Reviews (90)

A very cool universe...
I remember sneaking in to the movies to see this back in '81 - and it's remained a nostalgic favorite ever since. Heavy Metal is an ambitious series of six metaphorical vignettes loosely strung together by a Darth Vadar-ish emerald orb, Loc-Nar, the self-proclaimed "sum of all evils." Introduced by way of a space truckin' archeologist piloting a Corvette throughout the Heavens (a classic opening sequence), the glowing jewel is brought home and given to his daughter. The orb melts dad into slime and confronts the daughter who, by some cosmic dint, holds the key to the green ball's destruction. And this is just the first three minutes.

The film was created by an army of 1,000 artists, animation experts and technicians from seventeen countries. Given the current state of technology, the movie today would probably only take a half-dozen animators and a few lap-tops. Regardless of its dated stylishness and rough edges, Heavy Metal was a pioneering film in 1981 and remains an infuential body of art today. A visual mixed bag of matte, blue screen, live action, stop motion, and Star Wars-influenced drawing/animation styles, the dazzling sci-fi epic scored a bullseye with its comic hipness, imagination, and drug kaleidoscope presentation. The final installment, Tarna, is the most mind-bending in terms of fluid animation, spectacular color schemes, imagination, and graphics, which appears 3-D. The green ball crashes into a mountain and the lava it produces turns the civilization around it into a merciless warring faction. They prey upon neighboring villages who then summon The Defender, a naked chick with a giant bird. The sequence in which Tarna, The Defender, slowly and enticingly dons her bondage-like battle gear and hip boots remains one of the hottest scenes ever in a movie, animated or not. All clothes aside, this tale is the centerpiece of the movie's artistic accomplishments.

The best part of this Collector's Series disc is the plethora of extras included. The disc includes a voiceover by Carl Macek reading his book "Heavy Metal: The Movie". It also includes a documentary titled "Imagining Heavy Metal" which runs approximately 35 minutes. The disc also includes deleted scenes, including a rough cut of a entire additional segment which was cut form the movie titled Neverwhere Land, and an alternate framing sequence which can be heard with or without commentary by Carl Macek. There is a segment called "Artwork of Heavy Metal" which includes 26 pencil drawings, 59 conceptual art stills (2 of which are animated), 29 single cell stills, and 191 layered cell stills which expose some of the layering techniques used during the animation process. There are also 18 production photos of behind the scenes work which was done on the film and a segment which contains all the Heavy Metal Magazine covers from 1977 through 1999. But the best extra on this disc is the entire full-length rough cut of the pencil drawings used to get the look and feel of the production prior to the final production stage. This rough cut can also be viewed either with or without a full commentary by Carl Macek.

Classic animation, with a hard rockin soundtrack
I can't believe the number of negative reviews this movie has gotten! I bet these people don't like James Bond movies, either.

To fully appreciate Heavy Metal, one has to understand the era it came out in. At the time, most animation, at least what was seen in the US, was frequently of the "family entertainment" variety seen in Saturday morning cartoons and TV commercials. Apart from Ralph Bakshi, most animators were basically shackled by the need to present something that was "rated G". Heavy Metal took the exact opposite route. It was a liberating experience for the animators working on the film to be allowed to draw things they usually weren't allowed. And they got paid to do it, too!

After the opening Soft Landing sequence, we're introduced to the Loc-Nar, a glowing green orb responsible for all the evil that has plagued the universe (or at least, that which has plagued the human race). The various stories contained in the film are told by the Loc-Nar to a young girl, as examples of it's awesome power.

The stories include the film noir homage Harry Canyon, the male "wish fulfillment fantasy" of Den (which demonstrates the versatility of the late John Candy, who voices both Dan, the science nerd who gets transported into an alternate dimension by the Loc-Nar, as well as Den, the Conan/He-Man-esque beefcake that he is magically transformed into), the highly amusing Captain Sternn (trivia: the voice of the prosecutor is done by John Vernon, the actor who portrayed Dean Wormer in Animal House), the EC-esque B-17 (aka Gremlins, which went through so many script revisions, it's a miracle it got finished at all), the bizarrely hilarious So Beautiful And So Dangerous (ok, maybe there's some truth to the juvenilia charges during this segment, but only a corpse could keep from laughing at this piece), and revenge scenario of Taarna (imagine a tougher, sexier version of Xena, only about a decade and a half earlier).

While there IS some element of juvenilia here, it's no worse than any other movie that's been released by any major studio during the last 25 years. In fact, I bet it's a little more cerebral than most of those other movies. Harry Canyon is a rather crafted film noir homage, while some elements of Taarna are clearly patterned on Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns. And while there are a couple sex scenes and a certain amount of excessive violince in Heavy Metal, again, it's nothing compared to some of the garbage that's shown on cable TV these days. I'd certainly rather watch this than Basic Instinct or No Way Out.

