Fire and Ice 4K 1983

The main feature of this Ralph Bakshi cartoon is its unusual portrayal of good and evil in the form of the elements. As we learn in high school chemistry, ice is a state of matter of water, and water is one of the foundations of life. Here, however, ice symbolizes evil—a tool in the hands of the villainous Necron. At the same time, fire and lava, which in fantasy are often portrayed as the embodiment of infernal villains (think of Mordor), are here the forces of good.

Another curious feature of the film is a certain excess of light eroticism. All the women dress in everyday life in a way that would put some porn stars to shame. On top of that, they (mostly her—the main character, Princess Tigra) strike poses that would send any pubescent teenager into unbridled rapture.

And for girls of that age, there’s the male lead: a muscular, blue-eyed blond strutting around in nothing but a loincloth. This immediately brings to mind the work of famous fantasy-erotic artists, such as Boris Vallejo or Luis Royo. I wonder who inspired whom—Bakhshi the artists, or the artists the director.

That’s where all the interesting parts end. Mainly because the script is utterly banal. It’s never clear where the man in the Batman mask came from or why he’s so invincible. Why do the heroes manage to outwit their enemy so easily, and why are they so lucky? And presenting the backstory as a series of static images, accompanied by a formulaic narration about an evil overlord and her son who’ve decided to conquer the world—that’s just not very good. The characters come across as two-dimensional, the dialogue is silly, and the voice actors sometimes overacted (I’m talking about the English version).

Overall, it’s a passable cartoon. It might be of particular interest mainly to those going through puberty. Although it’ll probably appeal to anyone interested in animation in general, too.