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Rodger Bumpass, Jackie Burroughs, John Candy, Don Francks, Martin Lavut ... see more see more... , Eugene Levy , Marilyn Lightstone , Alice Playten , Harold Ramis , Susan Roman , Richard Romanus , August Schellenberg , John Vernon , Zal Yanovsky , Harvey Atkin , Thor Bishopric , Patty Dworkin , Joe Flaherty , Douglas Kenney , Mavor Moore , Cedric Smith , George Touliatos , Charles Joliffe , Warren Munson , Len Doncheff , Al Waxman

Inspired by stories from the fantasy graphics magazine Heavy Metal, this five-part animated feature combines the talents of hundreds of artists and animators from 17 different countries. A glowing gre... read more read more...en orb called Loc-Nar that contains the sum total of all evil in the universe travels through space and time, spreading violence and discord in its wake. The stories that follow demonstrate Loc-Nar's malevolent presence throughout the universe. In New York in the year 2023, cabbie Harry Canyon picks up a fare who turns out to have Loc-Nar in her possession, and it turns out to be one trip he wishes that he had never made. In contemporary suburban America, a nerdy high school kid finds the orb in his backyard and is transported to a comic-book universe where he's a mighty warrior and famous spoiler of women. A robot created by an alien race falls in love with a secretary from Earth who was kidnapped by his masters, while she is at once fascinated and repelled by his sexual talents. And finally, Loc-Nar crashes into a mountain, and a world of fantasy and danger spontaneously appears in its wake, ruled by The Defender, a beautiful amazon who rides on a giant bird. The voice cast for Heavy Metal includes John Candy, Harold Ramis, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Richard Romanus, and John Vernon. The sound track features selections by Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Nazareth, Cheap Trick, Devo, and Grand Funk Railroad. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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68% liked it

37,063 ratings

Critics

58% liked it

26 critics

R, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Gerald Potterton, Jimmy T. Murakami

Release Date: July 29, 1981

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DVD Release Date: November 23, 1999

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Flixster Reviews (1,736)

  • FilmFanatik
    January 26, 2012
    FilmFanatik
    Giving Ralph Bakshi a run for his money, the Canadian filmmaking team of Ivan Reitman, Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy and John Candy (among many others) got together to create Heavy Metal. Based on the graphics magazine of the same name, this rock and roll animated orgy of sleaze and ... read morescience fiction is a feast for the senses. Carrying one of the greatest hard rock soundtracks in the history of cinema, it's filled to the brim with killer licks from the likes of Black Sabbath, Blue Oytster Cult, Devo, Sammy Hagar and Nazareth. The animation is stellar, the voice acting is superb and the stories are intriguing enough depsite the genre they originate from. Sure it leans more heavily toward male appeal, and perhaps that's mostly why it appeals to me, but I enjoy it every time I see it. It's still just as filthy and engaging as it was in 1981.
  • fb100001493964409
    April 13, 2011
    fb100001493964409
    This movie is bad. Seriously, it's really not that good at all. The animation hasn't aged very well, the voice acting ranges from good to terrible, and the plot is about as existent as the clothing on females in this film (and if you look at the poster, that should give you an id... read moreea of how thin that really is). So why give it even 3 stars then? Simple, the soundtrack. Seriously, the soundtrack saves this movie and gives it a pop art/music video vibe that almost makes sense. With Sammy Hagar, Journey, Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabaath and Dio, Grand Funk Railroad, Devo, and more. One other benefit of watching this film is that watching the 1997 film "The Fifth Element" becomes a lot more interesting, considering that its practically a live-action adaptation of this film. Watch this, but only once.
  • MidnightMadwoman
    April 10, 2011
    MidnightMadwoman
    I'm glad I saw this, but I'm not in a huge rush to see it again. I'm not usually one to rip on a movie for being puerile (I am after all a big fan of Drop Dead Fred), but there was little except boobs and monsters holding this movie together. I had heard the soundtrack to Heavy M... read moreetal 2000 before, and I was expecting much more from the score of this movie. Watching this though, it seemed like they just played the same song over and over. The animation is quite beautiful, but it pales in comparison to other examples of the era. I don't really understand the story here; they're six separate tales that seem to centre around a glowing extraterrestrail orb that seems to exist only to fuck with people's days. I really wanted to get on board with this movie, but I just never could. Oh well.
  • fb573414556
    March 19, 2011
    fb573414556
    After the 2 hour search for this film with my uncle I was hoping that it would live up to my expectations, it of course, did. I feel that there are a few great little stories in this film, mainly the WW2 fighter pilot one and the future cab driver one. The rest of the stories, fo... read morer me, are a bit hit or miss, I found myself enjoying some but in others I thought everything went on a bit to long. Overall an enjoyable film full of sex and violence.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    February 15, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    I had heard many things about this film. The film had been recommended to me by friends who told me that I would really enjoy this film to the fact that I have a passion for Horror, Sci Fi and heavy metal and rock music. They were right. But I would never get around to watching i... read moret. I was showed the B-17 segment, and I was sold. As a matter of fact, the B-17 story is one of my personal favorites of the entire film. One of favorite things about the film is of course the rock and metal soundtrack. Heavy Metal is a film that combines different genres of cinema into one film (Sci Fi, Fantasy, Horror and comedy) into one film. The films multiple genres gives it an awesome edge to the medium and it works incredibly well, due to the fact that each segment has the Loc Nair plot device to jump from one segment to the next. Heavy Metal can also be seen as an anthology of stories very much like Creepshow. The vast genres this film covers is truly remarkable and simply brilliant. The films flaws are so limited that you can forgive its imperfections due to the strong story segments. Watching Heavy Metal is a unique experience. I was stunned at the artistry and how well everything was drawn. I've always loved art, and this is sublime work. Even if it's got excessive cartoon nudity, who cares? I actually didn't care much for it, I thought it was cool of course, but the aspects of the film that really stood out for me was the art, soundtrack and the talented voice cast. Plus the the intricate plots were very good. Heavy Metal may seem as a child's cartoon at first, but it definitely isn't.
    Heavy Metal is a multitude of difference Sci Fi, fantasy and horror plots, laced with comedy, this is a phenomenal film. A well drawn adventure, the art is sublime and the segments have something for fans of Sc Fi, fantasy and horror. Heavy Metal is an intense, unique film going experience that I can only recommend to true cinema buffs with open minds.
  • ajv2688
    January 10, 2011
    ajv2688
    A fantastic animated sci-fi horror adventure movie with awesome heavy metal music. One of my favourite adult animated films. An awesome movie.
  • cosmo313
    December 18, 2009
    cosmo313
    I can't believe it took me so long to finally see this. I had been wanting to see it for quite some time in general, having read and enjoyed a few issues of the magazine, and being a fan of hard rock and heavy metal, but the South Park episode "Major Boobage" really got me wantin... read moreg to see it. The big push that finally led to me tracking down a copy and watching it though is the unfortunate death of Dan O'Bannon, who was reported dead earlier today (12-18-09).