This movie is a classic piece of animation. Yeah, some of it's rough around the edges, but that has a lot to do with Columbia's decision to move up the deadline so they could have the original movie out in time for the summer 81 season. One has to consider the scope of the undertaking, and the relatively short time that was at hand to create it.

Look at the "travelling sequence" during Taarna, where she's shown riding her mount (a sort of large bird creature) over a rolling landscape, and consider that it was done WITHOUT the use of any kind of computer generated work. It's explained in the audio commentary on the rough cut of the film, as well as during the documentary how it was done, and why it didn't quite turn out as planned). No one had ever done anything like that, and it had to all be done by hand.

Really, you can't take this movie too seriously. It's a movie that exists soley to entertain. There's no big message or point to the movie. Just put the DVD in the player, turn out the lights, turn up the volume LOUD, and just enjoy the trip.

It should be noted, that this disc also contains some of the best bonus features I've seen on any DVD. Besides the regular movie, you get a full length "rough cut" of the film, consisting of storyboards, pencil tests, and some completed animation. The only audio for this rough cut (besides the optional audio commentary, by Carl Macek, who also does a completely different commentary for the finished movie) is the dialog. There's long stretches of silence, but it's worth watching, as there's lots of bits of dialog that were cut from the final movie (we learn, for instance, that Katharine, like Den, was also transformed when she was transported to this mysterious alternate universe). It's also interesting to note that the stories weren't always in the order that they were in the final movie.

There's also a half hour documentary with interviews from many of the filmmakers involved in making the film. We finally find out why we see a model of a house blowing up at the end (because they didn't have time to finish the animation for that one bit), and also why Cornelius Cole's Neverwhere Land was cut from the movie (either for reasons of length/continuity, or because Cole didn't finish it in time, depending on exactly which version of the story you wish to believe.

You also get a few minutes of deleted scenes, most notably the above mentioned Neverwhere Land, which was originally supposed to link Captain Sternn and B-17. There's also a few minutes that surround an early version of the framing story (in whence the Loc-Nar was actually the power source of a magical merry-go-round, and the various objects on the merry-go-round related in one way to the stories...ie, there's a taxicab, Taarna's mount, etc...each time the girl takes a ride in a different vehicle on the merry-go-round, she experiences a different story).

And finally, you get all Heavy Metal covers up through 1999, plus various bits of production drawings, cels, etc.

In short, this is a classic film that should be viewed by all fans of animation and/or heavy flicks. Prudes and conservatives who get cranky at the very thought of a movie being ruined by a little too much flesh or blood (and really, there isn't THAT much of either in this film) or a little warped humor (ok, there's PLENTY of that here) are advised to keep away. I just wish they had restored Neverwhere Land to it's original place between Captain Sternn and B-17.

Cult Classic HEAVY METAL Not a Clunker
Some critics and film historians have labeled 1981's HEAVY METAL as the last film to genuinely reflect the mishmash sensibilities of the post-hippy 1970s counter-culture, and stylistically and thematically this appears to be true. Based on the adult counter-culture cult comic of the same name, HEAVY METAL definitely is a sort of spacey concatenation of disparate visual aesthetics and heterogeneous science-fiction/fantasy narratives. But despite being a hodgepodge as a whole, the film still manages to offer a very entertaining way to kill 90 minutes.

As with the magazine, the film is basically aimed at horny male adolescents, offering plenty of nude, amply bosomed women running around in the midst of stylized violence and gore; lots of rock music (though these ditties from popular metal bands of the late '70s may not appeal to the current generation of horny male adolescents); and references to the drug-oriented sub-culture (definitely not a cartoon for the pre-teen crowd). Each individual segment of HEAVY METAL was scripted and directed independently of the others, which likely accounts for the varying aesthetic and narrative styles. But many of these contributors were (and are now) some of the most talented people in the film industry, including writers Dan O'Bannon, Len Blum, and Daniel Goldberg, and directors John Bruno, John Halas, and Jimmy T. Murikami. (Gerald Potterton, listed in the credits as the film's director, was in reality the overseer for the project as a whole.)

Because the film does not contain a single cohesive plotline, it is best to evaluate each animated segment in its own right. Some of those individual stories are quite thought-provoking or humorous--or both--and even some of the more mediocre segments still offer some fantastic visuals. One of the most intellectually interesting is a story called DEN, in which a young bespectacled geek is transported into a parallel universe and transformed into a handsome, muscled barbarian hero. After falling in love with a curvaceous maiden, he helps her save her people from their draconian Caligula-like dictator. B-17 is probably the most earnest segment, though there seems to be no intrinsic logic to the sparse narrative. In it, the dead crewmembers of a WWII bomber plane are inexplicably resurrected as flesh-eating zombies, subsequently seeking to make a meal of the plane's still-living pilot. Visually, however, this segment is quite stunning, evoking the deliciously gruesome artistic style of the old E.C. comics of the '50s and early '60s. And in the funniest segment--entitled SO BEAUTIFUL, SO DANGEROUS--a gorgeous Pentagon secretary is inadvertently sucked into an alien spaceship that resembles a huge smiley face. After confronting the spaced-out druggie crewmembers, she ultimately becomes the lover of the ship's robot and decides to remain aboard.

