Review of Heavy Metal (1981) by Corey M — 25 Mar 2009

Depending on your definition of 'heavy metal', the movie may fit the bill perfectly even if the soundtrack doesn't.

Black Sabbath (even with Ronnie Dio) I can see setting the tone for this animated film. The same with Blue Oyster Cult. Maybe even Sammy Hagar if I squint my eyes. But not Journey. Not Stevie Nicks. Not even Cheap Trick and ESPECIALLY not Devo!

The premise of the animated film centers around a glowing green ball called the Loc-Nar that is supposed to be the embodiment of evil. It comes back from space to kill a little girl's father and terrorize her with stories of its past. From being found at an archeological dig to a futuristic cabbie ('Harry Canyon') to a gothic battle between two demigogs and a heroic nerd-turned-muscle-man sans clothing ('Den') to a trial aboard a space station ('Captain Sternn'), the globe then moves to WWII ('B-17'), the Pentagon and into deep space ('So Beautiful and So Dangerous') to finally end back on Earth at the edge of a barbarian takeover ('Taarna').

Many of the voices you know: John Candy, Joe Flaherty and Eugene Levy (from SCTV), Rodger Bumpass and Doug Kenney (from the National Lampoon), Robert Romanus ('Fast Times at Ridgemont High') and the great John Vernon ('Animal House's Dean Wormer).

The animation moves back and forth from cartoonish to neo-realism, a lot like the Japanese 'Robot Carnival'. A lot of it is not for the squeamish and none of it is for children. For its time, it did a lot to explore areas normally confined to Saturday morning and take them into the night.