Heavy Metal (animation): Difference between revisions

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{{work}}
{{work|wppage=Heavy Metal (film)}}
[[File:heavy_metal_movie.jpg|frame|This provides the rock 'n roll and the sex, you [[Watch It Stoned|provide the drugs]].]]
[[File:heavy_metal_movie.jpg|frame|This provides the rock 'n roll and the sex, you [[Watch It Stoned|provide the drugs]].]]


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The framing story for each short concerns the Loc-Nar, "The sum of all evil," a sentient, floating [[Green Rocks|green orb]] that kills people by [[Body Horror|painfully melting them into goo]] or turning them into monsters (and a plot device that figures into each short), showing a young girl its influence across space and time (after killing her astronaut father, who had just brought it back to Earth).
The framing story for each short concerns the Loc-Nar, "The sum of all evil," a sentient, floating [[Green Rocks|green orb]] that kills people by [[Body Horror|painfully melting them into goo]] or turning them into monsters (and a plot device that figures into each short), showing a young girl its influence across space and time (after killing her astronaut father, who had just brought it back to Earth).
* After said father had de-orbited in a [[Improbably Cool Car|classic Corvette convertible]].
* After said father had de-orbited in a [[Improbably Cool Car|classic Corvette convertible]].

* '''Harry Canyon''', New York taxi driver, gets caught up in a fight between a gang and an archeologist's daughter over the Loc-Nar. She [[Double Entendre|screws him more than once]].
* '''Harry Canyon''', New York taxi driver, gets caught up in a fight between a gang and an archeologist's daughter over the Loc-Nar. She [[Double Entendre|screws him more than once]].
* '''Den''', originally a skinny, nerdy kid named Dan (voiced by John Candy), gets [[Trapped in Another World|sucked into Neverwhere]], becomes a bald, naked, [[Barbarian Hero|musclebound hunk]] ([[WTH? Casting Agency|still voiced by John Candy]]) that every woman in the story (equally [[Fan Service|naked and buxom]]) apparently throws herself at, and involves himself in a fight between an [[God Save Us From the Queen|evil queen]] and an [[Immortality|unkillable]] [[Sissy Villain|dandy]] to save [[Distressed Damsel|the girl]] he encountered upon arrival. Due to the fairly consistent female nudity, this segment is generally excised from TV prints of the movie altogether.
* '''Den''', originally a skinny, nerdy kid named Dan (voiced by John Candy), gets [[Trapped in Another World|sucked into Neverwhere]], becomes a bald, naked, [[Barbarian Hero|musclebound hunk]] ([[What the Hell, Casting Agency?|still voiced by John Candy]]) that every woman in the story (equally [[Fan Service|naked and buxom]]) apparently throws herself at, and involves himself in a fight between an [[God Save Us From the Queen|evil queen]] and an [[Immortality|unkillable]] [[Sissy Villain|dandy]] to save [[Damsel in Distress|the girl]] he encountered upon arrival. Due to the fairly consistent female nudity, this segment is generally excised from TV prints of the movie altogether.
** The [[Trope Namer]] for [[Normally I Would Be Dead Now]] (while swimming a LONG way underwater).
** The [[Trope Namer]] for [[Normally I Would Be Dead Now]] (while swimming a LONG way underwater).
* '''Captain Sternn''', on trial for multiple crimes (including a [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|moving violation]]), gets more than he bargained for when [[Punny Name|Hanover Fiste]], the man he paid to act as his character witness, goes berserk under the Loc-Nar's influence.
* '''Captain Sternn''', on trial for multiple crimes (including a [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|moving violation]]), gets more than he bargained for when [[Punny Name|Hanover Fiste]], the man he paid to act as his character witness, goes berserk under the Loc-Nar's influence.
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Once noted for [[Keep Circulating the Tapes]] because music rights kept it from being released on home video. Bootleg tapes of it would routinely turn up, some taped off airings on pay cable channels. Now legally available as well.
Once noted for [[Keep Circulating the Tapes]] because music rights kept it from being released on home video. Bootleg tapes of it would routinely turn up, some taped off airings on pay cable channels. Now legally available as well.


The film is adapted from a number of stories in ''Heavy Metal Magazine'', an American version of the French comic ''Métal Hurlant'' founded by [[Moebius]] and [[Philippe Druillet]]. A number of other adaptations have also been made, including the film ''Heavy Metal 2000'' (which had [[In Name Only|almost nothing to do with]] the first film) and the [[Third-Person Shooter]] ''F.A.K.K.<sup>2</sup>'' (which was based upon Heavy Metal 2000). Somewhat strangely, the film ''Heavy Metal 2000'' is also sometimes seen under the title ''Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.2''.
The film is adapted from a number of stories in ''Heavy Metal Magazine'', an American version of the French comic ''Métal Hurlant'' founded by [[Moebius]] and [[Philippe Druillet]]. A number of other adaptations have also been made, including the film ''[[Heavy Metal 2000]]'' (which had [[In Name Only|almost nothing to do with]] the first film) and the [[Third-Person Shooter]] ''F.A.K.K.<sup>2</sup>'' (which was based upon Heavy Metal 2000). Somewhat strangely, the film ''Heavy Metal 2000'' is also sometimes seen under the title ''Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.2''.


A new version is in development. [[David Fincher|Lots]] [[James Cameron|of]] [[Zack Snyder|big]] [[Guillermo del Toro|names]] are floating around to direct segments.
A new version is in development. [[David Fincher|Lots]] [[James Cameron|of]] [[Zack Snyder|big]] [[Guillermo del Toro|names]] were floating around to direct segments, but as of August 2011, the David Fincher movie has been cancelled, as [[Robert Rodriguez]] has acquired the rights.
⚫
----
{{tropenamer|The original 1981 film is the [[Trope Namers|Trope Namer]] for:}}
* [[Normally I Would Be Dead Now]]


As of August 2011, the David Fincher movie has been cancelled, as [[Robert Rodriguez]] has acquired the rights. [[And the Fandom Rejoiced]].
⚫
----
{{tropelist|The original 1981 film contains examples of:}}
{{tropelist|The original 1981 film contains examples of:}}
* [[Action Girl]]
* [[Action Girl]]
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* [[Alien Abduction]]
* [[Alien Abduction]]
* [[All There in the Script]]: In "So Beautiful, So Dangerous," Zeke and Edsel are the names of the stoner aliens, and Gloria is the redheaded secretary they abduct. The robot, however, is an aversion, as it has no name listed.
* [[All There in the Script]]: In "So Beautiful, So Dangerous," Zeke and Edsel are the names of the stoner aliens, and Gloria is the redheaded secretary they abduct. The robot, however, is an aversion, as it has no name listed.
* [[Alternate Realm Boon]]: In "Den", short, skinny nerd David Ellis Norman is turned into a bald, musclebound, and well-endowed man when transported into another world.
* [[Anthology Film]]
* [[Anthology Film]]
* [[Artifact of Doom]]: The Loc-Nar.
* [[Artifact of Doom]]: The Loc-Nar.
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* [[Did Not Do the Research]]: The Space Shuttle is shown with doors in its hull. The cargo bay, and the doors, are on the other side.
* [[Did Not Do the Research]]: The Space Shuttle is shown with doors in its hull. The cargo bay, and the doors, are on the other side.
* [[Disney Acid Sequence]]: We get a short one in "So Beautiful, So Dangerous," to the tune of "All of You" by Don Felder. And the ''[[Star Trek|Enterprise]]'' even makes a cameo!
* [[Disney Acid Sequence]]: We get a short one in "So Beautiful, So Dangerous," to the tune of "All of You" by Don Felder. And the ''[[Star Trek|Enterprise]]'' even makes a cameo!
* [[Distressed Damsel]]: Katherine.
* [[Damsel in Distress]]: Katherine.
* [[Eldritch Abomination]]: The Loc-Nar, which travels through time and space wrecking people's lives and turning them into zombies, and is clearly sentient.
* [[Eldritch Abomination]]: The Loc-Nar, which travels through time and space wrecking people's lives and turning them into zombies, and is clearly sentient.
* [[Everybody Has Lots of Sex]]: Den lampshades the fact that, on this new planet, he got lucky twice in one day after arriving a virgin.
* [[Everybody Has Lots of Sex]]: Den lampshades the fact that, on this new planet, he got lucky twice in one day after arriving a virgin.
* [[Expy]]: More than one review noted the similarity between the Harry Canyon segment and ''[[The Fifth Element]]''.
* [[Expy]]: More than one review noted the similarity between the Harry Canyon segment and ''[[The Fifth Element]]''.
* [[Fan Service]]: So many huge-breasted naked women they could have called the film ''Heavy Silicone''.
* [[Fan Service]]: So many huge-breasted naked women they could have called the film ''Heavy Chests''.
* [[Follow the Leader]]: ''[[The Fifth Element]]'' borrows heavily from the Harry Canyon segment.
* [[Follow the Leader]]: ''[[The Fifth Element]]'' borrows heavily from the Harry Canyon segment.
* [[Framing Device]]: Basically the whole film is the Loc-Nar [[Evil Gloating|bragging what a bad-ass]] it is.
* [[Framing Device]]: Basically the whole film is the Loc-Nar [[Evil Gloating|bragging what a bad-ass]] it is.
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* [[Hulking Out]]: Hanover Fiste, care of the Loc-Nar.
* [[Hulking Out]]: Hanover Fiste, care of the Loc-Nar.
* [[Human Sacrifice]]
* [[Human Sacrifice]]
* [[I'm Melting]]: How many people in this film meet their ends.
* [[I'm Melting]]: How many people in this film meet their ends.
* [[Karma Houdini]]: Sternn.
* [[Karma Houdini]]: Sternn.
* [[Large Ham]]: '''STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!'''
* [[Large Ham]]: '''STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!'''
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{{quote|'''[[The Agony Booth]]:''' Revenge-seeking warrior, with '''boobs'''! Just think every strong, silent fantasy hero cliché, and you’ll get the idea. Plus, '''boobs'''!}}
{{quote|'''[[The Agony Booth]]:''' Revenge-seeking warrior, with '''boobs'''! Just think every strong, silent fantasy hero cliché, and you’ll get the idea. Plus, '''boobs'''!}}
* [[Most Writers Are Male]] - There was almost no female character that behaved in any way, shape, or form the way a reasonable and intelligent person would act. You had a woman who worked at the Pentagon, whose first reaction to being abducted by aliens was to complain that she was going to miss her gynecologist appointment, and who later fell in love with a robot who didn't look remotely human. (Of course, the archaeologist's daughter was trying to [[Manipulative Bastard|manipulate]] Harry, which makes her behavior to that point [[It Makes Sense in Context|make sense]]. And as for Gloria...even the most sensible of us will panic and babble about random things while in shock—although, admittedly, that ''only'' explains her going off about her check-up, ''not'' jumping in bed with the robot.)
* [[Most Writers Are Male]] - There was almost no female character that behaved in any way, shape, or form the way a reasonable and intelligent person would act. You had a woman who worked at the Pentagon, whose first reaction to being abducted by aliens was to complain that she was going to miss her gynecologist appointment, and who later fell in love with a robot who didn't look remotely human. (Of course, the archaeologist's daughter was trying to [[Manipulative Bastard|manipulate]] Harry, which makes her behavior to that point [[It Makes Sense in Context|make sense]]. And as for Gloria...even the most sensible of us will panic and babble about random things while in shock—although, admittedly, that ''only'' explains her going off about her check-up, ''not'' jumping in bed with the robot.)
