Rating: **
Producers: Ralph Bakshi, Frank Frazetta
Director: Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi teams up with legendary fantasy artist Frank Frazetta to tell a story of high adventure and good vs. evil. The evil wizard Necron is bent on subjugating the entire world, using a giant glacier and an army of subhumans to crush anyone who opposes him. The final stand for humanity is at Fire Keep, and Necron's forces kidnap princess Teegra as a bargaining chip for their unconditional surrender. A warrior named Larn and a barbarian called Darkwulf have an axe to grind with Necron, and set out to rescue the princess, leaving a trail of blood and destruction in their wake.
Another pointless and empty effort from Ralph Bakshi, which boils the fantasy formula down to raw sex and violence. One could argue that it represents the spirit of adventure in its purest form, but I prefer a bit more substance and narrative cohesion. Frazetta's hand is readily apparent in the character designs, and the rotoscoped animation is dazzling to watch. While Teegra is a smart and strong willed character, she's reduced to a jiggling, half-naked, damsel in distress for the majority of the film. The animated T&A and gratuitous violence make this a decidedly adult oriented adventure, which looks like it could have slithered off the pages of "Heavy Metal" magazine.