''Heavy Metal'' is a 1981 Canadian

adult animated An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...

science fantasy anthology film directed by Gerald Potterton, produced by

Ivan Reitman Ivan Reitman (; October 27, 1946February 12, 2022) was a Czechoslovak-born Canadian filmmaker. He was best known for his comedy work, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the owner of The Montecito Picture Company, founded in 1998. Film ...

and Leonard Mogel, who also was the publisher of '' Heavy Metal'' magazine, which was the basis for the film. It starred the voices of

Rodger Bumpass Rodger Bumpass (born November 20, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for his long-running role as Squidward Tentacles on the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. He voices several other characters on the show as ...

Jackie Burroughs Jacqueline "Jackie" Burroughs (2 February 1939 – 22 September 2010) was a British-born Canadian actress. Early life Born in Southport, Lancashire (now Merseyside), England, she emigrated to Canada on 26 August 1948 with her mother Edna, ...

John Candy John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian actor and comedian known mainly for his work in Hollywood films. Candy rose to fame in the 1970s as a member of the Toronto branch of the Second City and its '' SCTV'' seri ...

, Joe Flaherty, Don Francks, Martin Lavut,

Marilyn Lightstone Marilyn Lightstone (born 28 June 1940) is a Canadian stage, film and television actress and writer. Biography Early life and education Born in Montreal, Quebec, Marilyn Lightstone graduated from Baron Byng High School in 1957. She went on t ...

, Eugene Levy, Alice Playten,

Harold Ramis Harold Allen Ramis (; November 21, 1944 – February 24, 2014) was an American actor, comedian, director and writer. His best-known film acting roles were as Egon Spengler in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984) and ''Ghostbusters II'' (1989), and as Russell ...

, Percy Rodriguez,

Susan Roman Susan Roman (born April 17) is a Canadian voice actress and voice director, best known for voice acting the role of Lita/Sailor Jupiter in the Canada DiC (and later Cloverway/CWi) dub of the anime, ''Sailor Moon''. She is one of the few voice ...

Richard Romanus Richard Romanus (born Richard Joseph Romanos; February 8, 1945) is an American actor. Among other roles, he has appeared in Martin Scorsese's '' Mean Streets'' and provided voices for Ralph Bakshi's animated films '' Wizards'' and '' Hey Good Loo ...

August Schellenberg August Werner Schellenberg (July 25, 1936 – August 15, 2013) was a Canadian actor. He played Randolph in the first three installments of the ''Free Willy'' film series (1993–1997) as well as characters in ''Black Robe'' (1991), '' The New Wor ...

John Vernon John Keith Vernon (born Adolphus Raymondus Vernon Agopsowicz; February 24, 1932 February 1, 2005) was a Canadian actor. He made a career in Hollywood after achieving initial television stardom in Canada. He was best known for playing Dean Wormer ...

, and

Zal Yanovsky Zalman Yanovsky (December 19, 1944 – December 13, 2002) was a Canadian folk-rock musician. Born in Toronto, he was the son of political cartoonist Avrom Yanovsky and teacher Nechama Yanovsky (née Gemeril), who died in 1958. He played lead guit ...

. The screenplay was written by Daniel Goldberg and Len Blum. The film is an anthology of various science fiction and fantasy stories tied together by a single theme of an evil force that is "the sum of all evils". It was adapted from ''Heavy Metal'' magazine and original stories in the same spirit. Like the magazine, the film features a great deal of

graphic violence Graphic violence refers to the depiction of especially vivid, brutal and realistic acts of violence in visual media such as film, television, and video games. It may be real, simulated live action, or animated. Intended limitedly for mature ...

, sexuality, and nudity. Its production was expedited by having several animation houses working simultaneously on different segments. Despite the mixed reviews by film critics on its initial release, the film was a modest success at the box office and has since achieved

cult status A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

. The film's influential soundtrack was packaged by music manager Irving Azoff and included several popular rock bands and artists, including

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967, and best known for the singles "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' for You", and "Godzilla". The band h ...

Sammy Hagar Samuel Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose and subsequently launched a successful solo car ...

, Don Felder, Cheap Trick, DEVO,

Journey Journey or journeying may refer to: * Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations ** Day's journey, a measurement of distance ** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road Animals * Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...

