Inspired by the titular magazine, the 1981 cult favorite Heavy Metal is a silly and often senseless amalgam of disjointed animated stories and clashing visual styles (employing hundreds of artists from around the world) presented with a near-total absence of creative cohesion. Featuring 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, fueled by some of the most wretched rock music to emerge from the 1980s. Consistent tropes found in the tales revolve around abundant 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 about the rampantly brainless desire to fuel the young male libido, but even with all its incoherence, Heavy Metal remains impressive for some of the ambitious artistry of individual segments. Produced by Ivan Reitman (who had just scored a hit with Stripes), the voice talent includes several Canadian veterans of Second City comedy, including John Candy, Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy, and Joe Flaherty. DVD extras include a bonus digital copy of the film. A strong optional purchase. (J. Shannon)
Heavy Metal
Sony, 90 min., R, DVD: $14.95 Volume 23, Issue 5
Heavy Metal
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: