Heavy Metal / Heavy Metal 2000 2-Movie Collection (Steelbook)

I can't believe the number of negative reviews this movie has gotten! I bet these people don't like James Bond movies, either.To fully appreciate Heavy Metal, one has to understand the era it came out in. At the time, most animation, at least what was seen in the US, was frequently of the "family entertainment" variety seen in Saturday morning cartoons and TV commercials. Apart from Ralph Bakshi, most animators were basically shackled by the need to present something that was "rated G". Heavy Metal took the exact opposite route. It was a liberating experience for the animators working on the film to be allowed to draw things they usually weren't allowed. And they got paid to do it, too!After the opening Soft Landing sequence, we're introduced to the Loc-Nar, a glowing green orb responsible for all the evil that has plagued the universe (or at least, that which has plagued the human race). The various stories contained in the film are told by the Loc-Nar to a young girl, as examples of it's awesome power.The stories include the film noir homage Harry Canyon, the male "wish fulfillment fantasy" of Den (which demonstrates the versatility of the late John Candy, who voices both Dan, the science nerd who gets transported into an alternate dimension by the Loc-Nar, as well as Den, the Conan/He-Man-esque beefcake that he is magically transformed into), the highly amusing Captain Sternn (trivia: the voice of the prosecutor is done by John Vernon, the actor who portrayed Dean Wormer in Animal House), the EC-esque B-17 (aka Gremlins, which went through so many script revisions, it's a miracle it got finished at all), the bizarrely hilarious So Beautiful And So Dangerous (ok, maybe there's some truth to the juvenilia charges during this segment, but only a corpse could keep from laughing at this piece), and revenge scenario of Taarna (imagine a tougher, sexier version of Xena, only about a decade and a half earlier).While there IS some element of juvenilia here, it's no worse than any other movie that's been released by any major studio during the last 25 years. In fact, I bet it's a little more cerebral than most of those other movies. Harry Canyon is a rather crafted film noir homage, while some elements of Taarna are clearly patterned on Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns. And while there are a couple sex scenes and a certain amount of excessive violince in Heavy Metal, again, it's nothing compared to some of the garbage that's shown on cable TV these days. I'd certainly rather watch this than Basic Instinct or No Way Out.This movie is a classic piece of animation. Yeah, some of it's rough around the edges, but that has a lot to do with Columbia's decision to move up the deadline so they could have the original movie out in time for the summer 81 season. One has to consider the scope of the undertaking, and the relatively short time that was at hand to create it.Look at the "travelling sequence" during Taarna, where she's shown riding her mount (a sort of large bird creature) over a rolling landscape, and consider that it was done WITHOUT the use of any kind of computer generated work. It's explained in the audio commentary on the rough cut of the film, as well as during the documentary how it was done, and why it didn't quite turn out as planned). No one had ever done anything like that, and it had to all be done by hand.Really, you can't take this movie too seriously. It's a movie that exists soley to entertain. There's no big message or point to the movie. Just put the DVD in the player, turn out the lights, turn up the volume LOUD, and just enjoy the trip.It should be noted, that this disc also contains some of the best bonus features I've seen on any DVD. Besides the regular movie, you get a full length "rough cut" of the film, consisting of storyboards, pencil tests, and some completed animation. The only audio for this rough cut (besides the optional audio commentary, by Carl Macek, who also does a completely different commentary for the finished movie) is the dialog. There's long stretches of silence, but it's worth watching, as there's lots of bits of dialog that were cut from the final movie (we learn, for instance, that Katharine, like Den, was also transformed when she was transported to this mysterious alternate universe). It's also interesting to note that the stories weren't always in the order that they were in the final movie.There's also a half hour documentary with interviews from many of the filmmakers involved in making the film. We finally find out why we see a model of a house blowing up at the end (because they didn't have time to finish the animation for that one bit), and also why Cornelius Cole's Neverwhere Land was cut from the movie (either for reasons of length/continuity, or because Cole didn't finish it in time, depending on exactly which version of the story you wish to believe.You also get a few minutes of deleted scenes, most notably the above mentioned Neverwhere Land, which was originally supposed to link Captain Sternn and B-17. There's also a few minutes that surround an early version of the framing story (in whence the Loc-Nar was actually the power source of a magical merry-go-round, and the various objects on the merry-go-round related in one way to the stories...ie, there's a taxicab, Taarna's mount, etc...each time the girl takes a ride in a different vehicle on the merry-go-round, she experiences a different story).And finally, you get all Heavy Metal covers up through 1999, plus various bits of production drawings, cels, etc.In short, this is a classic film that should be viewed by all fans of animation and/or heavy flicks. Prudes and conservatives who get cranky at the very thought of a movie being ruined by a little too much flesh or blood (and really, there isn't THAT much of either in this film) or a little warped humor (ok, there's PLENTY of that here) are advised to keep away. I just wish they had restored Neverwhere Land to it's original place between Captain Sternn and B-17.