, and Nazareth, among others. A sequel titled '' Heavy Metal 2000'' was released in 2000.

Plot

"Soft Landing"

Based on the comic of the same name by Dan O'Bannon and Thomas Warkentin. The title sequence story opens with a

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program ...

orbiting the Earth. The bay doors open, releasing a 1960 Corvette. An astronaut seated in the car then begins descending through Earth's atmosphere, landing in a desert canyon. ;Crew * Jimmy T. Murakami and John Bruno – directors * John Coates – producer * Dan O'Bannon – writer * Thomas Warkentin – art direction ;Music * "Radar Rider" by Riggs

"Grimaldi"

In the framing story, the astronaut Grimaldi arrives at home, where he is greeted by his daughter. He says he has something to show her. When he opens his case, a green, crystalline sphere rises out and melts him. It introduces itself to the terrified girl as "the sum of all evils". Looking into the orb known as the Loc-Nar, the girl sees how it has influenced societies throughout time and space. At the end of the film (the Epilogue), the anthology's theme comes full-circle back to the girl's home. ;Cast * Percy Rodriguez (uncredited) as Loc-Nar * Don Francks as Grimaldi * Caroline Semple as Girl ;Crew * Harold Whitaker – director * John Halas – producer

"Harry Canyon"

Original story by Daniel Goldberg and Len Blum; based on '' The Long Tomorrow'' by Moebius. In a dystopian and crime-ridden

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in 2031, cynical taxicab driver Harry Canyon narrates his day in film noir style, grumbling about his fares and frequent robbery attempts he thwarts with a

disintegrator A raygun is a science-fiction directed-energy weapon that releases energy, usually with destructive effect.Jeff Prucher, '' Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction,'' Oxford University Press, 2007, page 162 They have vario ...

installed in the back of his seat. He stumbles into an incident where he rescues a sexy young woman from Rudnick, a gangster who murdered her father. She explains that her father discovered the Loc-Nar, and they have been pursued relentlessly by people attempting to obtain it. Harry takes her to his apartment, where they have sex. She decides to sell the Loc-Nar to Rudnick and split the money with Harry. Rudnick is disintegrated by the Loc-Nar at the exchange, and she attempts to double-cross Harry to keep the money for herself. When she pulls out a gun, Harry uses the disintegrator on her. He keeps the money, and summarizes the incident as a "two-day ride with one hell of a tip". ;Cast * Percy Rodriguez (uncredited) as Loc-Nar * Harvey Atkin as Alien, Henchman *

as Desk Sergeant *

as Whore *

as Girl, Satellite *

as Harry Canyon *

Al Waxman Albert Samuel Waxman, (March 2, 1935 – January 18, 2001) was a Canadian actor and director of over 1,000 productions on radio, television, film, and stage. He is best known for his starring roles in the television series '' King of Kensingto ...

as Rudnick ;Crew * Pino van Lamsweerde – director * W. H. Stevens Jr. – producer * Vic Atkinson – producer * Daniel Goldberg – writer * Len Blum – writer ;Music * " Veteran of the Psychic Wars" by

* "True Companion" by Donald Fagen * "Blue Lamp" by Stevie Nicks * " Open Arms" by

* "Heartbeat" by Riggs

"Den"

Based on the character of the same name created by

Richard Corben Richard Corben (October 1, 1940December 2, 2020) was an American illustrator and comic book artist best known for his comics featured in '' Heavy Metal'' magazine, especially the ''Den'' series which was featured in the magazine's first film ada ...

. A nerdy teenager finds a "green meteorite" near his house and adds it to his rock collection. During a lightning experiment, the orb hurls the young man into the world of Neverwhere, where he transforms into a naked, muscular man called Den, an acronym for his earth name, David Ellis Norman. There, Den witnesses a strange ritual, rescuing a beautiful, young woman who is about to be sacrificed to Uhluhtc. Reaching safety, she introduces herself as Katherine Wells from the British colony of