    The animation is top notch- maybe slightly dated by today's standards, but great looking nonetheless. The music (both the score by Elmer Bernstein and the soundtrack by Black Sabbath, Sammy Hagar, Devo, et al) are fantastic. I heard shades of what would later become parts of Bernstein's score for Ghostbusters, and there's nothing wrong with that. While I'm not really into the rock music from the era in which this movie came out (being more of a fa nof stuff before and after this era), which is the stuff on the soudtrack, I liked it. In context, it fits the mood, spirit, and atmosphere perfectly.

    This is a wild, fun, and funny sci-fi and fantasy anthology collection featuring lots of sex, violence, gore, and nudity. The voice acting is awesome, with John Candy, Harold Ramis, and EUgene Levy stealing the show. Everything is over the top, and extremely entertaining. As much as I enjoyed it, I can't help but wonder if seeing it in an altered state would add to the greatness...perhaps I'll have to try it sometime.

    Bottom line: this is a high water mark for adult oriented animated films that deserves to be seen.
  • ythelastman89
    November 18, 2009
    ythelastman89
    Outrageous, yet perfect; I never thought I'd see so much nudity and gore/disintegrations in an animated movie. The stories are all really cool in their own way and keep you entertained. It's just 90 minutes of insanity. The animation is great, even now, I only wish they'd use thi... read mores style more. I feel that this is the best adult animated movie ever.
  • puffchunk
    October 16, 2009
    puffchunk
    Got pretty darn bored, and pretty darn tired of cartoon boobs.
  • Godless
    August 18, 2009
    Godless
    2 stars just for the use of Mob Rules and Sammy Hagar song Heavy Metal. The lack of 3 stars will be due to horrible animation and really bad story.

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Critic Reviews

Variety Staff
March 26, 2009
Variety Staff, Variety

Initial segments have a boisterous blend of dynamic graphics, intriguing plot premises and sly wit that unfortunately slide gradually downhill. Full Review

Dave Kehr
April 16, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Some of the animation is first-rate, particularly in the more modest comedy segments, and even the heavy set pieces have greater flash and dazzle than anything Ralph Bakshi mustered around the same pe... Full Review

Janet Maslin
August 30, 2004
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Heavy Metal has been animated with great verve, and scored very well, with music much less ear-splitting than the title would suggest. Full Review

Jeff Gilbert
January 1, 2000
Jeff Gilbert, Film.com

Regardless of its dated stylishness (which still holds up remarkably well a decade plus later), Heavy Metal was a pioneering film in 1981 and remains a pivitol and infuential body of art today.

Bruce Reid
January 1, 2000
Bruce Reid, Film.com

Asked if I wanted to see it again, I figured, why not? I would have remembered if it was really bad. But memory does play tricks.

Jeffrey M. Anderson
January 30, 2012
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media

In 1981, this may have been state-of-the-art animation, but now it looks rudimentary, clunky, and flat. The writing, likewise, is flat. Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
February 12, 2010
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

Archly stunted and incalculably influential Full Review

March 10, 2008
Film4

You have to conclude that its makers should have got out more. Full Review

Rob Gonsalves
September 17, 2007
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com

...An unabashed crowd-pleaser. Whenever possible, it goes for the fight scene, the sex joke, the jiggly breasts... Full Review

April 16, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

It's a mixed bag, but successful in a mindless, adolescent way. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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