** The main exceptions are Taarna (a [[Badass]] and grim [[Lady of War]], even dressed [[Stripperiffic|like that]]) and the girl in the bridge segments. The girl is appropriately terrified of a green ball that just vaporized her dad. Even when she {{spoiler|transforms into the new Taarna}}, she's never portrayed in a lurid manner as Taarna was in the last story (Taarna was ogled, whipped, sexually abused, [[Department of Redundancy Department|and ogled]].)
** The main exceptions are Taarna (a [[Badass]] and grim [[Lady of War]], even dressed [[Stripperiffic|like that]]) and the girl in the bridge segments. The girl is appropriately terrified of a green ball that just vaporized her dad. Even when she {{spoiler|transforms into the new Taarna}}, she's never portrayed in a lurid manner as Taarna was in the last story (Taarna was ogled, whipped, sexually abused, [[Department of Redundancy Department|and ogled]].)
* [[Never Trust a Title]]: This movie really does not focus on the metal. The soundtrack is subdued enough that most of the music is barely audible in the background, there are long gaps between songs, and by today's standards most of the songs would not really be considered heavy metal. The name comes from the magazine the stories were taken from rather than the music.
* [[Never Trust a Title]]: This movie really does not focus on the metal. The soundtrack is subdued enough that most of the music is barely audible in the background, there are long gaps between songs, and by today's standards most of the songs would not really be considered heavy metal. The name comes from the magazine the stories were taken from rather than the music.
** As far as the soundtrack album goes, only the Sammy Hagar, Riggs, Nazareth, and Black Sabbath songs were considered "metal" (or hard rock, at best). The Donald Fagen and Stevie Nicks songs were soft rock, the Journey song was a power ballad, the Devo song was New Wave, and everything else was regular rock.
** As far as the soundtrack album goes, only the Sammy Hagar, Riggs, Nazareth, and Black Sabbath songs were considered "metal" (or hard rock, at best). The Donald Fagen and Stevie Nicks songs were soft rock, the Journey song was a power ballad, the Devo song was New Wave, and everything else was regular rock.
* [[Normally I Would Be Dead Now]]: The [[Trope Namer]].
* [[Normally I Would Be Dead Now]]: The [[Trope Namer]].
* [[Pragmatic Adaptation]]: Most of the magazine-based stories are altered to fit the format. In particular, Den, who is perfectly comfortable being [[Male Frontal Nudity|buck naked]] in the original comics, gets a loincloth. On the plus side, the comic's stiff english translation of the dialogue is replaced by a much relaxed tone that sounds more natural and humorous with a horny teenager's take on the macho fantasy story.
* [[Pragmatic Adaptation]]: Most of the magazine-based stories are altered to fit the format. In particular, Den, who is perfectly comfortable being [[Male Frontal Nudity|buck naked]] in the original comics, gets a loincloth. On the plus side, the comic's stiff english translation of the dialogue is replaced by a much relaxed tone that sounds more natural and humorous with a horny teenager's take on the macho fantasy story.
** Originally there wa going to be a lot more overlap between the stories (e.g. Hanover Fiste is seen traveling on the same ship as the stoner aliens and declares that Sternn WILL go free). However this became impossible due to the filming of each segment being handled by different studios, with collaboration between them being incredibly difficult.
** Originally there wa going to be a lot more overlap between the stories (e.g. Hanover Fiste is seen traveling on the same ship as the stoner aliens and declares that Sternn WILL go free). However this became impossible due to the filming of each segment being handled by different studios, with collaboration between them being incredibly difficult.
* [[Private Eye Monologue]]: One of the segments has it.
* [[Private Eye Monologue]]: One of the segments has it.
* [[Punny Name]]: Hanover Fiste. Harry Canyon.
* [[Punny Name]]: Hanover Fiste. Harry Canyon.
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* [[Smoking Hot Sex]]: Gloria lights up after sleeping with the robot.
* [[Smoking Hot Sex]]: Gloria lights up after sleeping with the robot.
* [[So Unfunny It's Funny]]: "Goddamn illegal aliens..."
* [[So Unfunny It's Funny]]: "Goddamn illegal aliens..."
* [[Space Does Not Work That Way]]:
* [[Space Does Not Work That Way]]:
** During his rampage through the station, Hanover Fiste causes a part of it to collapse ''inwards'' (complete with a settling cloud of dust), instead of ''outwards'' (which would have sent debris floating away into space).
** During his rampage through the station, Hanover Fiste causes a part of it to collapse ''inwards'' (complete with a settling cloud of dust), instead of ''outwards'' (which would have sent debris floating away into space).
** At the end of Hanover's rampage, {{spoiler|Sternn disposes of him by pulling a lever, which drops him through an ordinary trapdoor into space... just as if he were on a planet with gravity, and without an airlock to keep the atmosphere in.}}
** At the end of Hanover's rampage, {{spoiler|Sternn disposes of him by pulling a lever, which drops him through an ordinary trapdoor into space... just as if he were on a planet with gravity, and without an airlock to keep the atmosphere in.}}
** Though he's not entering a planetary or solar atmosphere, Hanover Fiste somehow catches fire in the vacuum of space. (Although you could [[Hand Wave]] this by saying that it's the Loc-Nar's doing, or even solar radiation. But still.)
** Though he's not entering a planetary or solar atmosphere, Hanover Fiste somehow catches fire in the vacuum of space. (Although you could [[Hand Wave]] this by saying that it's the Loc-Nar's doing, or even solar radiation. But still.)
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* [[Wish Fulfillment]]: Horny busty women who get naked at the drop of a hat and screw anything that moves? See [[Most Writers Are Male]].