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

. The two start having sex, but are interrupted by the minions of Ard, an immortal man who wants to obtain the Loc-Nar for himself. After being taken to see Ard, Den demands to see Katherine. His request is ignored and Ard orders his men to castrate Den. Den fights off the soldiers and shoots Ard, who is immortal and heals immediately. The girl turns out to be sleeping, encased in glass under a spell where only Ard can awaken her. Ard offers Den a deal: if he gets the Loc-Nar from the Queen and brings it to him, the girl will be released. Den agrees and infiltrates the palace along with Ard's best soldier, Norl. They are promptly caught by the Queen's guards, but she offers leniency if Den has sex with her. He complies, thereby distracting the Queen while the raiding party steals the Loc-Nar. Den escapes and races back to rescue Katherine from Ard. Recreating the lightning incident that drew him to Neverwhere, he is able to banish Ard and the Queen. Den suspects that they were teleported to Earth. Refusing the opportunity to take the Loc-Nar for himself, Den rides with Katherine into the sunset, content to remain in Neverwhere. As for the Loc-Nar, it rises into the sky and lands on a space station where it is picked up by someone else. ;Cast * Percy Rodriguez (uncredited) as Loc-Nar * John Candy as Den *

as Katherine Wells * Martin Lavut as Ard * Marilyn Lightstone as Queen *

as Norl ;Crew * Jack Stokes – director * Jerry Hibbert – producer *

– writer

"Captain Sternn"

Based on the character of the same name created by Bernie Wrightson. On a space station, crooked space captain Lincoln F. Sternn is on trial for numerous serious charges presented by the prosecutor consisting of 12 counts of murder in the first degree, 14 counts of armed theft of Federation property, 22 counts of piracy in high space, 18 counts of fraud, 37 counts of rape — and one moving violation. Pleading "not guilty" against the advice of his lawyer Charlie, Sternn explains that he expects to be acquitted because he bribed a witness named Hanover Fiste. Fiste takes the stand upon being called to by the prosecutor, but his perjury is subverted when the Loc-Nar, now the size of a marble, causes him to blurt out highly incriminating statements about Sternn (though whether or not any of them are true is unknown) before changing him into a hulking muscular brute that chases Sternn throughout the station, breaking through bulkheads and wreaking havoc. Eventually, he corners Sternn, who gives him his promised payoff, and he promptly shrinks back to his scrawny original form. Sternn opens a trap door under Fiste, ejecting him into space. The Loc-Nar enters Earth's atmosphere with Fiste's flaming severed hand still clinging to it. ;Cast * Percy Rodriguez (uncredited) as Loc-Nar *

as Hanover Fiste * Joe Flaherty as Charlie, the lawyer *

Douglas Kenney Douglas Clark Francis Kenney (December 10, 1946 – August 27, 1980) was an American comedy writer of magazine, novels, radio, TV and film who co-founded the magazine ''National Lampoon'' in 1970. Kenney edited the magazine and wrote much of its ...

as Regolian * Eugene Levy as Captain Lincoln F. Sternn *

as Prosecutor ;Crew * Julian Harris – director * Paul Sebella – director * Bernie Wrightson – writer ;Music * " Reach Out" by Cheap Trick

"Neverwhere Land"

Because of time constraints, a segment called "Neverwhere Land", which would have connected "Captain Sternn" to "B-17", was cut. The story follows the influence of the Loc-Nar upon the evolution of a planet, from the Loc-Nar landing in a body of water, influencing the rise of the industrial age, and a world war. This original story was created by Cornelius Cole III. The original rough animatics are set to a loop of the beginning of Pink Floyd's "

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

". The 1996 VHS release included this segment at the end of the tape. On the DVD release, this segment is included as a bonus feature. In both released versions, the sequence is set to the music of "Passacaglia" (from ''Magnificat''), composed and conducted by

Krzysztof Penderecki Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best known works include ''Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', '' Polish Requiem'', ' ...