After its initial release, HEAVY METAL attained a cult following of sorts and became a favorite of the midnight-movie crowd. Unfortunately, its release to the home-video market was delayed for years due to disputes over copyrights for some of the rock songs used in the soundtrack. Because of this, poorly produced bootlegged copies of the flick were illegally sold (usually at Sci-fi cons) and swapped among fans, and the inferior video quality contributed to the film's unfair reputation for being a mediocre film. But the music disputes were eventually resolved somehow, and the film became commercially available to the home market in the mid 1990s and regained its popularity as a cool cartoon. (Some statistics indicate that it is the most popular film in the Columbia/Tristar home-video catalog.)

Columbia/Tristar's Special-Edition DVD of HEAVY METAL offers a beautiful digital transfer of the film and soundtrack, along with some really cool bounus material. For animation fans, one of the best of the bonus features is a fascinating feature-length pencil-test version of the film (with optional commentary). Columbia/Tristar also offers a version of the HEAVY METAL in their SuperBit collection, but as with their other SuperBit films, the disc space required for the higher bit rate precludes the inclusion of any bonus material. Unless the buyer has a high-definition TV and can appreciate the increased picture quality of the SuperBit disc, the Special-Edition version is the way to go. Either way, HEAVY METAL offers enough entertainment value to make it a worthy addition to the DVD collection of any SF or animation fan.

Heavy Metal special edition
Heavy Metal is an excellent movie. And it's a great way to see the magazine come to life. It has great rock and Heavy Metal music along with it's motion picture score.
It's a cult classic for Friday night viewing. Not to be missed and represents the 1980's at it's best.

A science fiction/ fantasy animated sampler
If you aren't a science fiction fan, then you probably aren't going to get into this film. However, if you have at least a passing familiarity with the genre and it's evolution over the years then it will hold your interest.

First of all, the framework that holds all the various animated segments together (in an old, isolated, Victorian house) seems to be a tribute to Clifford Simak's work. The first segment (Harry Canyon) is a gritty cyberpunk story set in a decaying New York of the near future, ala PKD. The second piece (Den) is a parody of heroic fantasy fiction, ala Edgar Rice Burroughs. The third (Captain Sternn) is a parody of heroic, hard science fiction, ala Roddenberry and the early Heinlein. The fourth (B-17) is pure graphic horror ala William Gaines and the horror mags of the 50's. The fifth segment (So Beautiful, so Dangerous) reminds one of the underground comics of the 60's and 70's in its look and content (drug humor.) Lastly, segment six (Taarna) is an original piece of straight heroic fantasy reminiscent of perhaps Robert E. Howard.

The editors did a pretty good job of tying all of these diverse segments together with reference to the Lok-nar (a sentient, glowing, green orb from space that represents the origin of pure evil in cosmic and human history- perhaps this is a tribute to Lovecraft.)

Back when this film first came out there was an organised feminist campaign to destroy it. I used to wonder if those people ever actually watched the film- I can't imagine a more heroic feminine archetype than Taarna....

This digitally remastered edition is really worth having. I don't remember the images being this crisp and bright when I first saw this in the theaters in '81. As for the sound track (Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Devo, Grand Funk Railroad, Journey, Nazareth, Stevie Nicks, etc.) I don't see how it could be much better.

Oh yes, as for the Stingray with the astronaut driving it dropping out of the orbiting shuttle- I don't have a clue as to what that was all about.... ... Read more

Amazon.com

Heavy Metal
As long as there is a need for adolescent male sexual fantasy, there will be an audience for Heavy Metal. Released in 1981 and based on stories from the graphic magazine of the same name (possibly the greatest publication to simultaneously provoke imagination and masturbation), the film has since become the most popular single title in Columbia/TriStar's entire film library. That's an amazing fact considering just how silly and senseless the movie really is--an aimless, juvenile amalgam of disjointed stories and clashing visual styles, employing hundreds of animators from around the world with a near-total absence of creative cohesion. It remains, for better and worse, a midnight-movie favorite for the stoner crowd--a movie best enjoyed by randy adolescents or near-adults in an altered state of consciousness.With a framing story about a glowing green orb claiming to be the embodiment of all evil, the film shuttles through eight episodic tales of sci-fi adventure, each fueled by some of the most wretched rock music to emerge from the 1980s. The most consistent trademark is an abundance of blood-splattering violence and wet-dream sex, the latter involving a succession of huge-breasted babes who shed their clothes at the drop of a G-string. It's all quite fun in its rampantly brainless desire to fuel the young male libido, and for all its incoherence Heavy Metal remains impressive for the ambitious artistry of its individual segments. Courtesy of producer Ivan Reitman (who'd just scored a hit with Stripes), voice talents include several Canadian veterans of Second City comedy, including John Candy, Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy, and Joe Flaherty. --Jeff Shannon