* [[Wish Fulfillment]]: Horny busty women who get naked at the drop of a hat and screw anything that moves? See [[Most Writers Are Male]].
* [[What Happened to the Mouse?]]: "So Beautiful, So Dangerous" starts out with government officials discussing mysterious human mutations, and Dr. Anrak seems to be part of a cover-up that is later implied to involve Zeke, Edsel, and the robot. Except the mutation story is completely and utterly forgotten when said aliens abduct Dr. Anrak and Gloria.
* [[What Happened to the Mouse?]]: "So Beautiful, So Dangerous" starts out with government officials discussing mysterious human mutations, and Dr. Anrak seems to be part of a cover-up that is later implied to involve Zeke, Edsel, and the robot. Except the mutation story is completely and utterly forgotten when said aliens abduct Dr. Anrak and Gloria.
** The behind-the-scenes material on disc implies that this story was [[No Pun Intended|heavily]] edited from the original treatment - apparently to the point where it just stops arbitrarily instead of ending.
** The behind-the-scenes material on disc implies that this story was [[No Pun Intended|heavily]] edited from the original treatment - apparently to the point where it just stops arbitrarily instead of ending.
*** In fact, much that went wrong with this film (particularly the inconsistent animation style, some poor writing in places, and sections that just stop or don't really make sense or were entirely left out like an intended link between Captain Sternn and B17) can be seen as a combination of inexperience, poor planning, and just plain not enough time and money being spent on the project.
*** In fact, much that went wrong with this film (particularly the inconsistent animation style, some poor writing in places, and sections that just stop or don't really make sense or were entirely left out like an intended link between Captain Sternn and B17) can be seen as a combination of inexperience, poor planning, and just plain not enough time and money being spent on the project.
* [[White-Haired Pretty Girl]]: Taarna
* [[White-Haired Pretty Girl]]: Taarna
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* [[Zettai Ryouiki]]: Grade A with the girl in the Harry Canyon segment.
* [[Zettai Ryouiki]]: Grade A with the girl in the Harry Canyon segment.
* [[Zombie Apocalypse]]: The B-17 segment.
* [[Zombie Apocalypse]]: The B-17 segment.
----
{{tropelist|The 2000 sequel ''Heavy Metal 2000'' contains examples of:}}
* [[Actor Allusion]]: In the 1980s TV series ''[[V]]'', one of the important characters is a battle-hardened Resistance leader fighting against the Visitors, a group of extraterrestrial lizard-people. In this movie, the [[Big Bad|main villain]] is a psychotic human warrior fighting ''with'' a group of lizard-men as their leader (see below). Both characters are named Tyler, and both roles are played by Michael Ironside.
** [[Older Than They Think]]: The character was named Tyler in the original miniseries the movie was adapted from, The Melting Pot, over ten years before the movie's production.
* [[Ax Crazy]]: Tyler. Justified by the fact that the key to the Chamber of Immortality has that effect on whomever owns it.
** Plus, [[Word of God]] says that the mineral he finds at the begining is actually the Loc-Nar and drives him to madness.
* [[Breaking the Fourth Wall]]: When Julie and her sidekick are chasing Tyler through Neo Calcutta space station, there is an advertisement briefly visible for ''Six Foot One And Worth The Climb'', the autobiography of Julie's voice actress.
* [[Conspicuous CG]]: At the climax of the movie, the Chamber of Immortality is clearly not rendered in the same 2D animation used for the rest of the film, nor is {{spoiler|Odin, once he unmasks himself}}.
* [[The Danza]]: Julie is voiced by Penthouse Pet and B-movie queen Julie Strain. The character is even designed to look like her.
* [[Kill Him Already]]: Subverted when the heroine displays some common sense - as soon as she sees the [[Big Bad]] that nuked her town, she opens fire on him. In a bar filled with 'civilians' (think Mos Eisley's Cantina.) ''With a [[Gatling Good|Laser Minigun.]]'' {{spoiler|Unfortunately, it turns out that with the immortality water, he's [[Not Quite Dead]].}}
* [[Make Sure He's Dead]]: Tyler provides the page's quote.
* [[The Mole]]: {{spoiler|Odin reveals himself as such, just after Julie kills [[Big Bad|Tyler]].}}
* [[People Jars]]: Tyler gets his immortality water by distilling it from the fluids of the bodies of people captured from Julie's home planet.
* [[Pound of Flesh Twist]]: The Man Behind the Man gets his immortality... of course, he then gets sealed in a chamber that can only be opened from the outside with a key lost in the depths of space.
* [[Sex Bot]]: Malfunctioning, of course, and [[Erection Rejection|about as sexy as Curly Howard]].
* [[Shout-Out]]: There are two shout-outs to the original ''Heavy Metal'' movie. First, the Chamber of Immortality is located on a planet in the Taarakian star system (Taarna, the heroine of the final ''Heavy Metal'' story, is the last of the Taarakian bloodline). Second, the scene in which Julie disrobes, swims across a pool of water, and gets dressed up for battle is taken directly from the original movie, in which Taarna does the same thing.
* [[Stripperiffic]]: A good number of females. It is Heavy Metal though...
* [[You Kill It, You Bought It]]: Tyler kills the king of a tribe of lizard people and takes his place as their leader.


