RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Heavy Metal
Heavy Metal

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Heavy Metal (1981)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
61 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:23

Fresh:14

Rotten:9

Average Rating:5.7/10

Consensus: It's sexist, juvenile, and dated, but Heavy Metal makes up for its flaws with eye-popping animation and a classic, smartly used soundtrack.

Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Synopsis: This unique collection of six animated stories combines science fiction with fantasy, horror, comedy, sex and rock music. The segments include "Harry Canyon" and "Den." In the first, a New York... This unique collection of six animated stories combines science fiction with fantasy, horror, comedy, sex and rock music. The segments include "Harry Canyon" and "Den." In the first, a New York City cab driver gets mixed up with a beautiful femme fatale. Although he's become so hardened that he keeps a death ray in his car to kill troublesome riders, he lets his guard down long enough to fall for his latest passenger... and it could cost him his life. In "Den," a nerdy student travels to another planet and transforms into a macho stud with incredible strength. While fighting villains, beautiful women throw themselves at him. Other stories in this anthology feature the exploits of a beautiful female warrior, pilots fighting off a creature from another world, and a Pentagon secretary who gets captured by an alien. There's also one off-the-wall segment played purely for comic effect. The stories are all linked by sequences featuring a fiendish green meteorite that claims to be the cause of evil throughout the world. [More]

Starring: John Candy, Eugene Levy, Richard Romanus, Harold Ramis

Starring: John Candy, Eugene Levy, Richard Romanus, Harold Ramis, John Vernon, Rodger Bumpass, Thor Bishopric, Black Sabbath, Cheap Trick, DEVO, Sammy Hagar, Stevie Nicks, Blue Oyster Cult

Director: Gerald Potterton

Director: Gerald Potterton
Producer: Ivan Reitman
Screenwriter: Len Blum, Daniel Goldberg
Composer: Elmer Bernstein
Story: Dan O'Bannon

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Heavy Metal

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

You have to conclude that its makers should have got out more.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
03/10/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Fantasies that are gratuitously sexist and Fascist (macho whoring and warmongering), and whose roots reach all the way back to post-hippie paranoia, feed the tangled plot-lines of a movie that... should disappoint even the teenage wet-dreamers.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment 1 Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/09
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...An unabashed crowd-pleaser. Whenever possible, it goes for the fight scene, the sex joke, the jiggly breasts...

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
09/17/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

It's a mixed bag, but successful in a mindless, adolescent way.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
04/16/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Some of the animation is first-rate, particularly in the more modest comedy segments, and even the heavy set pieces have greater flash and dazzle than anything Ralph Bakshi mustered around the same period.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
04/16/07
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

No review available.

comment Comment
10/26/05
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

Anyone from the era will love it, while everyone else simply won't get it at all.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
07/25/05
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

No review available.

comment Comment
07/15/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Heavy Metal has been animated with great verve, and scored very well, with music much less ear-splitting than the title would suggest.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
08/30/04
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
02/20/04
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

No review available.

comment Comment
01/12/04
Bill Chambers
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central

No review available.

comment Comment
07/18/03
Jon Niccum
Jon Niccum
Lawrence Journal-World

Heavy Metal despite all of its flaws and anacrhonisms, nevertheless represents something of a refreshment in today's sterile climate.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
05/14/03
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews

A bit of a mixed bag. Some eye popping animation, chock full of nudity, gore, and alien landscapes. The classic soundtrack is what makes it most worthwhile when the stories fall flat

comment Comment
03/21/03
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

No review available.

comment Comment
03/11/03
Joshua Tanzer
Joshua Tanzer
Offoffoff

Wild animation, tons of blaring rock music, and fanboy wish fulfillment fantasies of the freakiest order. Good campy fun.

comment Comment
07/26/02
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

...visually stunning some of the time and stunningly juvenile the rest.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
04/08/01
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

A wildly sophomoric and stupid cartoon celebrating gore, rape and bad music.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
01/01/00
Barry Walters
Barry Walters
San Francisco Examiner

Asked if I wanted to see it again, I figured, why not? I would have remembered if it was really bad. But memory does play tricks.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Bruce Reid
Bruce Reid
Film.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for Heavy Metal

June 08, 2009: Cameron, Verbinski, Snyder to Direct Heavy Metal Opens in new window
Despite some studio setbacks, Kevin Eastman's "Heavy Metal" redux is rolling ahead -- and with some suitably weighty names attached, too. More...

April 09, 2009: Rob Zombie Approached for Heavy Metal Opens in new window
Nothing's been signed yet, but according to producer Andy Gould, Rob Zombie has been approached by David Fincher and Kevin Eastman about directing a segment of their "Heavy... More...

September 05, 2008: Fincher's Heavy Metal Lines Up Directors Opens in new window
Now that David Fincher's "Heavy Metal" is back on track at Sony, directors are once more lining up to helm portions of the anthology -- including Zack Snyder, Guillermo del... More...

July 10, 2008: Fincher's Heavy Metal Seeks New Home Opens in new window
Just weeks after it was announced, David Fincher's Heavy Metal has been dropped by Paramount due to studio nervousness about the film being "too risque for mainstream audiences." More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…
19% 19% Transformers: Revenge …
55% 55% Orphan
43% 43% The Proposal
26% 26% Land of the Lost

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
98% 98% Up
88% 88% Ballast
67% 67% The Merry Gentleman

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Prince of Persia

Prince of Persia

Your first look at the swashbuckler.

Vampires

Vampires

We rank cinema's bloodsuckers.

Avatar

Avatar

The full trailer for Cameron's epic.

2012

2012

12 facts about Emmerich's disaster flick.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Can Avatar Make Money? Source: New York Times
80
  • Robert Pattinson Says Breaking Dawn Could Roll in Fall 2010 Source: Collider.com
18
  • Joe Johnston Talks The Wolfman Source: Ain't It Cool News
7
  • Jason Schwartzman Talks Scott Pilgrim Source: Collider.com
0
  • Weekly Ketchup: Abrams eyes Micronauts, Aykroyd as Yogi Bear
99
  • J.J. Abrams Producing Micronauts Movie? Source: Wall Street Journal
11
  • Peter Murphy Filming Twilight Saga: Eclipse Cameo Source: MTV
18
  • David Goyer Promises "Existential" Ghost Rider Sequel Source: MTV
164
  • Emmerich Plans 2012: The TV Series Source: Entertainment Weekly
21
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
42
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: George Clooney's Best Movies
92
  • Critics Consensus: A Christmas Carol Dazzles But Disappoints
43
  • Ho-ho-horror! 10 Scary Christmas Movies
36
  • Weekly Ketchup: Abrams eyes Micronauts, Aykroyd as Yogi Bear
33
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Christmas Carol Tops, Precious Rocks
32
  • Friday Harvest: Prince of Persia, The Road, and more!
26
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
14
  • New Moon Fan in the UK? Meet the Cast!
4
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
14
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
15
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
  • Emma Stone talks Zombieland - RT Interview
40
  • Michael Moore: The RT Interview
139
  • Andrea Arnold talks Fish Tank - RT Interview
4
  • Neill Blomkamp talks District 9 - RT Interview
51
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Heavy Metal at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Heavy Metal at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.