Heavy Metal; the ultraviolent animated movie that no one remembers, and the sequel no one even knows about

[thisithis]

in 1981 Heavy Metal a Canadian American animated film that not many remember anymore came out. Sex, Drug use, and of course a lot of violence. And then in 2000, Heavy Metal: 2000 came out in limited theaters, not really a shocker that it flopped the way it did. Also Heavy Metal: 2000 only had one nude scene but a crap ton of violence. Who even remembers these two films, if you ask me the first one is the best even though it doesn't have a real story.

 

[[classic swim]]

While I’ve always been on the receiving end of subjects “no one remembers or cares about,” you don’t have to preface your posts like this in the very title.

I mean, I could sorta get it with Exosquad.

Heavy Metal’s not a universal cult hit by any means but it’s blatant early adult animation history. There’s multiple tributes to the original film.

 

[thisithis]

While I’ve always been on the receiving end of subjects “no one remembers or cares about,” you don’t have to preface your posts like this in the very title.

I mean, I could sorta get it with Exosquad.

Heavy Metal’s not a universal cult hit by any means but it’s blatant early adult animation history. There’s multiple tributes to the original film.

That may be true for this site but on others like YouTube, the reviews are mostly pretty small. And its sequel Heavy Metal: 2000 is like a ghost town.

 

[[classic swim]]

Fritz The Cat doesn’t have the most wide abundance of YouTube video essays and there’s definitely more than two people that know who Ralph Bakshi is and what that film is.

Some of the critics for Heavy Metal specifically can also attest to it just wanting to be one big psychedelic visual. Sort of a deterrent from extensive conversation in that sense.

You absolutely could talk about the rotoscoping, the score, the fact Eugene Levy & John Candy of all souls are attached to the picture; but YouTube pop culture farming doesn’t always think that far ahead.


I’ll concede with the 2000 film though because yeah. No idea on that one.

 

[thisithis]

I’ll concede with the 2000 film though because yeah. No idea on that one.

Heavy Metal 2000 is just the late Julie Strain showing how hot she looks in cartoon form, and Michael Ironside being Michael Ironside. RIP to John Candy and Julie Strain. And to the rest, I can't name right now.

 

[Pooky]

Similar to much of Bakshi's work, it's cool that it happened but I didn't get a whole lot out of it. I'll get round to picking up the Blu-Ray one day though, which has some intriguing extras, and give it another shot.

Doubt I'll ever bother with the sequel.

 

[Dantheman]

"Burnings too good for 'em! Hanging is too good for 'em! He should be torn into little bitsy pieces and buried alive!".

Yeah, I remember Heavy Metal.

 

[thisithis]

I don't know what happened, but it took like a long time to get to VHS and when it finally did DVDs were the thing. It came in theaters in 1981 and was mostly shown late at night on Cinemax and I think the DVD and VHS release was in 1996. I have no idea why the long release time, but someone told me it had to do something with a lawsuit. I don't know, maybe someone will tell me why.

Heavy Metal 2000 here in the US came out in limited release in select theaters which is a death nine for any film. Want your movie to bomb, limited release in select theaters will definitely do that. But there was a massive delay in the DVD releases. As well as the video game with the film's original title Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.². Julie Strain was the only one who reprised her role, and a lot more people liked the game more than the film, or that's what I remember anyway,

 

[Classic Speedy]

Funnily enough, I've seen 2000 but not the original. I suppose I should see it one of these days.

Side comment: It's really a shame that the video game Heavy Metal FAKK 2 has never been re-released on modern PCs, it was pretty good. I wonder if it's tied up in rights issues or something.

 

[Rick Jones]

I think I saw 2000 on cable one night during a family trip while everyone else was asleep. Certain scenes were burned into my memory.

The first time that I saw the original was about 2000 when VH1 aired it during their Movies that Rock block. It was edited but the sex, drugs, violence and rock'n'roll were still very apparent.

 

[John Pannozzi]

Funnily enough, I've seen 2000 but not the original. I suppose I should see it one of these days.

Side comment: It's really a shame that the video game Heavy Metal FAKK 2 has never been re-released on modern PCs, it was pretty good. I wonder if it's tied up in rights issues or something.

Yeah, I wish Capcom's Heavy Metal: Geomatrix game got a modern re-release too.

I think the fact that the Heavy Metal magazine is still being published today is a testament to the brand's legacy.

Though it is sad that the magazine has fallen on financial and legal troubles in recent years. Kevin Eastman was seemingly forced out a few years back. And I know that the Heavy Metal 2000 movie was based on Eastman's Melting Pot and F.A.K.K. 2 Comics, but he got ripped off by the film's animation subcontractors and basically disowned the final project.

But on a happier note, Richard Corben's Den Comics (which were adapted into a segment of the first HM movie) are finally getting new collected editions from Dark Horse. Hopefully, Bernie Wrightson's Captain Sternn Material will get a similar treatment in the near future.

 

[DocForbin]

Fritz The Cat doesn’t have the most wide abundance of YouTube video essays and there’s definitely more than two people that know who Ralph Bakshi is and what that film is.

Some of the critics for Heavy Metal specifically can also attest to it just wanting to be one big psychedelic visual. Sort of a deterrent from extensive conversation in that sense.

You absolutely could talk about the rotoscoping, the score, the fact Eugene Levy & John Candy of all souls are attached to the picture; but YouTube pop culture farming doesn’t always think that far ahead.


I’ll concede with the 2000 film though because yeah. No idea on that one.

Also, Harold Ramis (Egon Spengler in the live action Ghostbusters movies) and Susan Roman (who did the English-speaking voice of Lita/Sailor Jupiter on Sailor Moon) lent their voices to this.

It should also be pointed out that the "Harry Canyon" segment served as the inspiration for The Fifth Element.

 

[Rick Jones]

It feels as though every few years there's something that randomly reignites my interest whether it's something like the "Major Boobage" episode of South Park, or James Gunn's direction and musical choices in Guardians of the Galaxy.

 

[Pooky]

Also, Harold Ramis (Egon Spengler in the live action Ghostbusters movies) and Susan Roman (who did the English-speaking voice of Lita/Sailor Jupiter on Sailor Moon) lent their voices to this.

It should also be pointed out that the "Harry Canyon" segment served as the inspiration for The Fifth Element.

Ivan Reitman (director of Ghostbusters) produced the movie, and it's discussed in the Ghostbusters retrospective documentary Cleanin' Up the Town

 

[John Pannozzi]

I should mention that the Netflix series Love Death and Robots is the reimagining of a planned Heavy Metal revival movie. I still need to see it.

 

[Dr.Pepper]

I heard of it but I never seen it. It’s totally not my thing.