{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
⚫
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Animated Films]]
[[Category:Animated Films]]
[[Category:Science Fiction Animated Films]]
[[Category:Science Fiction Animated Films]]
[[Category:Anthology Film]]
[[Category:Anthology Film]]
[[Category:Films of the 1980s]]
[[Category:Films of the 1980s]]
⚫
[[Category:Heavy Metal]]
[[Category:Western Animation]]
[[Category:Western Animation]]
[[Category:Western Animation of the 1980s]]
[[Category:Film]]
[[Category:Cult Classic]]

Latest revision as of 03:25, 8 January 2023

This provides the rock 'n roll and the sex, you provide the drugs.

"Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Sammy Hagar and Riggs take you to a universe you've never seen before. A universe of magic. A universe of mystery. A universe of sexual fantasies. A universe of awesome good, and terrifying evil."

If you were looking for the music genre, go here.

The 1981 Canadian-animated film anthology of stories from the magazine of the same name. Laden with sex, violence, profanity, decent animation, and a rippin' soundtrack.

The framing story for each short concerns the Loc-Nar, "The sum of all evil," a sentient, floating green orb that kills people by painfully melting them into goo or turning them into monsters (and a plot device that figures into each short), showing a young girl its influence across space and time (after killing her astronaut father, who had just brought it back to Earth).

