Fire and Ice (1983)

 

If you have heard of the name Ralph Bakshi, you can have a pretty educated guess if this is your thing or not. The man has a distinct way of doing things and his films - while not flawless - always have an edge to them. Especially since he made people more aware that animation can be for more than just kids. 

Because for kids, this isn't. Not really. Sure, it's a lot more kid-friendly than 'Fritz the Cat' or maybe even 'Wizards', but it's still pretty adult in content. Not a stretch, considering this is based off of and in conjunction with legendary artist Frank Frazetta, whom most people know thanks to his Conan the Barbarian-style artworks. This story works in the same sort of vein.

In the Savage Lands, an evil sorceress gives birth to a son and trains him to be even more wicked and cruel. Of course, to take over the world and cover everything in ice and snow. The regular tribes that oppose this are being wiped off the planet and only king Jarol stands in Nekron's way.

Yes, the evil sorcerer is called Nekron. A bit on the nose, you say?

In order to persuade Jarol to surrender, Nekron's mother Juliana has Jarol's daughter Teegra kidnapped. 

This will be a recurring theme where Teegra gets kidnapped, escapes, and then gets kidnapped once more. 

In the mean time, a young warrior named Larn is working his way south after his village was massacred and he comes across Teegra and it is sort of love at first sight but not really? They also come across a lone warrior who seemingly has no name (it's Darkwolf, by the way) and who is also gunning for Nekron for unspecified reasons.

It all culminates in a last assault on Nekron's fortress in the hopes of stopping his evil tyranny forever.

You know, the bread-and-butter fantasy story we usually crave from our epic fantasies?

This film is a fun ride if you're up for it. Yes, the story is paperthin and yes, Teegra is only there to be eyecandy, what with her buxom figure and clothes that are more see-through than air, but still. It does have that otherworldly sheen to it all and if you're in the mood for some straightforward fantasy with barbarians and monsters thrown in, this will grab you.

Of course it is clearly based on Frazetta's artwork, with muscled men in loincloths and voluptuous damsels. 

The backgrounds are gorgeously painted and they even left it so you can at times still see the brushstrokes, which is either a cool artistic choice or was done to save time. The main character animations can be a bit wonky, though. As was often the case, Bakshi used rotoscoping, which is letting people act out the scenes and then drawing over their movements. This makes it all feel more realistic in the movement department, but can be a bit jarring in the animationstyle. It depends what your fancy is.

All in all, a bit of a forgotten gem, 'Fire and Ice'. It is pretty predictable, but still cool to watch.