Barnes & Noble

Sword and sorcery meets science fiction meets Playboy in this animated cult favorite consisting of eight loosely linked stories derived from the adult comic book Heavy Metal. Animal House producer Ivan Reitman hired top animators from around the world to create an adolescent boy's dream of a feature film: blood and guts fly; voluptuous naked women get it on with brawny heroes (and one robot); and aliens snort cocaine to a soundtrack of early '80s hits by Devo, Black Sabbath, Cheap Trick, Stevie Nicks, and many others (all of them unscored by composer Elmer Bernstein's original music). Harold Ramis, John Candy, and Eugene Levy of SCTV fame supply some of the voices. The highly diverse animation styles of each of these futuristic flights of fantasy (all the more amazing for having been done without computers) give Heavy Metal a psychedelic vibe that made it a midnight movie staple in theaters -- and now an equally big hit on video and DVD. Kryssa Schemmerling

All Movie Guide

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 green 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

Product Details

• UPC: 043396039292
• Source: SONY PICTURES
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Español, Portugais
• Time: 1:30:00
• Sales Rank: 1,776

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Heavy Metal 2000 / Heavy Metal

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