Review of Heavy Metal (1981) by Allan C — 15 Apr 2017

I think my original viewing of this film was the best possible way to see it, a midnight showing at a local arthouse theater (one that actually used to be a mortuary). This anthology animated film that features science fiction shorts from animators from around the world was cutting edge at the time, but now seems incredibly dated.

What stood out most rewatching it now was the film's gross misogyny. When I first saw this as an adolescent boy, that didn't stand out so much, but watching the film now, it's objectification of the female characters is so over-the-top that it's uncomfortable to watch.

I suppose this is reflective of the comic book this film was based on, but that doesn't really make it okay. Some of the shorts are better than others, but none of them stand out as great. The best is probably "Den," a segment that seemed to fully embrace the ridiculousness of this film's adolescent boy point of view.

"Den" tells the story of a young boy who finds himself in the musclebound body of an intergalactic hero, voiced by John Candy, fighting bad guys and saving buxom damsels in distress. That segment is entertaining, but nothing great.

The film's 80s heavy metal soundtrack (along with a solid Elmer Bernstein score) are fun, as is the voice acting by John Vernon, Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty, and Harold Ramis, but overall, this film is pretty weak and does not hold up, despite it's cult reputation.

Mostly what I'm going to remember about this film is that first time I saw it in the theater when a very high theatergoer behind me would randomly shout out, "Loc-Nar!" every time the glowing green orb appeared on screen.