Reviewing a cult classic like Heavy Metal is not easy. If you’re in your 35-50, watching this movie will undoubtedly bring back memories of Midnight Movies and the vexing decision of whether to go to Heavy Metal, Rocky Horror Picture Show or the laser light show at the local planetarium. It is best viewed in the same "altered state" many of us first saw it in. Compared to current standards, the animation in Heavy Metal is simplistic and "special effects" (SFx) are non-existent. Despite the lack of SFx the talent of the various animators is evident and if your expectations don't exceed a comic book come to life, you won't be disappointed. All of the animated shorts feature women with exaggerated breasts and artfully trimmed pubic hair, who willingly engage in consensual sex. Obviously this is something designed to appeal to teenage males and those who never quite outgrew that stage in their life. This is definately NOT a movie for families, children under the age of 16 or women with a feminist chip on their shoulders! Because of its memorable part in my own personal movie-going history, this movie has a permanent place in my library. If you are a comic book or animation collector, you will want to own a copy.Read full review
I was looking for a copy of this old cult classic and bid before I read the fine print..."Spanish Subtitles". I won, and of course, I paid, then hoped for the best. I feel that the film itself is a well-made solid bit of late 70's to mid-80's animation that has settled into a certain cult genre...but I could certainly do without the large, rather poorly-added subtitles that have been run across the bottom fourth of the screen. There is no way to watch the film without them, and even if I spoke only Spanish, they would still detract from the film. A DVD at least can have the subtitles dumped, but the VHS doesn't have that happy feature! It's very difficult to enjoy a film when you can't see the screen and get distracted by the subtitles. I would definitely buy the movie in the future, but never again without reading the fine print. :)Read full review
Move over, Walt Disney, for a wild and wicked animated adventure. Based upon the successful comic book series of the same title, "Heavy Metal" is unlike any other animated motion picture that has ever been released. With Ivan Reitman producing and Gerald Potterton directing from a screenplay writen by Dan Goldberg and Len Blum, the work was expedited by having several animation houses working simultaneously on different segments, including CinéGroupe and Atkinson Film-Arts. The end result is a fabulous cohesive selection of varied animated pieces all tied together within a central theme; the individual stories are connected together by the presence of a green glowing sphere called the Loc-Nar. The individual segments are as follows: "Soft Landing", "Grimaldi", "Harry Canyon", "Den", "Captain Sternn", "B-17", "So Beautiful And So Dangerous" and "Taarna". The characters were voiced by actors such as John Vernon, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis and John Candy. The soundtrack score was composed by the legendary Elmer Bernstein, conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. There was also an additional soundtrack released that featured songs by some of the top rock artists of the time: Riggs, Blue Oyster Cult, Donald Fagen, Stevie Nicks, Journey, Cheap Trick, Don Felder, Grand Funk Railroad, Nazareth, Trust, Black Sabbath and Devo. Among the songs included: Devo's reworking of the Lee Dorsey hit "Working In The Coal Mine", Sammy Hagar's track "Heavy Metal" from his "Standing Hampton" album and the classic Journey ballad "Open Arms". There were many animation specialists that were recruited from all over the world to contribute their talents to this production. The film uses the rotoscoping technique of animation in several shots. This process consists of shooting models and actors, then tracing the shot onto film for animation purposes. The B-17 bomber was shot using a 10-foot replica, which was then animated. Additionally Taarna the Taarakian was rotoscoped, using Toronto model Carole Desbiens as a model for the animated character. The shot of the exploding house at the end of the Grimaldi sequence was originally to be rotoscoped, but as the film's release date had been moved up from October/November to August 7, 1981, a lack of time prevented this. This remains as the only non-animated sequence in the film. "Heavy Metal" stands as a fine animated feature of the early 80s.Read full review
Heavy Metal is based on the comic book of the same name. It is a series of shorter flicks with a common theme. The movie contains a lot of funny scenes and plenty of good rock and roll. Artists include Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Stevie Nicks, and Doanld Fagen to name a few. Altough it is animated it is strictly adult. I would not recommend it for kids and some adults might even blush. If you love classic rock and roll, this is the movie for you!
Great art, animation Prestine quality I must say.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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