  • After said father had de-orbited in a classic Corvette convertible.
  • Harry Canyon, New York taxi driver, gets caught up in a fight between a gang and an archeologist's daughter over the Loc-Nar. She screws him more than once.
  • Den, originally a skinny, nerdy kid named Dan (voiced by John Candy), gets sucked into Neverwhere, becomes a bald, naked, musclebound hunk (still voiced by John Candy) that every woman in the story (equally naked and buxom) apparently throws herself at, and involves himself in a fight between an evil queen and an unkillable dandy to save the girl he encountered upon arrival. Due to the fairly consistent female nudity, this segment is generally excised from TV prints of the movie altogether.
  • Captain Sternn, on trial for multiple crimes (including a moving violation), gets more than he bargained for when Hanover Fiste, the man he paid to act as his character witness, goes berserk under the Loc-Nar's influence.
  • B-17: limping home after a World War II bombing run with most of the crew dead, a USAAF B-17 encounters the Loc-Nar, which then reanimates the dead into flesh eating zombies. The pilot bails out and lands on an island filled with plane wrecks and more zombies. The scariest part of the film. Among critics of the movie, also regarded as the strongest segment, and rarely spoken of in anything but a positive light.
  • So Beautiful, So Dangerous: aliens abduct a buxom Pentagon secretary, and the robot leader takes a shine to her. The pilots ingest a massive amount of plutonium nyborg and fly home utterly stoned, while the robot gets into the secretary's knickers. The Breather Episode after B-17, and seems to be playing things for laughs.
  • Taarna, the last Taarakian, is called to defend a peaceful civilization from Loc-Nar-mutated barbarians. She arrives too late, and she turns to vengeance to fulfill her pact.

At the climax, Taarna's defeat of the Loc-Nar echoes, and the orb menacing the girl is destroyed. A purple bird of the same kind that Taarna flew arrives at her side, and she flies off, her hair turning white and the Taarakian crest appearing on her neck.

Once noted for Keep Circulating the Tapes because music rights kept it from being released on home video. Bootleg tapes of it would routinely turn up, some taped off airings on pay cable channels. Now legally available as well.

The film is adapted from a number of stories in Heavy Metal Magazine, an American version of the French comic Métal Hurlant founded by Moebius and Philippe Druillet. A number of other adaptations have also been made, including the film Heavy Metal 2000 (which had almost nothing to do with the first film) and the Third-Person Shooter F.A.K.K.2 (which was based upon Heavy Metal 2000). Somewhat strangely, the film Heavy Metal 2000 is also sometimes seen under the title Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.2.

A new version is in development. Lots of big names were floating around to direct segments, but as of August 2011, the David Fincher movie has been cancelled, as Robert Rodriguez has acquired the rights.

The original 1981 film is the Trope Namer for:
The original 1981 film contains examples of:

Prosecutor: Lincoln Sternn, you stand here accused 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.

The Agony Booth: Revenge-seeking warrior, with boobs! Just think every strong, silent fantasy hero cliché, and you’ll get the idea. Plus, boobs!

  • Most Writers Are Male - There was almost no female character that behaved in any way, shape, or form the way a reasonable and intelligent person would act. You had a woman who worked at the Pentagon, whose first reaction to being abducted by aliens was to complain that she was going to miss her gynecologist appointment, and who later fell in love with a robot who didn't look remotely human. (Of course, the archaeologist's daughter was trying to manipulate Harry, which makes her behavior to that point make sense. And as for Gloria...even the most sensible of us will panic and babble about random things while in shock—although, admittedly, that only explains her going off about her check-up, not jumping in bed with the robot.)
    • The main exceptions are Taarna (a Badass and grim Lady of War, even dressed like that) and the girl in the bridge segments. The girl is appropriately terrified of a green ball that just vaporized her dad. Even when she transforms into the new Taarna, she's never portrayed in a lurid manner as Taarna was in the last story (Taarna was ogled, whipped, sexually abused, and ogled.)
  • Never Trust a Title: This movie really does not focus on the metal. The soundtrack is subdued enough that most of the music is barely audible in the background, there are long gaps between songs, and by today's standards most of the songs would not really be considered heavy metal. The name comes from the magazine the stories were taken from rather than the music.
    • As far as the soundtrack album goes, only the Sammy Hagar, Riggs, Nazareth, and Black Sabbath songs were considered "metal" (or hard rock, at best). The Donald Fagen and Stevie Nicks songs were soft rock, the Journey song was a power ballad, the Devo song was New Wave, and everything else was regular rock.
  • Normally I Would Be Dead Now: The Trope Namer.
  • Pragmatic Adaptation: Most of the magazine-based stories are altered to fit the format. In particular, Den, who is perfectly comfortable being buck naked in the original comics, gets a loincloth. On the plus side, the comic's stiff english translation of the dialogue is replaced by a much relaxed tone that sounds more natural and humorous with a horny teenager's take on the macho fantasy story.
    • Originally there wa going to be a lot more overlap between the stories (e.g. Hanover Fiste is seen traveling on the same ship as the stoner aliens and declares that Sternn WILL go free). However this became impossible due to the filming of each segment being handled by different studios, with collaboration between them being incredibly difficult.
  • Private Eye Monologue: One of the segments has it.
  • Punny Name: Hanover Fiste. Harry Canyon.
  • Ridiculously Human Robot
  • Right-Hand-Cat: The giant rat-like pet of the Big Bad Barbarian Leader in "Taarna".
  • Robosexual: Gloria and the robot, somehow.
  • Rotoscoping: Much of Taarna's actions, especially the dressing scenes. Also some of the B17 footage.
  • Rule of Cool: The entire film not only uses this, it runs wild with it.
  • Rule of Funny: During the "Captain Sternn" and "So Beautiful, So Dangerous" segments.
  • Samus Is a Girl: Taarna.
  • Scenery Porn: Particularly in the alien abduction segment and the Taarna segment.
  • Sex Bot