Heavy Metal 2000
Instead of cartoon vignettes that chronicle adolescent fantasies of sex and drugs in the near future, this sequel to 1981's Heavy Metal follows but one story. On a distant planet, a fountain of eternal life has been locked away by a race of supposedly wise people, who have buried the only key deep in space. If found, the key will give directions to the planet, but will also drive the finder crazy--which is exactly what happens. On his way to the planet of youth, Tyler (voice of venerable character actor Michael Ironside) wipes out most of a space colony and kidnaps a sexy woman. His big mistake is that he doesn't kill the woman's sister, Julie (voice of B-movie actress Julie Strain), who then sets out on a mission of rescue and revenge. Created with an uneasy blend of computer and traditional cel animation, Heavy Metal 2000 is utterly predictable. Even the sex scenes are bland and politically correct, eschewing the joy of dirty sex in favor of glimpses of T&A and lots of violence and gore. Of course, one big reason for this movie is to supplement its heavy metal soundtrack, which includes Pantera, Monster Magnet, MDFMK, Insane Clown Posse, Billy Idol, and others. It's probably better to think of it more as a string of music videos than as a story. --Andy Spletzer ... Read more

Reviews (7)

One classic, one NOT!
I'll give you a measure of how forgettable one of these films was- I bought the new release of the original Heavy Metal and Heavy Metal 2000 at the same time. I found myself remembering almost every scene in the original movie, even though I hadn't seen it in over 20 years. Then I watched HM2000. About halfway through I vaguely recalled that I had seen it before, but there wasn't one single scene that I clearly remembered- and I probably only saw it about three years ago. It was that forgettable, that ordinary.

Don't get me wrong; this isn't necessarily a bad film. The animation is very well done, very slick and seamless. The writing and voice acting is competent and professional. The sound track is certainly better incorporated into the animation and story than it was in the original. Everything was competently done, it was just.... ordinary. Nothing jumped out at you. It was like a Saturday morning cartoon episode- just with a little more violence, and a lot more animated nudity (animated nudity- I mean what's the point?)

Personally, I'd save my money and buy the new release of the original Heavy Metal- alone. Sure, the animation looks crude by today's standards- but it was done the old, time-consuming, expensive way of drawing one cell at a time. The original was also crammed full of a variety of different animation styles and story lines. Perhaps that was because it was the first big budget science fiction animated feature and the people involved had so much enthusiasm that they tried to do too much. In contrast, I don't think anyone got too enthusiastic about this film. Sure, they did a solid job of craftsmanship, but where is the originality, the fire, the spirit? Kind of reminds me of the original Heavy Metal magazine, it started out fresh and new and just slowly petered out to nothing....

VERY GOOD MOVIE
I MUST SAY I WAS VERY PLEASANTY SURPRISED BY THIS MOVIE IT WAS VERY INTENSE FOR ADULT ANIMATION.

Avoid at all cost
Heavy Metal- originally released in 1981- Still a great movie over 20 years later- Yes, the original 1981 version is a classic! Original and controversial stories and a classic soundtrack with style.

Heavy Metal 2000- too politically correct and nowhere near as original as it's predecessor. No risks here and no style- very sterile and predictable. I'd rather stick my thumb in my eye than be subjected to the manufactured nu-metal trash soundtrack again. Will HM2000 be a classic in 20 years?? I don't think so! I guess there was a reason that it was released directly to video!

HM2K Is Not Worth Your Attention
I began buying HEAVY METAL magazine when it was first introduced in our country (it is based on the French magazine METAL HURLANT), and when I saw the first HEAVY METAL movie in its theatrical release, I considered it a pretty good representation of the magazine--funny, bizarre, sexy in a playful way, and open to various types of artistic interpretation. The DVD of HEAVY METAL appeals to me because it preserves the characteristics that made those early years of the magazine special.

HEAVY METAL 2000, however, is little more than a vanity project for Julie Strain, the wife of the current publisher of HEAVY METAL and one of the producers of the film, Kevin Eastman. One would think that Eastman, who gained fame as one of the creators of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, would present a new HEAVY METAL film that would have the same qualities as the original. But where HM offers violence to illustrate the depth of evil, HM2K focusses on the gore. Where HM offers a forum for various stylistic approaches, HM2K offers jarring combinations of animation techniques. Where HM tantalizes viewers with sexuality, HM2K invites us to leer. HM2K defines "gratuitous" in every scene and, in doing so, seemingly confirms every dirty stereotype about arrested adolescence in grown-ups who read comics. The only redeemable portion of the HM2K DVD is the bio on Julie Strain--the pure unintended camp of the piece is fascinating. But HM2K as a whole offers a predictable story with voice acting less animated than the standard digital recording on an answering machine. If you're looking for a recent sci-fi movie that captures the knowing, satirical and adventurous spirit of the first HM movie, buy STARSHIP TROOPERS. HM2K did not get theatrical distribution for a reason, folks. Take the hint.

