FIRE AND ICE

 

Publicity poster for Fire and Ice (© Ralph Bakshi/Frank Frazetta/Producers Sales Organization/20^th Century Fox – reproduced here on a strictly non-commercial Fair Use basis for educational/review purposes only)

My movie watch on 16 March 2023 was the 198os animated dark fantasy/swords & sorcery movie Fire and Ice, which I'd wanted to watch for a very long time but only obtained in DVD format very recently.

Directed by Ralph Bakshi, featuring characters created by him and acclaimed fantasy artist Frank Frazetta, and released in 1983 by 20^th Century Fox, Fire and Ice presents its take on the only-too-familiar and all-too-predictable fantasy-themed plot of an evil despot seeking to conquer a rival kingdom but is challenged by a heroic warrior.

Thus: Lord Nekron (voiced by Sean Hannon), evil ruler of his ice kingdom, is threatening to over-run and decimate via his dark magic the fiery volcanic realm of his avowed rival, King Jarol (Leo Gordon). As a means of subjugating Jarol, Nekron sends a delegation of subhumans to abduct Jarol's daughter, Princess Teegra (Cynthia Lake for rotoscoping, but voiced by Maggie Roswell), which they do, but hot on their heels, journeying from fire to ice, literally, is youthful but valiant warrior Larn (Randy Norton), whose entire village had earlier been destroyed by Nekron's horde. Larn is assisted in his bold quest by a mysterious masked horseman and highly skilled, Conanesque warrior named Darkwolf (Steve Sandor), who has reasons of his own (but which he never reveals) to destroy Nekron.

Although more impressive than a previous Bakshi animated fantasy movie, Wizards, that I'd watched a few weeks earlier, I must confess that, in stark contrast to my high expectations based upon all that I'd read about it in the past, I wasn't overly enamoured by Fire and Ice.

The human characters are largely rotoscoped, as is common in Bakshi's animated movies, and therefore always look impressive and extremely life-like. Conversely, the plot is for me a very pedestrian, somewhat plodding affair, not picking up any real pace until two thirds of the way through its 90-minute running time, even though, paradoxically, it is packed with action.

Although this movie does feature a humungous octopus, a giant lizard, and a phalanx of flighting, pterodactylian dragon hawks, with the exception of the last-mentioned type (animated by nowadays-renowned Korean-American animator Peter Chung in his debut big-screen role) their appearances are far too brief to be effective. Certainly, it could have benefited from more prominent monsters in its prehistoric/barbarian-based fantasy world to add spectacle, especially with the incomparable Frazetta on board, whose significant input via this movie's beautiful background visuals, incorporating over a thousand paintings, as well as the design of its human lead characters, most notably the bodacious Teegra, is readily apparent.

(Having said that, Frazetta didn't actually produce the background paintings himself. Instead, they were meticulously prepared in the style of his work by two young artists who both went on achieve considerable fame in their own respective right. One was James Gurney, who subsequently created and illustrated the best-selling Dinotopia fantasy/sci fi novels. The other was Thomas Kinkade, the so-called 'Painter of Lights', who has achieved immense commercial success via his innumerable 'chocolate-box'-style paintings of rural cottages with their trademark glowing, interior-lit windows and idealized, leafy woodland/countryside settings.)

Just a little humour here and there wouldn't have gone amiss either – Fire and Ice is a VERY serious movie indeed. Time to rewatch Fritz the Cat? Now there's a Bakshi animated movie with humour, not always tasteful, needless to say, but it certainly keeps the movie ticking along at a fair old pace, unlike the less than blazing progression of Fire and Ice.

But if you want to judge for yourself, be sure to click here to watch an official Fire and Ice trailer on YouTube. Moreover, at the time of my posting this Shuker In MovieLand review, the entire movie can be watchd free of charge on YouTube by clicking here.

Finally: to view a complete chronological listing of all of my Shuker In MovieLand blog's other film reviews and articles (each one instantly accessible via a direct clickable link), please click HERE, and please click HERE to view a complete fully-clickable alphabetical listing of them.