Heavy Metal

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), July, 1996

For those who get rabid over on-screen sex and violence, the video version of the 1981 animated science fiction classic, "Heavy Metal," should put their blood pressure through the roof. While no longer as revolutionary as it was 15 years ago, especially in light of the remarkable steps that Japanese cartoonists have made in the same genre, the movie remains raw in content, albeit visually stimulating.

Various animators have taken off on the basic premise of a mysterious, lethal green orb from outer space and its effects on a postmodern Earth, outer space, and alternative universes. Familiar voices from the old "Second City TV" crew, including the late John Candy, reflect director Ivan Reitman's roots, and the symphonic score by Elmer Bernstein is stirring. The MTV generation should be thrilled by pounding background music by artists of the heavy metal era, including Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath, and Grand Funk Railroad.

However, now as then, the chief attractions remain the frequently nude, pneumatically gravity-defying women and blood-spattering killings executed by cartoonists at their anti-establishment best--or worst, depending on your view. "Heavy Metal" will delight the audience it is aimed at, as well as aggravate those who would impose their morality upon them. The more things change, the more they remain the same.