"B-17"

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

B-17 bomber The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

nicknamed the ''Pacific Pearl'' makes a difficult bombing run with heavy damage and casualties. As the bomber limps home, the co-pilot goes back to check on the crew. Finding nothing but dead bodies, he notices the Loc-Nar trailing the plane. Informing the pilot, he heads back to the cockpit, when the Loc-Nar rams itself into the plane and reanimates the dead crew members as zombies. The co-pilot is killed, while the pilot parachutes away in time. He lands on an island where he finds a graveyard of airplanes from various times, along with the wrecked airplanes' zombified airmen, who surround him, sealing the horrified pilot's fate. ;Cast * Percy Rodriguez (uncredited) as Loc-Nar * Don Francks as Co-Pilot (Holden) * George Touliatos as Pilot (Skip) *

as Navigator ;Crew * Barrie Nelson – director * W. H. Stevens Jr. – producer * Dan O'Bannon – writer ;Music * " Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)" by Don Felder

"So Beautiful & So Dangerous"

Based on the comic of the same name by Angus McKie. Dr. Anrak, a prominent scientist, arrives at

The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a meton ...

for a meeting regarding mysterious mutations that are plaguing the United States. At the meeting, the doctor tries to dismiss the occurrences. When he sees the Loc-Nar in the locket of Gloria, a beautiful buxom stenographer, he begins to behave erratically and sexually assaults her. A colossal starship drills through the roof and abducts the doctor and, by accident, Gloria. The ship's robot is irritated at Anrak, who is actually a malfunctioning android, but its mood changes when it sees Gloria. With the help of the ship's alien pilot Edsel and co-pilot Zeke, the robot convinces Gloria to stay on board and have "robot sex" (albeit off-screen). Meanwhile, Edsel and Zeke snort a huge amount of a powdered drug called Plutonian Nyborg before flying home, zoning out on the cosmos. Too intoxicated to fly straight, they crash-land unharmed in a huge space station. ;Cast * Percy Rodriguez (uncredited) as Loc-Nar * Rodger Bumpass as Dr. Anrak * John Candy as Robot * Joe Flaherty as General * Eugene Levy as Male Reporter / Edsel * Alice Playten as Gloria *

as Zeke * Patty Dworkin as Female Reporter * Warren Munson as Senator ;Crew * John Halas – director * Angus McKie – writer ;Music * "Queen Bee" by

Grand Funk Railroad Grand Funk Railroad (often shortened to Grand Funk) is an American rock band formed in 1968 in Flint, Michigan, by Mark Farner (vocals, guitar), Don Brewer (drums, vocals), and Mel Schacher (bass). The band achieved peak popularity and succ ...

* "I Must Be Dreamin'" by Cheap Trick * "Crazy? (A Suitable Case for Treatment)" by Nazareth * "All of You" by Don Felder * "Prefabricated" by Trust * "Heavy Metal" by

"Taarna"

Original story by Daniel Goldberg and Len Blum; based on '' Arzach'' by Moebius. The Loc-Nar, now the size of a giant meteor, crashes into a volcano on another world and draws a large mass of curious people. As they begin to climb the volcano, it erupts, and green slime covers the crowd, mutating them into an evil barbarian army. The mutants subsequently attack a nearby city of peaceful scholars. Desperate, the city leaders mentally summon the Taarakians, a once powerful yet now declining warrior race with whom the city had a pact, but the city falls before the call can be answered. Taarna, a beautiful yet mute warrior and the last of the Taarakians, receives the summons; and after ritually preparing herself, she and her avian mount fly to the beleaguered city, only to find the citizens dead. Determined to avenge them, she begins following the trail of their murderers and encounters a small band of the mutant barbarians. After killing them, and with more information at hand, she travels towards the mutant camp, but she and her mount are captured. Taarna is tortured and thrown into an open pit, unconscious. Her mount escapes and rescues her. She tries going for the Loc-Nar, but the mutants pursue and shoot her mount down. The mutant leader faces Taarna in a duel to the death, wounding her, but Taarna manages to kill him. With the last of their strength, Taarna and her companion make a death flight to the volcano. As they approach, the Loc-Nar warns her off, claiming that sacrificing herself would be futile. Ignoring the Loc-Nar, Taarna unleashes the power imbued in her sword and dives into the volcano, destroying the Loc-Nar. Cast * Percy Rodriguez (uncredited) as Loc-Nar * Thor Bishopric as Boy * Ned Conlon as Councilman #1 * Len Doncheff as Barbarian #1 * Don Francks as Barbarian #2 * Joseph Golland as Councilman #2 * Charles Joliffe as Councilman #3 *

Mavor Moore James Mavor Moore (March 8, 1919 – December 18, 2006) was a Canadian writer, producer, actor, public servant, critic, and educator. He notably appeared as Nero Wolfe in the CBC radio production in 1982. Life and work Moore was born in Tor ...

