Heavy Metal
It could be said that there are certain ingredients which--when combined in the right (sometimes ample) proportions--are a recipe for "cool". Heavy Metal is an animated film adapted from the magazine series of the same name, featuring stories and artwork full of scantily clad fantasy warriors, cyberpunk sci-fi adventures through space, and ghastly tales of the supernatural to chill the blood of its thrill-seeking audience. The film takes the title to heart, and pairs the vignettes which comprise the film with a pumping soundtrack of hard rock hits by popular artists of the day.
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Heavy Metal begins with an ominous spaceship accompanied by borderline cliche--yet playfully coy--vintage pulp sci-fi sound effects. Then, a classic Corvette is deployed from the shuttle bay, rocketing into the atmosphere with the top down--and it becomes clear that although Heavy Metal is a film with plenty of action et al, it is also a film with a sense of humor. (Note how the "astronaut" turns on his wipers to clean off the char marks from reentry.) For as many stories that have violence and bloodshed in Heavy Metal, there are also those where there is an abundance of sight gags and pure goofiness. Consider "So Beautiful and So Dangerous", where a group of drugged-up space aliens and a randy robot--voiced by Harold Ramis and John Candy--abduct an endowed government secretary, who--after an affair with said robot--insists that they have a traditional Jewish wedding, teasing him that she forgot if he was circumcised. Similarly, an episode called "Den" features a young science prodigy (again voiced by John Candy), who gets spirited away to a fantasy realm right out of "Conan" called "Neverwhere". The boy finds himself in the body of a herculean alpha male, who fights off the mutant lackeys of depraved tyrants, and is rewarded with the affections of a nubile maiden (also a native of Earth, like him). One of the more outlandishly silly--yet inventive--stories is "Captain Sternn", the story of a corrupt (yet heroic-looking) space commander who bribes a sniveling lackey--coyly named "Hanover Fiste"--into testifying on his behalf, although this proceeds with chaotic results. But rather than merely bank into parody and pure tongue-in-cheek humor, Heavy Metal also depicts stories that feel at home in its pulp oeuvre. The story of "Harry Canyon" features the cab driver of the same name in New York City, circa 2031, where he is forced to defend a voluptuous woman (yes, this is a trope of Heavy Metal) from gangsters looking to obtain an ancient relic in her possession. This story feels like a futuristic adaptation of The Maltese Falcon, and shares more than a few qualities in common with The Fifth Element. The World War II-styled episode called "B-17" features the fatally wounded members of a bomber being reanimated into ghoulish monsters--a story which feels undeniably like an entry out of "Tales from the Crypt". All of these stories are bookended as tales told by a malevolent orb from outer space known as "Loc-Nar", and are related to a terrified young girl in her home in some rural, Midwest locale. The final story--called "Taarna", is about an avenger called forth to strike down a corrupt mutant warlord. This story reveals the connection between the Loc-Nar's menacing this girl from Earth and her own unrealized destiny that threatens the ancient artifact of doom and evil.
Released in 1981, Heavy Metal was still a rare bird--an animated film targeting an adult audience. Filled with multiple scenes of extreme violence, sex, nudity, profanity, and even drug use, the film certainly earns its R-rating. That said, Heavy Metal is a film which, like its magazine progenitor, has always been a fringe outlet for counterculture and imagination, brimming with both imaginative artistry and testosterone-driven erotica--the mere prospect of "taming" it for audiences boggles the mind. In this, Heavy Metal is even more ahead of its time than films similar to it, like Ralph Bakshi's Wizards, because it exists in a kind of "MTV-generation" place with rapid-fire storytelling and a near constant, hard rock musical score. (The notable exception to this are the contributions to the score by Elmer Bernstein, a gorgeous accompaniment to the "Taarna" episode, which evokes majesty and wonder.) Speaking of Ralph Bakshi, Heavy Metal was evidently inspired by his trend of "rotoscoping", an animation process which involves tracing over live-action footage and incorporating these elements into the animation. This stylistic choice evokes a kind of "pulp comics" vibe, giving Heavy Metal a distinct look, in keeping with the magazine. Ironically, although several different animation studios were tasked with working on the individual episodes, this disparity only further reinforces the anthology feel found in the periodical. The kinds of stories featured in Heavy Metal are recognizable to fans of big and brassy fantasy and sci-fi, making them as comfortable as a lived-in sweater. For neophytes, it is kind of like you just discovered a trove of EC Comics at a flea market, or while on the verge of puberty, found yourself inexplicably drawn to the buxom curves of a chainmail bikini-clad amazon huntress on the cover of a D&D module. These yarns are spun in the style of some of fantasy and science fiction's sometimes unsung heroes, like Robert E. Howard or Michael Moorcock--the latter also contributed to Heavy Metal by writing a song performed Blue Oyster Cult in the film, with the evocative title of "Veteran of the Psychic Wars". Along with the engrossing storytelling, Heavy Metal features a visual aesthetic recalling greats like Frank Frazetta and Howard Chaykin, making the film feel like a "greatest hits" compilation that speaks to the essence of "fringe comics cool".
Recommended for: Fans of a tough and yet vivid collection of lurid tales and gratuitous action. The style and tone perfectly capture the spirit of the magazine, with a kind of underground verve and energy that belongs in this cult classic.
Released in 1981, Heavy Metal was still a rare bird--an animated film targeting an adult audience. Filled with multiple scenes of extreme violence, sex, nudity, profanity, and even drug use, the film certainly earns its R-rating. That said, Heavy Metal is a film which, like its magazine progenitor, has always been a fringe outlet for counterculture and imagination, brimming with both imaginative artistry and testosterone-driven erotica--the mere prospect of "taming" it for audiences boggles the mind. In this, Heavy Metal is even more ahead of its time than films similar to it, like Ralph Bakshi's Wizards, because it exists in a kind of "MTV-generation" place with rapid-fire storytelling and a near constant, hard rock musical score. (The notable exception to this are the contributions to the score by Elmer Bernstein, a gorgeous accompaniment to the "Taarna" episode, which evokes majesty and wonder.) Speaking of Ralph Bakshi, Heavy Metal was evidently inspired by his trend of "rotoscoping", an animation process which involves tracing over live-action footage and incorporating these elements into the animation. This stylistic choice evokes a kind of "pulp comics" vibe, giving Heavy Metal a distinct look, in keeping with the magazine. Ironically, although several different animation studios were tasked with working on the individual episodes, this disparity only further reinforces the anthology feel found in the periodical. The kinds of stories featured in Heavy Metal are recognizable to fans of big and brassy fantasy and sci-fi, making them as comfortable as a lived-in sweater. For neophytes, it is kind of like you just discovered a trove of EC Comics at a flea market, or while on the verge of puberty, found yourself inexplicably drawn to the buxom curves of a chainmail bikini-clad amazon huntress on the cover of a D&D module. These yarns are spun in the style of some of fantasy and science fiction's sometimes unsung heroes, like Robert E. Howard or Michael Moorcock--the latter also contributed to Heavy Metal by writing a song performed Blue Oyster Cult in the film, with the evocative title of "Veteran of the Psychic Wars". Along with the engrossing storytelling, Heavy Metal features a visual aesthetic recalling greats like Frank Frazetta and Howard Chaykin, making the film feel like a "greatest hits" compilation that speaks to the essence of "fringe comics cool".
Recommended for: Fans of a tough and yet vivid collection of lurid tales and gratuitous action. The style and tone perfectly capture the spirit of the magazine, with a kind of underground verve and energy that belongs in this cult classic.