I give this item two stars because the movies are bundled together. HM by itself is worth four stars, and HM2K deserves none.

OK job
Heavy metal pulled this one out of having a lower rating. Heavy Metal is a classic and deserves a 5 star rating. Meavy Metal 2000 was only a high tech, better animation, ATTEMPT to equal the original. I was sitting through HM2000 trying to figure out why someone of the caliber of Michael Ironside would do this movie. The action was OK, but in places it seemed to drag on and was too easy for the heroine to catch up to the bad guy. The plot was predictible. The movie did have good action, animation, and computer graphics though. ... Read more

Description

The Superbit titles utilize a special high bit rate digital encoding process which optimizes video quality while offering a choice of both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. These titles have been produced by a team of Sony Pictures Digital Studios video, sound and mastering engineers and comes housed in a special package complete with a 4 page booklet that contains technical information on the Superbit process. By reallocating space on the disc normally used for value-added content, Superbit DVDs can be encoded at double their normal bit rate while maintaining full compatibility with the DVD video format. ... Read more

Reviews (90)

A very cool universe...
I remember sneaking in to the movies to see this back in '81 - and it's remained a nostalgic favorite ever since. Heavy Metal is an ambitious series of six metaphorical vignettes loosely strung together by a Darth Vadar-ish emerald orb, Loc-Nar, the self-proclaimed "sum of all evils." Introduced by way of a space truckin' archeologist piloting a Corvette throughout the Heavens (a classic opening sequence), the glowing jewel is brought home and given to his daughter. The orb melts dad into slime and confronts the daughter who, by some cosmic dint, holds the key to the green ball's destruction. And this is just the first three minutes.

The film was created by an army of 1,000 artists, animation experts and technicians from seventeen countries. Given the current state of technology, the movie today would probably only take a half-dozen animators and a few lap-tops. Regardless of its dated stylishness and rough edges, Heavy Metal was a pioneering film in 1981 and remains an infuential body of art today. A visual mixed bag of matte, blue screen, live action, stop motion, and Star Wars-influenced drawing/animation styles, the dazzling sci-fi epic scored a bullseye with its comic hipness, imagination, and drug kaleidoscope presentation. The final installment, Tarna, is the most mind-bending in terms of fluid animation, spectacular color schemes, imagination, and graphics, which appears 3-D. The green ball crashes into a mountain and the lava it produces turns the civilization around it into a merciless warring faction. They prey upon neighboring villages who then summon The Defender, a naked chick with a giant bird. The sequence in which Tarna, The Defender, slowly and enticingly dons her bondage-like battle gear and hip boots remains one of the hottest scenes ever in a movie, animated or not. All clothes aside, this tale is the centerpiece of the movie's artistic accomplishments.

The best part of this Collector's Series disc is the plethora of extras included. The disc includes a voiceover by Carl Macek reading his book "Heavy Metal: The Movie". It also includes a documentary titled "Imagining Heavy Metal" which runs approximately 35 minutes. The disc also includes deleted scenes, including a rough cut of a entire additional segment which was cut form the movie titled Neverwhere Land, and an alternate framing sequence which can be heard with or without commentary by Carl Macek. There is a segment called "Artwork of Heavy Metal" which includes 26 pencil drawings, 59 conceptual art stills (2 of which are animated), 29 single cell stills, and 191 layered cell stills which expose some of the layering techniques used during the animation process. There are also 18 production photos of behind the scenes work which was done on the film and a segment which contains all the Heavy Metal Magazine covers from 1977 through 1999. But the best extra on this disc is the entire full-length rough cut of the pencil drawings used to get the look and feel of the production prior to the final production stage. This rough cut can also be viewed either with or without a full commentary by Carl Macek.

Classic animation, with a hard rockin soundtrack
I can't believe the number of negative reviews this movie has gotten! I bet these people don't like James Bond movies, either.

To fully appreciate Heavy Metal, one has to understand the era it came out in. At the time, most animation, at least what was seen in the US, was frequently of the "family entertainment" variety seen in Saturday morning cartoons and TV commercials. Apart from Ralph Bakshi, most animators were basically shackled by the need to present something that was "rated G". Heavy Metal took the exact opposite route. It was a liberating experience for the animators working on the film to be allowed to draw things they usually weren't allowed. And they got paid to do it, too!

After the opening Soft Landing sequence, we're introduced to the Loc-Nar, a glowing green orb responsible for all the evil that has plagued the universe (or at least, that which has plagued the human race). The various stories contained in the film are told by the Loc-Nar to a young girl, as examples of it's awesome power.