as Elder * August Schellenberg as Taarak * Cedric Smith as Bartender * George Touliatos as Barbarian #3 *

Vlasta Vrána Vlasta Vrána (born 1950), is a Canadian actor of Czech descent. Life and career Vrána, born to Czech parents in Norway, moved to Canada at age four. He made his feature-film debut in Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg's '' Shivers''. Vrána ...

as Barbarian Leader * Zal Yanovsky as Barbarian #4 Music * " E5150" by

* "The Mob Rules" by Black Sabbath * "

Through Being Cool ''Through Being Cool'' (typeset as ''"Through Being Cool"'') is the second studio album by American rock band Saves the Day, released on November 2, 1999 by Equal Vision. The songs on ''Through Being Cool'' were written while the band members a ...

" by Devo

"Epilogue"

As the final story ends, the Loc-Nar that was terrorizing the girl explodes, destroying the mansion in the process. Taarna's reborn mount appears outside, and the girl happily flies away on it. It is then revealed that Taarna's soul has been reincarnated in the girl, transforming her into a new Taarakian. Cast * Percy Rodriguez (uncredited) as Loc-Nar

Closing credits

Music * " Working in the Coal Mine" by Devo

Production

Animation

Animator Robert Balser directed the animation of the "Den" sequence for the film. 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 (3 m) 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 near the end of the movie 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. During development of this film, the Canadian animation studio,

Nelvana Limited Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. (; previously known as Nelvana Limited, sometimes known as Nelvana Animation and simply Nelvana or Nelvana Communications) is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded ...

, was offered the chance to work on ''Heavy Metal'', but they declined their offer, instead working on their first theatrical film, '' Rock & Rule''. Fantasy illustrator Chris Achilléos designed and painted the iconic promotional poster image, commissioned in 1980, that features the central character Taarna on her birdlike steed. That artwork continues to be used for home video releases. Achelleos also did conceptual design work for the Taarna character.

Release

The film was released on August 7, 1981. It was a financial success, grossing over $20 million on a $9 million budget.

Reception

The film was met with mixed response. Review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

reports that 66% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10 and the critical consensus: "It's sexist, juvenile, and dated, but ''Heavy Metal'' makes up for its flaws with eye-popping animation and a classic, smartly-used soundtrack." Janet Maslin of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' wrote that "for anyone who doesn't think an hour and a half is a long time to spend with a comic book, ''Heavy Metal'' is impressive," and noted that the film "was scored very well, with music much less ear-splitting than the title would suggest." ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' declared, "Initial segments have a boisterous blend of dynamic graphics, intriguing plot premises and sly wit that unfortunately slide gradually downhill ... Still, the net effect is an overridingly positive one and will likely find its way into upbeat word-of-mouth." Gene Siskel of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' gave the film three stars, writing that it "isn't intended for close scrutiny on a literal level. The film clearly is intended as a trip, and on that level it works very nicely." He criticized the film as "blatantly sexist" and for having "wildly romanticized" violence.

Sheila Benson Sheila Benson (December 4, 1930February 23, 2022) was an American journalist and film critic. She served as film critic for the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1981 to 1991. Early life and education Benson was born in New York City on December 4, 193 ...

of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' wrote, "Somehow a great deal of the charm f the magazineleaked out on the way to the movie house, but all of the sadism stayed put. And then some. It's the most expensive adolescent fantasy revenge fulfillment wet dream ever to slither onto a screen." John Pym of ''

The Monthly Film Bulletin ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with ''Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a ...

'' found that it was "to put it mildly, something of a hodge-podge." Film historian and critic

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fi ...

gave the film 3 stars out of 4 in his ''Movie Guide'', calling the feature "... uneven, but great fun on a mindless, adolescent level." On the whole, in terms of individual segments, critics were typically most favorable towards the "Den" story. Critic Janet Maslin gave the film a positive review in ''

''. She said, "The other highly memorable story is about a bookworm from earth who winds up on another planet, where his spindly body is transformed into that of an extraterrestrial Hercules." She also complimented John Candy's vocal performance as Den. Christopher John reviewed ''Heavy Metal'' in '' Ares Magazine'' #11 and commented that "Sadly, what could have been a true boost for animation in this country is a weak, opportunistic failure, put together with very little care and no love at all."

