They first go through the forest of the Mountain Fairies, then into the Forbidden Fairy Sanctuary, which is a dark and perilous cave. After a snafu with the Mountain Fairies they end up at a glacier, but soon find a path where the mutant wives throw rocks and insults. Not very exciting, but still interesting.
Things do start to get more exciting when Avatar and Weehawk get inside Scorch, fight off some of Blackwolf’s minions, and work their way to the top to rescue Elinora. Meanwhile, a war goes on between elves and demons. How brutal, especially when the gun is mightier than the sword.
This was a pretty good fantasy adventure movie. It lacks in some excitement, but was still good for its time.
Well, this is it. The grand finale to the great Ring adventure. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Widescreen Edition) never became an animated movie, but at least I was familiar with the characters in order to catch on to the story. The Return of the King starts at the point where Frodo is already locked in the tower and Samwise tries to think of a way to rescue him. Even if it means using the Ring himself.
The violence level is a little more intense than it was on The Hobbit. Not as many dots and lines to represent the wars, it’s more up close and personal this time around.
The watchers are cool looking vulture statues that create an invisible gate. When corrupted they make funny faces and fall apart.
As an army of orcs march by a disguised Frodo and Samwise, they sing “Where there’s a Whip” while a whip master leads them. I think it’s a catchy tune. If only orcs sang more often. Wouldn’t that be something? Meanwhile, another group of orcs attacks a castle with a giant battering ram named Grond. It’s a huge log with a well-carved face of a fierce panther. It even drools lava. Ugh!
The Lord of the Rings features a different type of animation I hadn’t seen before that includes lifelike images as well. It’s amazing. Sometimes the animation changes completely into lifelike images. It’s usually during the orc battles, which makes it all the more exciting. Yet it gives the characters a much darker look. I’ll tell ya. Director Ralph Bakshi is a real artist when it comes to film making.
The ring of invisibility Bilbo found is revealed to be the one Ring of the evil Sauron. It did eventually start to consume Bilbo the same way that it consumed Gullom. Gandolf made Bilbo pass it on to his nephew Frodo. Then Gandolf will tell Frodo all about it… in about 17 years. The same amount of time one would need to get through high school.
Soon a new adventure begins. Frodo, along with Samwise, Mary, and Pippin, join a group of warriors to destroy the one Ring at Mount Doom from whence it came. Together they are known as the Fellowship of the Ring. All that’s missing is a minstrel.
The black riders have a demon-like walk to go along with their dark presence. At first I thought they all had the same limp or back problem, but that’s not the case. I saw them stand up straight at one point. Or perhaps those black riders all crashed a womens self-defense class.
The monster that snatches Gandolf is called Balrog. Funny, it doesn’t look like the boxer from the Street Fighter franchise.
A part of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Widescreen Edition) is in this film also. With the Fellowship split up, the several groups encounter separate perils in order to succeed on their quest. I like this movie, but somehow I don’t see it as a Dungeons & Dragons adventure quest, like other fantasy films do.
Check my blog to find out about the exciting conclusion in part 3. Don’t you just love cliffhangers?
The Hobbit is the prelude to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, goes on an adventure to help Gandolf the wizard and a group of dwarves find an ancient treasure.
The title song “The Greatest Adventure” sets the perfect mood to begin a fantasy adventure story. I’m sure that was the inspiration for the “Lemmiwinks” song on the South Park episode “Death Camp of Tolerance”. If only that adventure had taken place in a more pleasant setting than a gay man’s colon. Ugh! Another song about Bilbo that I remember well is “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins” sung by Leonard Nemoy. It was on the Dr. Demento Show.
The first peril Bilbo and the dwarves face are a group of trolls. It was so exciting when Bilbo gets caught. Then the trolls capture all of the dwarves so easily. Luckily, Gandolf arrived just in time. I don’t know why he keeps taking off at all. He’s like the Dungeon Master from Dungeons & Dragons (1984 animated version). Another exciting peril is when Bilbo and the dwarves get captured by goblins in a cave and taken to their king. The goblin king is one freakish creature with a mouth bigger than his head. When Gandolf kills him, we find out that the violence level of this movie is extremely mild. The goblin king just spins off into a mini vortex and disappears. The same thing happens when Bilbo kills the giant spiders with his sword Sting.
When Bilbo gets separated from the dwarves, he finds Gullom and a ring, which makes him invisible. Gullom has a very different look and a raspier voice than on the other Lord of the Rings trilogy, but he’s just as cool of a character. The ring of invisibility was very useful as it helped Bilbo become braver throughout the rest of the adventure. Even against Smaug the dragon, who’s foul reek fills the halls within the mountain. If Smog’s body stinks that bad, I’d hate to think what would happen if he passes gas. Even with Smog defeated, the adventure isn’t over yet. There’s a war of several armies. The battle only shows a bunch of dots and lines all moving randomly. It’s a clever way to save on animation and spare us of showing any of the casualties.
This was a great fantasy adventure film that begins the classic trilogy. I’ve heard there was a new movie version coming soon. I look forward to seeing that.
Check out my blog for Part 2. That’s where the “real” adventure begins.
never became an animated movie, but at least I was familiar with the characters in order to catch on to the story. 
starts at the point where Frodo is already locked in the tower and Samwise tries to think of a way to rescue him. Even if it means using the Ring himself.
.
. Whoever would’ve thought that the source of a huge problem, like the fate of the world, would be caused by something so small.
features a different type of animation I hadn’t seen before that includes lifelike images as well. It’s amazing. Sometimes the animation changes completely into lifelike images. It’s usually during the orc battles, which makes it all the more exciting. Yet it gives the characters a much darker look. I’ll tell ya. Director Ralph Bakshi is a real artist when it comes to film making.
, I’ve easily mistaken Boromir with Gimli. An honest mistake, right?
is the prelude to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, goes on an adventure to help Gandolf the wizard and a group of dwarves find an ancient treasure.