If you enjoy the magazine then you will love the movie.

I liked it. Will watch again.

Great movie and better soundtrack

First time heavy metal has ever been remastered let alone in 4K absolutely worth the buy for any superfan. This movie has paved the way for a quite a few techniques that were used by other animation studios in the early '80s. This movie takes you on quite a ride with one of the best rock soundtracks ever for a movie. Also, first movie to ever support stereo audio to the point where theaters had to introduce stereo audio for this movie and now it's remastered in Dolby Atmos as well as Dolby vision. Not to mention the fact that you get digital copies of both movies. So many new or emerging techniques happened in the making of this animated movie. It is maybe not the best movie for everybody but quite a treasure in and of itself. On the other hand, heavy metal 2000 that movie it has the legendary. Julia Stern and she is the queen of B movies but aside from that they recreated the triple booth thing from Total recall... It's an okay watch and it's nicely done in 1080p all considering the fact that the CG has definitely not aged well at all. It's not really on par with with the original heavy metal at all, nor is it related in any way other than names and the fact that it's tied to the magazine, That's it. The stories okay but we all know you're buying this for the original big bad heavy metal so just buy it. If you're a fan or have ever been interested in this type of early '80s animation, especially the movie that pioneered so many techniques or used a lot of the emerging techniques that went on throughout the '80s as well as the reason we are allowed to have movies soundtracks and stereo sound let alone anything beyond that. Yeah go for it. Review can be boiled down to 4K remaster Dolby Atmos, Dolby vision yeah! digital copy on top of that in 4K HDR 10 and 5.1 sound what more to say buy the movie!

Heavy Metal is one of the Pinnacle Early Western Anime's released.Its fun and full of action. The story is pretty straight forward.The sequel Heavy Metal 2000 is one you either love or hate, but either way you still respect as a sequel.Both have great soundtracks and animation for their time.The remasters have slight alterations to the audio which throw some people and fans off. Its not bad in this release, unless you are a super audiophile with some of the best sound systems out to be able to notice.These were so popular they spawned a video game on PC called Heavy Metal FAKK2

With a even more classic soundtrack.

I'd always wanted to see this movie but hadn't gotten around to it until now. I'd heard of it a few times as being this amazing, one of a kind, trail-blazing movie. But yeah... not for me. There were a few cool bits of animation, a few funny parts, but overall the story dragged, none of the vignettes were really connected, and I think I actually fell asleep at one point. Maybe I missed the point.Glad I watched it, but probably won't watch it again.

Apparently it took over 30 years to get Heavy Metal to dvd ... it was well worth it. A loose collection of animated vignettes of the sci-fi genre with a rather flimsy story about a green ball to hold it all together. Regardless, it's still a great movie if you're into that genre. Voices of John Candy and John Vernon and Don Francks ... all Canadians ... plus other ex SCTV voices make for a nostalgic listen for those of us who remember it. BE WARNED: this is an adult movie not recommended for kids, what with the nudity and violence etc...

Reviews of this adult animation have varied a lot and certainly my wife is bewildered as to why I like it. However it (along with Wizards) holds a special place in my heart. It is eclectic and the story line is a bit garbled but there again so we're the 80's. The quality, both video and audio is excellent and I am glad that it is available.

I’m not sure what’s different between the original and this special edition bit, i can say it’s not the movie you crank the volume up to anymore.It was a great movie to crank up but now the music is way quiet and the dialogue is way too loud. Shoulda left the balance the way it was.It’s still a great movie. Go with the original and skip the special edition. Party on!

I had this on VHS a long time ago and loved this film. This DVD was excellent! Me and my girlfriend really enjoyed watching this unique, metal film. Lots of Canadian content I didn't know was there, like John Candy doing voices. Great price, too!If I were you I would buy this film. You will enjoy it, even if it is over-the-top ridiculous.