Home media

In 1983, ''Heavy Metal'' aired on HBO, then again in 1991. Prior to official release on VHS and LaserDisc in 1996, the film was re-released to 54 theatres on March 8, 1996, remixed in

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...

's 8-track SDDS audio system, taking in $550,000. The subsequent home video release, the first animated film issued on the VHS format to be THX-certified, moved over one million units. The film was released on Blu-ray Disc on February 1, 2011 as a Best Buy exclusive and it was later released everywhere on June 14. A remastered 4K version was released on

Ultra HD Blu-ray Ultra HD Blu-ray (4K Ultra HD, UHD-BD, or 4K Blu-ray) is a digital optical disc data storage format that is an enhanced variant of Blu-ray. Ultra HD Blu-ray discs are incompatible with existing standard Blu-ray players, though a traditional Bl ...

on April 19, 2022, bundled with a Blu-ray Disc release of the sequel, '' Heavy Metal 2000''.

Music

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was released on LP in 1981, but for legal reasons, was not released on CD until 1995. The album peaked at number 12 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. The film's theme song, " Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)" was sung by Don Felder. It was released as a single in the U.S. and reached number 43 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number five on the Mainstream Rock chart on September 19, 1981.

wrote and recorded a song called "Vengeance (The Pact)" for the film, but the producers declined to use the song because the lyrics provided a capsulized summary of the "Taarna" vignette. " Veteran of the Psychic Wars" was used instead. Both songs can be found on Blue Öyster Cult's album '' Fire of Unknown Origin''. Though used in the film, the songs "Through Being Cool" by Devo and "E5150" by

were not included in the released soundtrack album. These songs are on ''

New Traditionalists ''New Traditionalists'' is the fourth studio album by the American new wave band Devo, released on August 26, 1981, by Warner Bros. Records. The album was recorded over a period of four months between December 1980 and April 1981, at the Power ...

'' and '' Mob Rules'', respectively. The legal difficulties surrounding the use of some songs in the film delayed its release to home media. The production company's use of some songs was limited solely to the theatrical release and soundtrack and did not include home media releases. It was not until 1996 that there was an official home media release on VHS when

Kevin Eastman Kevin Brooks Eastman (born May 30, 1962) is an American comic book artist and writer best known for co-creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Peter Laird. Eastman was also formerly the editor and publisher of the magazine '' Heavy Meta ...

, who had bought the publishing rights of ''Heavy Metal'' magazine in 1992 and previously contributed to the magazine, reached a settlement with the music copyright holders. Original LP contained four tracks per side and was programmed in stackable order (A, D, B, C). Rhino Records reissued the two-LP collection in 2017, programmed in standard order (A, B, C, D), as part of their "Rocktober" collection.

Charts

Certifications

Score

Unusual for the time, an LP recording of Elmer Bernstein's score was released alongside the soundtrack in 1981, and it featured the composer's first use of the

ondes Martenot The ondes Martenot ( ; , "Martenot waves") or ondes musicales ("musical waves") is an early electronic musical instrument. It is played with a keyboard or by moving a ring along a wire, creating "wavering" sounds similar to a theremin. A player ...

, an instrument which became a trademark of Bernstein's later career. On March 13, 2008, ''

Film Score Monthly ''Film Score Monthly'' is an online magazine (and former print magazine) founded by editor-in-chief and executive producer Lukas Kendall in June 1990 in music, 1990 as ''The Soundtrack Correspondence List''. It is dedicated to the art of Film sco ...

'' released an official, expanded CD release of Bernstein's score, which he conducted. The score was performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with the

London Voices London Voices is a London-based choral ensemble founded by Terry Edwards (1939-2022) in 1973. In its early years, it also incorporated the London Opera Chorus and London Sinfonietta Voices and Chorus. In 2004, Ben Parry, became co-director of th ...

