Retro Movie Reviews covers cult classics, films that while they may not have been a critical success have a fan following to this day. These are films that you may have seen as a kid on cable late at night and while the special effects are outdated, the dialogue may be cheesy and the budget may be suspect, these films will always be entertaining and hold a special place in your entertainment seeking heart. If you haven’t seen one of these movies you can almost never go wrong by picking one up to watch.
Heavy Metal is an animated sci-fi feature set to an awesome classic rock soundtrack. A series of tales told from the point of view of the Loc-Nar, the self-described sum of all evil. After killing her father and cornering a young girl, the Loc-Nar forces her to watch tale after tale of how it has spread its influence throughout the galaxy. From an alien-infested New York to the far reaches of space to fantasy worlds, the Loc-Nar is an unstoppable evil infesting the galaxy. Only one brave girl has a chance to stand up to the menace and save a generation from its evil influence.
Memorable Scenes: The Trial of Captain Sternn is by far the most quotable part of the movie, and you will find yourself quoting Hanover Fist verbatim after only a couple of viewings.
Released in 1981 this movie features one of the best rock soundtracks ever with groups like Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath, DEVO, Cheap Trick, Grand Funk Railroad and a host of others. I saw this movie for the first time a couple years after it came out on HBO. I would catch it every now and then on that or Cinemax but could never find it on VHS (I really wanted a copy). I would find out later that it had been prevented for release for 15 years over rights to the music. 30 years later the animation is definitely showing its age and while it still holds a fond place in my heart it is not as good as I remembered it to be. You should be warned this movie does feature a serious dose of gratuitous cartoon nudity in the form of overly-endowed women. The film was actually shot using a technology that involved actual filming and then tracing the animation onto the film itself. Taarna in particular was filmed live and then drawn afterwards. They ran out of time and money making the film and this can be seen at the end of the movie when a live action shot is used instead of animation. Listen carefully for voice work by John Candy and Eugene Levy.
Put the kids to bed before you watch this decidedly adult themed cartoon and just remember it’s my Loc-Nar!
I give this one 3 out of 5 Eds