The stories include the film noir homage Harry Canyon, the male "wish fulfillment fantasy" of Den (which demonstrates the versatility of the late John Candy, who voices both Dan, the science nerd who gets transported into an alternate dimension by the Loc-Nar, as well as Den, the Conan/He-Man-esque beefcake that he is magically transformed into), the highly amusing Captain Sternn (trivia: the voice of the prosecutor is done by John Vernon, the actor who portrayed Dean Wormer in Animal House), the EC-esque B-17 (aka Gremlins, which went through so many script revisions, it's a miracle it got finished at all), the bizarrely hilarious So Beautiful And So Dangerous (ok, maybe there's some truth to the juvenilia charges during this segment, but only a corpse could keep from laughing at this piece), and revenge scenario of Taarna (imagine a tougher, sexier version of Xena, only about a decade and a half earlier).

While there IS some element of juvenilia here, it's no worse than any other movie that's been released by any major studio during the last 25 years. In fact, I bet it's a little more cerebral than most of those other movies. Harry Canyon is a rather crafted film noir homage, while some elements of Taarna are clearly patterned on Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns. And while there are a couple sex scenes and a certain amount of excessive violince in Heavy Metal, again, it's nothing compared to some of the garbage that's shown on cable TV these days. I'd certainly rather watch this than Basic Instinct or No Way Out.

This movie is a classic piece of animation. Yeah, some of it's rough around the edges, but that has a lot to do with Columbia's decision to move up the deadline so they could have the original movie out in time for the summer 81 season. One has to consider the scope of the undertaking, and the relatively short time that was at hand to create it.

Look at the "travelling sequence" during Taarna, where she's shown riding her mount (a sort of large bird creature) over a rolling landscape, and consider that it was done WITHOUT the use of any kind of computer generated work. It's explained in the audio commentary on the rough cut of the film, as well as during the documentary how it was done, and why it didn't quite turn out as planned). No one had ever done anything like that, and it had to all be done by hand.

Really, you can't take this movie too seriously. It's a movie that exists soley to entertain. There's no big message or point to the movie. Just put the DVD in the player, turn out the lights, turn up the volume LOUD, and just enjoy the trip.

It should be noted, that this disc also contains some of the best bonus features I've seen on any DVD. Besides the regular movie, you get a full length "rough cut" of the film, consisting of storyboards, pencil tests, and some completed animation. The only audio for this rough cut (besides the optional audio commentary, by Carl Macek, who also does a completely different commentary for the finished movie) is the dialog. There's long stretches of silence, but it's worth watching, as there's lots of bits of dialog that were cut from the final movie (we learn, for instance, that Katharine, like Den, was also transformed when she was transported to this mysterious alternate universe). It's also interesting to note that the stories weren't always in the order that they were in the final movie.

There's also a half hour documentary with interviews from many of the filmmakers involved in making the film. We finally find out why we see a model of a house blowing up at the end (because they didn't have time to finish the animation for that one bit), and also why Cornelius Cole's Neverwhere Land was cut from the movie (either for reasons of length/continuity, or because Cole didn't finish it in time, depending on exactly which version of the story you wish to believe.

You also get a few minutes of deleted scenes, most notably the above mentioned Neverwhere Land, which was originally supposed to link Captain Sternn and B-17. There's also a few minutes that surround an early version of the framing story (in whence the Loc-Nar was actually the power source of a magical merry-go-round, and the various objects on the merry-go-round related in one way to the stories...ie, there's a taxicab, Taarna's mount, etc...each time the girl takes a ride in a different vehicle on the merry-go-round, she experiences a different story).

And finally, you get all Heavy Metal covers up through 1999, plus various bits of production drawings, cels, etc.

In short, this is a classic film that should be viewed by all fans of animation and/or heavy flicks. Prudes and conservatives who get cranky at the very thought of a movie being ruined by a little too much flesh or blood (and really, there isn't THAT much of either in this film) or a little warped humor (ok, there's PLENTY of that here) are advised to keep away. I just wish they had restored Neverwhere Land to it's original place between Captain Sternn and B-17.

Cult Classic HEAVY METAL Not a Clunker
Some critics and film historians have labeled 1981's HEAVY METAL as the last film to genuinely reflect the mishmash sensibilities of the post-hippy 1970s counter-culture, and stylistically and thematically this appears to be true. Based on the adult counter-culture cult comic of the same name, HEAVY METAL definitely is a sort of spacey concatenation of disparate visual aesthetics and heterogeneous science-fiction/fantasy narratives. But despite being a hodgepodge as a whole, the film still manages to offer a very entertaining way to kill 90 minutes.

