Fire And Ice Is Lukewarm

The cult classic 1983 animated fantasy flick Fire and Ice was released on DVD just a couple of years ago, and while it's not exactly cinematic gold, it's at least cinematic...amethyst? I dunno. Something pretty.

Fire and Ice takes place during a war between the kingdoms of Firekeep and Icepeak, led respectively by the benevolent King Jarol and the evil wizard Nekron. When Firekeep's princess is kidnapped by Nekron's "subhuman" goonies, it's up to a brawny lad named Larn to rescue her, battling various feebleminded henchmen and giant octopi along the way.

The plot may be be somewhat thin, but the film's beautiful art and rotoscope animation almost makes up for its non-stop senseless violence, not to mention gratuitous fleshmongering. The world of Fire and Ice must have some sort of embargo on clothing, because nobody ever seems to wear any. I suppose this is understandable in Firekeep's presumably balmy climate, but you'd think you'd want to wear more than a pair of leather undies if you hang out in a place called Icepeak. I can't complain too much, though, since the cast is about 95% male.

The movie's really not too bad as far as schlock fantasy goes, in comparison to most of the sword-and-sorcery flicks out there. Ultimately, Fire and Ice isn't much more than eye candy, but it's sweet candy indeed.