Robot: Earth women who experience sexual ecstasy with mechanical assistance always tend to feel guilty!

  • Shameful Strip: When Taarna is captured by the Barbarian Leader, he has her stripped.
  • Shout-Out: In the "Den" story, the name of the eldritch god whose favor the villains are trying to win is clearly "Cthulhu" spoken backward (the sacrificial altar also clearly resembles Cthulhu).
  • Shrouded in Myth
  • Sickly Green Glow: The Loc-Nar.
  • Sissy Villain: Ard, "Leader of the Revolution, and Next Ruler of the World."
  • Smoking Hot Sex: Gloria lights up after sleeping with the robot.
  • So Unfunny It's Funny: "Goddamn illegal aliens..."
  • Space Does Not Work That Way:
    • During his rampage through the station, Hanover Fiste causes a part of it to collapse inwards (complete with a settling cloud of dust), instead of outwards (which would have sent debris floating away into space).
    • At the end of Hanover's rampage, Sternn disposes of him by pulling a lever, which drops him through an ordinary trapdoor into space... just as if he were on a planet with gravity, and without an airlock to keep the atmosphere in.
    • Though he's not entering a planetary or solar atmosphere, Hanover Fiste somehow catches fire in the vacuum of space. (Although you could Hand Wave this by saying that it's the Loc-Nar's doing, or even solar radiation. But still.)
  • Spiritual Successor: Den -> Brutal Legend, in many ways.
  • Stab the Sky: The film poster
  • Stripperific: Taarna, in reverse (although her battle gear doesn't cover much either, and sports Combat Stilettos).
  • The Renaissance Age of Animation (1981)
  • Thong of Shielding: Taarna
  • Thrown Out the Airlock: Hanover Fiste.
  • Twenty Minutes Into the Future: the future of 1981, anyway. Manhattan looks like it did before the cleanup in the 80's and 90's , with sex shops, dirty sidewalks and the World Trade Center.
  • Unstoppable Rage: STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!
  • Villainesses Want Heroes: The evil queen really wants Den to "please" her.
  • Wish Fulfillment: Horny busty women who get naked at the drop of a hat and screw anything that moves? See Most Writers Are Male.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: "So Beautiful, So Dangerous" starts out with government officials discussing mysterious human mutations, and Dr. Anrak seems to be part of a cover-up that is later implied to involve Zeke, Edsel, and the robot. Except the mutation story is completely and utterly forgotten when said aliens abduct Dr. Anrak and Gloria.
    • The behind-the-scenes material on disc implies that this story was heavily edited from the original treatment - apparently to the point where it just stops arbitrarily instead of ending.
      • In fact, much that went wrong with this film (particularly the inconsistent animation style, some poor writing in places, and sections that just stop or don't really make sense or were entirely left out like an intended link between Captain Sternn and B17) can be seen as a combination of inexperience, poor planning, and just plain not enough time and money being spent on the project.
  • White-Haired Pretty Girl: Taarna
  • Wretched Hive
  • Zettai Ryouiki: Grade A with the girl in the Harry Canyon segment.
  • Zombie Apocalypse: The B-17 segment.
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