As with the magazine, the film is basically aimed at horny male adolescents, offering plenty of nude, amply bosomed women running around in the midst of stylized violence and gore; lots of rock music (though these ditties from popular metal bands of the late '70s may not appeal to the current generation of horny male adolescents); and references to the drug-oriented sub-culture (definitely not a cartoon for the pre-teen crowd). Each individual segment of HEAVY METAL was scripted and directed independently of the others, which likely accounts for the varying aesthetic and narrative styles. But many of these contributors were (and are now) some of the most talented people in the film industry, including writers Dan O'Bannon, Len Blum, and Daniel Goldberg, and directors John Bruno, John Halas, and Jimmy T. Murikami. (Gerald Potterton, listed in the credits as the film's director, was in reality the overseer for the project as a whole.)

Because the film does not contain a single cohesive plotline, it is best to evaluate each animated segment in its own right. Some of those individual stories are quite thought-provoking or humorous--or both--and even some of the more mediocre segments still offer some fantastic visuals. One of the most intellectually interesting is a story called DEN, in which a young bespectacled geek is transported into a parallel universe and transformed into a handsome, muscled barbarian hero. After falling in love with a curvaceous maiden, he helps her save her people from their draconian Caligula-like dictator. B-17 is probably the most earnest segment, though there seems to be no intrinsic logic to the sparse narrative. In it, the dead crewmembers of a WWII bomber plane are inexplicably resurrected as flesh-eating zombies, subsequently seeking to make a meal of the plane's still-living pilot. Visually, however, this segment is quite stunning, evoking the deliciously gruesome artistic style of the old E.C. comics of the '50s and early '60s. And in the funniest segment--entitled SO BEAUTIFUL, SO DANGEROUS--a gorgeous Pentagon secretary is inadvertently sucked into an alien spaceship that resembles a huge smiley face. After confronting the spaced-out druggie crewmembers, she ultimately becomes the lover of the ship's robot and decides to remain aboard.

After its initial release, HEAVY METAL attained a cult following of sorts and became a favorite of the midnight-movie crowd. Unfortunately, its release to the home-video market was delayed for years due to disputes over copyrights for some of the rock songs used in the soundtrack. Because of this, poorly produced bootlegged copies of the flick were illegally sold (usually at Sci-fi cons) and swapped among fans, and the inferior video quality contributed to the film's unfair reputation for being a mediocre film. But the music disputes were eventually resolved somehow, and the film became commercially available to the home market in the mid 1990s and regained its popularity as a cool cartoon. (Some statistics indicate that it is the most popular film in the Columbia/Tristar home-video catalog.)

Columbia/Tristar's Special-Edition DVD of HEAVY METAL offers a beautiful digital transfer of the film and soundtrack, along with some really cool bounus material. For animation fans, one of the best of the bonus features is a fascinating feature-length pencil-test version of the film (with optional commentary). Columbia/Tristar also offers a version of the HEAVY METAL in their SuperBit collection, but as with their other SuperBit films, the disc space required for the higher bit rate precludes the inclusion of any bonus material. Unless the buyer has a high-definition TV and can appreciate the increased picture quality of the SuperBit disc, the Special-Edition version is the way to go. Either way, HEAVY METAL offers enough entertainment value to make it a worthy addition to the DVD collection of any SF or animation fan.

Heavy Metal special edition
Heavy Metal is an excellent movie. And it's a great way to see the magazine come to life. It has great rock and Heavy Metal music along with it's motion picture score.
It's a cult classic for Friday night viewing. Not to be missed and represents the 1980's at it's best.

A science fiction/ fantasy animated sampler
If you aren't a science fiction fan, then you probably aren't going to get into this film. However, if you have at least a passing familiarity with the genre and it's evolution over the years then it will hold your interest.

First of all, the framework that holds all the various animated segments together (in an old, isolated, Victorian house) seems to be a tribute to Clifford Simak's work. The first segment (Harry Canyon) is a gritty cyberpunk story set in a decaying New York of the near future, ala PKD. The second piece (Den) is a parody of heroic fantasy fiction, ala Edgar Rice Burroughs. The third (Captain Sternn) is a parody of heroic, hard science fiction, ala Roddenberry and the early Heinlein. The fourth (B-17) is pure graphic horror ala William Gaines and the horror mags of the 50's. The fifth segment (So Beautiful, so Dangerous) reminds one of the underground comics of the 60's and 70's in its look and content (drug humor.) Lastly, segment six (Taarna) is an original piece of straight heroic fantasy reminiscent of perhaps Robert E. Howard.

The editors did a pretty good job of tying all of these diverse segments together with reference to the Lok-nar (a sentient, glowing, green orb from space that represents the origin of pure evil in cosmic and human history- perhaps this is a tribute to Lovecraft.)

Back when this film first came out there was an organised feminist campaign to destroy it. I used to wonder if those people ever actually watched the film- I can't imagine a more heroic feminine archetype than Taarna....