and Jeanne Loriod on the ondes Martenot. Original track listing: # "Den and the Green Ball" (03:17) # "Den Makes It" (02:49) # "Den and the Queen" (02:56) # "Den's Heroics" (02:52) # "Bomber and the Green Ball" (04:41) # "Space Love" (01:32) # "Harry and the Girl" (03:45) # "Tarna Summoned" (sic) (02:50) # "Flight" (02:20) # "Tarna Prepares" (sic) (03:35) # "Barbarians" (03:37) # "Tarna Forever" (sic) (03:37) Re-release track listing: # "Beginning" 1:16 # "Intro to Green Ball" 1:18 # "Discovery/Transformation (Den and the Green Ball)" 3:15 # "Den Makes Out (Den Makes It)" 2:42 # "Castrate Him/Searching for the Loc-Nar" 2:04 # "Queen for a Day (Den and the Queen)" 2:54 # "Pursuit (Den’s Heroics)" 2:51 # "Fiste" 1:27 # "Getting Bombed" 3:06 # "Green Ball" 2:15 # "Dem Bones" 2:44 # "No Alarm" 0:58 # "Robot Love (Space Love)" 1:32 # "Harry" 1:35 # "The Next Morning" 1:56 # "End of Baby" 2:43 # "Council (Taarna Summoned)" 2:49 # "The Flight to Temple (Flight)" 2:16 # "The Sword (Taarna Prepares)" 3:32 # "Flight to Holiday Town" 2:20 # "Fighting" 2:43 # "My Whips!/Taarna Escapes Pit" 4:57 # "Finish (Taarna Forever)" 3:34 Bonus tracks # "Den Makes Out" (film version) 2:49 # "Bomber and the Green Ball" (album edit) 4:35 # "Harry and the Girl" (album edit) 3:41 # "Barbarians" (album edit) 3:34

Sequel

The sequel, titled '' Heavy Metal 2000'', was released in 2000.

Remake

In March 2008, ''

'' reported that Paramount Pictures was set to make another animated film with David Fincher "spearheading the project".

, who is the current owner and publisher of '' Heavy Metal'', will direct a segment, as will Tim Miller, "whose

Blur Studio Blur Studio is an American-based production company which specialises in CGI visual effects, CGI animation and CGI design. Located in Culver City, California, the studio has produced CGI-animated films, teasers and ad spots for television, as wel ...

will handle the animation for what is being conceived as an R-rated, adult-themed feature". Entertainment website IGN announced, on July 14, 2008, "David Fincher's edgy new project has suffered a serious setback after it was dropped by Paramount, according to ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

''." ''Entertainment Weekly'' quoted Tim Miller as saying "David really believes in the project. It's just a matter of time." In September 2008, Eastman was quoted as saying "Fincher is directing one, Guillermo del Toro wants to direct one,

Zack Snyder Zachary Edward Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He made his feature film debut in 2004 with '' Dawn of the Dead'', a remake of the 1978 horror film of the same name. Since t ...

wants to direct one,

Gore Verbinski Gregor Justin "Gore" Verbinski (born March 16, 1964) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and musician. He is best known for directing '' The Ring'', the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' films, and '' Rango''. He won the Academy Awar ...

wants to direct one". It was reported that the film had been moved to

division

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

(which had released the original) and had a budget of $50 million. In June 2009, Eastman said "I've got breaking news that Fincher and James Cameron are going to be co-executive producers on the film, Cameron will direct one. Mark Osborne and Jack Black from Tenacious D were going to do a comedy segment for the film." Production is stalled indefinitely, as no film distributor or production company has shown interest in distributing or producing the remake since Paramount Pictures decided to forgo being the film's distributor, who purportedly thought such a film was "too risqué for mainstream audiences". In July 2011, filmmaker

Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez (; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ac ...

announced at the

Comic-Con A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at co ...

that he had purchased the film rights to ''Heavy Metal'' and planned to develop a new animated film at the new Quick Draw Studios. On March 11, 2014, with the formation of his very own television network, El Rey, Rodriguez considered switching gears and bringing it to TV. On March 15, 2019, the reboot was released on Netflix as a reimagining titled ''

Love, Death & Robots ''Love, Death & Robots'' (stylized as ''LOVE DEATH + R⬮BOTS'', and represented in emoji form as ❤️❌🤖) is an adult animated anthology streaming television series created by Tim Miller and streaming on Netflix. Produced by Blur Studio ...

''.

References

External links

* * * * * *
''Heavy Metal'' score soundtrack
questions, answers and more @ the SoundtrackINFO project

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