Film

Wizards

Ralph Bakshi's 1977 rotoscoped fantasy epic about twin wizards—one evil, one good—locked in a war for Earth's future. It's visually stunning and narratively strange, blending mysticism with post-apocalyptic military hardware in ways that feel genuinely original. For those drawn to ambitious, weird, pre-digital animation and high-stakes fantasy that doesn't play it safe.

TMDb rating3.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love animation that feels like a fever dream, with loose, grungy images, a scrappy mix of fairy tale and ruined future, and a director happy to clash styles on screen.

Skip it if you need smooth, polished animation or a tidy story, because the rotoscoped figures can look jerky and the plot lurches between ideas, with the mood shifting abruptly.

What it asks of you: It runs about eighty minutes and keeps moving, but it wants you to take in dense, layered images and sudden shifts of tone rather than follow a slow-built arc.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Heavy Metal1981

Anthology animated film with the same era's psychedelic ambition, mixing science fiction, fantasy, and grimy practical aesthetics. It shares Wizards' commitment to weird, unapologetic world-building.

But Heavily male-gazey in parts and tonally all over the place. Some segments are stronger than others, and it can feel more like a music video collection than a cohesive narrative.

Heavy Metal poster

Conan the Barbarian1982

Live-action epic with similar themes of sorcery versus barbarism and the collision of magic and crude force. Milius brings mythic weight and visceral action to that same primal fantasy register.

But It's a very different aesthetic—more muscular and grounded—and the pacing and dialogue won't appeal to everyone. Some find it unintentionally campy.

Conan the Barbarian poster

Krull1983

A deeply weird 80s space-fantasy hybrid that swings for the fences with production design and world-building. It has that same 'we're going to do something strange and committed' energy.

But The plot is genuinely confusing and the pacing lurches. Many find it unwatchable, and there's a reason it's become a cult oddity rather than a classic.

Krull poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Wizards

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Akira1988

Both pit brothers against each other in post-collapse worlds where ancient power and modern weapons are one and the same thing. Both refuse to explain themselves completely and trust the audience's willingness to live in strangeness.

Japanese anime apocalypse about power, corruption, and dueling psychic brothers in a ruined world. It's the spiritual descendant of Wizards—similarly committed to hand-drawn spectacle, similarly interested in the collision of mystical and technological power, equally influential on everything that follows.

But It's experimental and visually dense to the point of being hard to follow on first viewing. The ending is deliberately abstract and many find it frustratingly opaque.

Akira poster
More like this (6)

Barbarian2022

A modern film that channels that same fearlessness about genre mashups and refuses to signal what kind of story it's telling. It's weird without announcing its weirdness.

But It's extremely violent and uncomfortable in places. Some viewers feel the tonal shifts undermine the horror, and it's genuinely unpleasant rather than escapist fun.

Barbarian poster

Ran1985

Kurosawa's adaptation of King Lear as sprawling historical fantasy, filled with practical pageantry and the raw power of armies clashing. It shares Wizards' scale and conviction about epic storytelling.

But It's nearly three hours long and very formally composed. The emotional register is tragedy, not adventure, and the film demands patience and attention.

Ran poster

Fire and Ice1983

Ralph Bakshi again, this time rotoscoping live actors for a sword-and-sorcery adventure. If Wizards enchanted you, seeing him work with similar techniques and fantasy material is a natural next step.

But Rotoscoping actors can look awkward and weightless compared to hand animation. The plot is boilerplate fantasy hero stuff, and some find the execution uneven.

Fire and Ice poster

Dragonslayer1981

A medieval-fantasy film that takes itself seriously while indulging in genuine spectacle. It has real craft behind its monster and world design, with a darker tone than most adventure films.

But It's slow and deliberately unglamorous. The dragon appears less than you'd expect, and the climax subverts typical heroism in ways some viewers find unsatisfying.

Dragonslayer poster

The Dark Crystal1982

Both are pre-CGI fantasies built with obsessive craft. Both feature warring twins or doppelgängers as the engine of the plot. Both trust mood and design over exposition.

Henson and Oz's entirely puppet-built dark fantasy about corruption and dualism. Every frame looks like painted reality, and the commitment to practical world-building—no shortcuts, no compromises—creates something genuinely alien.

But It's genuinely unsettling and grotesque in places. The pacing is glacial, dialogue is sparse, and some find watching puppets for 93 minutes tedious rather than hypnotic.

The Dark Crystal poster

Urusei Yatsura: Only You1983

Both are 80s animation that commit fully to their own logic without concern for what a mainstream audience expects. Both mix genuine emotional stakes with moments of anarchic humor and bombast.

A wild, romantic, anarchic anime comedy-adventure that careens across genres without apology. If you loved Wizards' willingness to be strange and sincere simultaneously, this Japanese film has that same fearless tonal chaos.

But It's fast, surreal, and doesn't pause to explain itself. Anime fans find it essential; others find it overwhelming and incoherent.

Urusei Yatsura: Only You poster

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Recommended by

Fritz the Cat, Heavy Metal, Yellow Submarine, Fantastic Planet, The Lord of the Rings, Rock & Rule, Fire and Ice, Time Masters, We Are the Strange