All right, I’ll fess up. I’ve got quite a bias towards this film. Today’s younger MTV generation never would give a crap about this combination of sci-fi and adult fantasy mixed with talented heavy rock performers of the times. So maybe I ain’t cool anymore, but back then when the film came out, I was in high school and entrenched in the rebelliousness of my youth. Like many rebels of those times, I wore denim and leather and was a fan of such bands as Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick, and Sammy Hagar. Never mind that these bands were featured on the soundtrack, even then I was into all things intense and offensive to the "normal people" (you know, the types who like Boy George). For me HEAVY METAL was more than just a movie, it had a statement to make, and was basically the anti-Disney movie. An animated feature length sci-fi film with sex, drugs, vulgarity, and adult humor. It also painted a canvas of alien worlds, alternate dimensions, and future civilizations and struck a deep chord within my imagination.

As the years went by I caught it again on Cable TV, but by time the 1990’s rolled around, the movie was no where to be found, on cable or VHS. There was a soundtrack royalty issue which kept the film off of the home video market. I managed to pick up a bootleg copy one time, but the quality was so poor that it ruined the experience of the HEAVY METAL phenomenon. For years fans of the movie bombarded Columbia Pictures with letters demanding the film to be re-released in any shape or form. Finally, a couple years ago the royalties issues were resolved and HEAVY METAL was finally on store shelves after a 15 year delay.

There is a big fuss going on in the DVD world right now about the STAR WARS films not being released on DVD, and now the STAR WARS films are viewed as The Holy Grail of DVD. Well, HEAVY METAL was my Holy Grail as it was just released to DVD last November (1999). You can imagine I was a pretty happy camper to hear that Columbia Tristar (my favorite DVD producer) was going to give it the special edition treatment.

Before we delve into the many technical features of this DVD, let’s discuss the movie itself, and the many talents that brought the stories to life. Writers Len (PRIVATE PARTS) Blum and Dan (STRIPES) Goldberg fashioned a somewhat disjointed script, based on the tales from the underground comic HEAVY METAL. Producer Ivan Reitman had a vision for the film and hired animators and conceptual designers to bring the science fiction and fantasy elements to the cutting edge of animation. I’ll be the first to admit the animation can’t hold a candle to what Disney and Dreamworks put out today, but back then it was nothing short of revolutionary. And the artistry changed with each segment of the movie. You could tell that the same animators only worked on their segment, and then the style would change for the next one. Ivan Reitman decided to include his SCTV friends John Candy, Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty, and Harold Ramis to do some voice over work for the film. Some of them, including the late John Candy, voiced more than one character.

Since there is no linear story line, it is difficult to describe the plot synopsis. The movie centers around an evil orb called the Loc-Nar, which has the ability to transcend time and space. The Loc-Nar traps a little girl and weaves numerous star-spanning tales of those who have tried to use the Loc-Nar for their own personal gain. I don't want to spoil the mystery and surprise by detailing each individual vignette. If you've never seen HEAVY METAL, then it's really difficult to describe the plot. And chances are if you are reading this you have probably seen it before, so there is no need to. The standout segments are So Beautiful, So Dangerous, Captain Stern, Tarna, and Den, although they all have something unique to offer fans of fantastic films. And what does Columbia Tristar’s Special Edition DVD have to offer to HEAVY METAL fans? Lots.

SIGHT

Columbia Tristar presents HEAVY METAL in a widescreen 16x9 enhanced version (1:85:1). I’ve seen the THX VHS tape and the widescreen laserdisc, and this transfer blows them both away. The Columbia Tristar DVD authoring team struck this DVD print from a high-definition master and the results will make you drool. Colors are bright and vivid and without any bleeding. The image is very sharp with excellent detail. Contrast and brightness are excellent with good shadow detail. The detail level (for an animated film) is immaculate. Being an animated feature though, the detail is only as good as the animation, which in this case is a bit dated, but the video quality is pure eye candy. I’ve seen some great work from Columbia Tristar, and I can safely say this is the best restoration work they have done for one of their older titles to date (better than even GHOSTBUSTERS).

SOUND

Columbia Tristar gives us another first for HEAVY METAL, and that is a new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack! The soundtrack is focused primarily to the front soundstage and consists of the driving heavy metal tunes by the like of Black Sabbath, Trust, Cheap Trick, Donald Fagen, Sammy Hagar, Journey and Stevie Knicks. There is some reverberation and sound effects placement on the rear speakers, but does not match the intensity of the front soundstage. Remember, this is nearly a twenty year old film and does not have the sound fidelity of an ARMAGEDDON or DEEP BLUE SEA. The bass is quite powerful as well but does not approach overkill. Besides the great hard rocks songs there is also some fine symphony work from Jerry Goldsmith, which sounds a lot like the musical score from CONAN THE BARBARIAN. There is also an Dolby Surround 2.0 mix, which pales compared to the fidelity of the 5.1 mix, but is still powerful for those people without DD 5.1 decoders.

FEATURES

If the superior audio and video portions don’t sell you on this DVD, the special edition materials will. Over SIX hours worth! A highlight of the extras is a full length rough cut version of the film with audio commentary with Carl Macek (a man who wrote a book about the movie and is definitely "in the know"). This version features many designs and scenes not shown in the theatrical cut. This version is full frame and out of sequence from the theatrical version. Carl Macek also provides a feature length commentary for the theatrical version where he provides info from his book to fill in the gaps. Also is a new 35 minute documentary called IMAGINING HEAVY METAL, with is the usual behind the scenes show featuring interviews from Ivan Reitman and the crew. There is two deleted scenes as well called Neverwhere Land, and an alternate framing sequence. There is also a ton of artwork, photos, galleries, etc: The Artwork of Heavy Metal, Production Photo Gallery, Pencil Portfolio with Animations, and a Heavy Metal Magazine cover gallery featuring cover shots of every issue from 1977 to the present!

CONCLUSION

HEAVY METAL was a sign of the times and was the first sci-fi animation film with a libido. The movie went on to influence many other films such as Luc Besson’s THE FIFTH ELEMENT. Despite the limited animation techniques, there has been no other film to mix sci-fi adult themes with heavy metal music since HEAVY METAL debuted in 1981. Although I can think of a handful of Japanese animated films that have come close (but it’s still like comparing apples and oranges). There is a sequel in the works called HEAVY METAL: F.A.K.K. 2 but somehow I can tell that film will go the way of UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: THE RETURN and not come close to the original. Columbia Tristar redeems themselves for taking their time with this title, by including the awesome restored transfer and the powerful DD 5.1 score, not to mention the great special edition materials. This DVD should be on everyone’s shelf.

 HEAVY METAL COLLECTORS EDITION is available at DVDEmpire

 HEAVY METAL SUPERBIT is available at DVDEmpire

 HEAVY METAL 2000 is available at DVDEmpire

 HEAVY METAL 2000 SUPERBIT is available at DVDEmpire

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