This digitally remastered edition is really worth having. I don't remember the images being this crisp and bright when I first saw this in the theaters in '81. As for the sound track (Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Devo, Grand Funk Railroad, Journey, Nazareth, Stevie Nicks, etc.) I don't see how it could be much better.

Oh yes, as for the Stingray with the astronaut driving it dropping out of the orbiting shuttle- I don't have a clue as to what that was all about.... ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Anime of the 80's..
I remember this verison well from back in the day when it was on tv. I think it may have run on the Disney channel in the form of a series but I am not sure. In this telling of the tale Dorothy has curly brown hair and Toto is a loveable ball of fur drawn in a 70's style anime way.The Scarecrow in this adapton is very loveable and skinny looking as well. The other two films in this series are entitled "The Wonderfull Wizard Of Oz" and "Ozma of Oz". These films are somewhat "darker" than some tellings of the stories but are very true to the books in that way.

The best Oz cartoon that has ever been made
This cartoon is the best oz cartoon ever made. The music is great, the story is presented wonderfully and the characters are fantastic. I thought the wicked witch of the west was the best, she was scary, powerful, and different from usaul witches you find in cartoons. I really hope one day I will be able to buy this video again. I may be older now but its still my favourite cartoon and oz movie!

One of my favorite takes on the WIZARD OF OZ!
Margot Kidder is the narrator of this wonderfully spectactular animated film of the Wizard of Oz. This movie is the first part of an Oz series based on the books. The animated movies were released as a miniseries on the Showcase channel. This has been one of my favorite children's movies ever. Definitly a five-star movie. Also watch the Marvelous Land of Oz, narrated by Margot Kidder. That is probably one of my favorites of the series.

Very good but...
This 1987 animated version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is good but is often referd to the book.If you havent read the L Frank Baum book you probably wouldnt under stand the whole story.The voices of the characters are very good and so is the picture. I think you will enjoy it.

the wonderful wizard of oz
after a twister in kansas dorothy and toto are now in the land of oz, they want to go back to kansas as they are missing aunt em and uncle henry.the munchkins and the good witch of the north tell dorothy to go and ask THE WIZARD OF OZ for help he lives at the other end of the yellow brick road.al;ong the way dorothy meets lots of new friends like the scarecrow,the tinman and the lion who also need help from the wizard so they all come along with dorothy and toto.will dorothy and toto get back to kansas or will the WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST get them.find out in this magical video. ... Read more

Description

Animated adaptation of L. Frank Baum's beloved fantasy novel. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good, but could have been better.
I have seen other versions of "The Marvelous Land of Oz" by L. Frank Baum and this one is the most close to the book. The songs are unforgetable, Mr. Wogglebug sang loud and proud just like I thought he would (he was really the only reason I bought this film.) I think that Mr. Wogglebug is about half out of character in this film. He acted a lot like the Frogman did until he swam in the truth pond, but he's not really like that. Like all good comedy, "The Marvelous Land of Oz" is based on positive values, in this case friendship and kindness. Threatened by Mombi and Jinjur, Tip and his friends stick together. By contrast, Mombi and Jinjur use each other. In the end, friendship and kindness triumph, treachery is brought low, and laughter is all around. I have lots of dreams about Mr. Wogglebug and in one I saw him bow before an applauding audiance on television, and that is just what he did in this film. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The perfect ending
What can I say? the emerald city of oz was just as good as the 1st! Ozma's magickal powers were so much fun to enjoy and the characters were just as fun as they have always been. It was great to see the good witch of the south make a brief appearence again. Glinda's so cool, good and powerful. I wish Cinar could of made more movies of Oz! They were all great and FANTASTIC! ... Read more

Description

Animated children's adventure set in the magical world of Oz. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

My Favorite Oz
O.k., I admit I never saw the movie, but I read the book and fell in love with it. Dorothy and her Uncle Henry are going to Australia to visit some of their relatives. During a storm, Dorothy is washed off the boat by a huge wave. She then climbed in a chicken coup and sailed. In the morning, she meets Billina, a talking yellow hen. When the coup hits land, they experiance a lot of adventures and meet many new characters, like Tik-Tok, a bronze mechanical man and Ozma, the ruler of Oz, along with old favorites like the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion. A great find, I think the best in L.F.B.'s series. Join Dorothy and her old and new friends in Ozma of Oz!!!!!

Third time lucky and still great!
This is the third instalment of the cinar oz movies and it is as great as the first two. The introduction of the Gnome king was great and the reuniting of Dorothy, Scarecrow, the tinman and the lion was wonderful. The lion was not included in 'The land of oz' so it was great to have him back in the story. Tick-tock was fantastic and the most funnyest character of all! It's a shame he wasn't in the other movies and it was a shame that Jack Pumpkinhead was only in this movie for a limited time. All in all, Ozma of oz was just as enjoyable as the others and give it top ratings! ... Read more