Review of Heavy Metal (1981) by Ed C — 31 Jan 2014

One line summary: Anthology of animated shorts from the comic; great set of background music.

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The film follows the Loc-Nar (glowing green orb) that contains the personification of ultimate evil in the universe. The orb corrupts whatever it stays near.

First story ('Harry Canyon'): a professor finds the orb while excavating. The professor is killed by gangsters. His daughter is rescued by a cab driver, Harry Canyon. She disappears on him overnight. Next morning, everyone wants to talk to Harry, so he half heartedly looks for her. Loved the humour here.

Second story ('Den'): an idiot who experiments with lightening obtains the globe. During a storm, his apparatus catches lightening; the globe adds its own power. The experimenter is transported to another planet and perhaps another time. He is in a new body. He rescues a woman from being sacrificed. They get kidnapped by an odd group that takes him to the leader of the revolution, whatever that is. This person demands that he steal the Loc-Nar from the queen.

Third story ('Captain Sternn'): set on a space station orbiting a planet that resembles Jupiter. A space officer, Captain Sternn is on trial. He thinks he has an 'angle' with a janitor Hanover Fiste. The Loc-Nar takes over Fiste, who delivers damning evidence against Sternn.

Fourth story ('B-17'): set on a World War II vintage B-17. The Loc-Nar follows the plane. It kills the crew one by one. The pilot parachutes out. Does he survive?

Fifth story ('So Beautiful and So Dangerous'): set in Washington, DC. Mutations have been appearing on Earth. Is this because of interference from forces from outer space? An expert says no at a top secret meeting in the Pentagon. The expert starts to mutate himself; he attacks the voluptuous secretary taking notes. Then aliens abduct them. Can this turn out well?

Sixth story ('Taarna'): set on another world. The Loc-Nar enters a volcano, which it causes to erupt in green vomit-like lava. This mutates those who are trapped in it. The non-mutants are about to be overrun by the mutants. An elder calls for Taarnak (of the line of Tarrak) to come defend them. It is their sworn duty, after all. She answers the call after those she was to defend are all slaughtered. Her mission becomes vengeance.

The preparation scene in Taarna was beautiful, as was the destruction of Loc-Nar and the transfer of the mission to the new Taarakian.

This is quite a classic.

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Art/Animation: 5/10 Good for 1981, but does not age well. At all. Has some of the same styles as Bakshi's Wizards, 1977, for instance, and that is not a compliment.

Sound: 10/10 Outstanding. The music is still good. For a list of performers, see this page; look in the User Reviews.

Voice: 7/10 OK.

Screenplay: 8/10 The last segment, Taarna, was the best. I would give it high marks for heart, humour, and heroism; its use of a female hero was cleansing and cathartic, rather than PC nonsense. This segment almost carries the entire film. The first and second stories were good for humour, and advanced the story overlying the segments a bit. The third and fourth stories were not as good as the others. The fifth was just a waste.