Opening

78% Fast & Furious 6 May 24
50% The Hangover Part III May 23
100% Epic May 24
95% Before Midnight May 24
100% We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks May 24
—— Fill the Void May 24
—— A Green Story May 24
—— Alyce Kills May 24

Top Box Office

86% Star Trek Into Darkness $70.2M
78% Iron Man 3 $35.8M
49% The Great Gatsby $23.9M
46% Pain & Gain $3.2M
69% The Croods $3.0M
77% 42 $2.8M
56% Oblivion $2.3M
98% Mud $2.2M
37% Peeples $2.2M
8% The Big Wedding $1.2M

Coming Soon

—— After Earth May 31
—— Now You See Me May 31
88% The East May 31
100% The Kings of Summer May 31

Heavy Metal (1981)

tomatometer

58

Average Rating: 5.6/10
Reviews Counted: 26
Fresh: 15 | Rotten: 11

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

50

Average Rating: 4.9/10
Critic Reviews: 6
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 3

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

audience

67

liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 37,945

My Rating

Movie Info

Inspired by stories from the fantasy graphics magazine Heavy Metal, this five-part animated feature combines the talents of hundreds of artists and animators from 17 different countries. A glowing green orb called Loc-Nar that contains the sum total of all evil in the universe travels through space and time, spreading violence and discord in its wake. The stories that follow demonstrate Loc-Nar's malevolent presence throughout the universe. In New York in the year 2023, cabbie Harry Canyon picks

Nov 23, 1999

Columbia Pictures

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All Critics (26) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (17) | Rotten (12) | DVD (26)

Initial segments have a boisterous blend of dynamic graphics, intriguing plot premises and sly wit that unfortunately slide gradually downhill.

March 26, 2009 Full Review Source: Variety
Variety
Top Critic IconTop 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.

April 16, 2007 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop 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.

February 9, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comments (2)
Time Out
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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

August 30, 2004 Full Review Source: New York Times
New York Times
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Regardless of its dated stylishness (which still holds up remarkably well a decade plus later), Heavy Metal was a pioneering film in 1981 and remains a pivitol and infuential body of art today.

January 1, 2000
Film.com
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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.

January 1, 2000
Film.com
Top Critic IconTop Critic

In 1981, this may have been state-of-the-art animation, but now it looks rudimentary, clunky, and flat. The writing, likewise, is flat.

January 30, 2012 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment (1)
Common Sense Media

Archly stunted and incalculably influential

February 12, 2010 Full Review Source: CinePassion
CinePassion

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

March 10, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4
Film4

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

September 17, 2007 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com
eFilmCritic.com

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

April 16, 2007 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide
TV Guide's Movie Guide

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

July 25, 2005 Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com
Filmcritic.com

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

May 14, 2003 Full Review
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

March 21, 2003
eFilmCritic.com

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

July 26, 2002
eFilmCritic.com

Audience Reviews for Heavy Metal

Oh boy, does this movie have a reputation. That reputation varies from person to person. Whether it's its slammin' animation, the plethora of female nudity, or the amazing metal heavy soundtrack, this film appeals to many different people (mostly men) who either love it for all it is or love it despite its obvious flaws. The film was made in Canadian, is completely animated, and boasts the voices of famous Canadians including Harold Ramis, John Candy, and Eugene Levy. The film is made up of various segments and utilizes a diverse amount of animators. The styles are different throughout, but they are all connected by a glowing green orb that travels the universe and makes trouble for humans, aliens, and inter-dimensional warriors alike. The orb itself has a voice, and is relating these stories about the universe via a conduit that looks like a young girl. The stories are sometimes far too short to make any sense, and most of them revolve around the cult of man or space travel. There is also a very niche sense of humor, relating mostly to teenage boys who like to see robots mate with humans, or stoned alien pilots pull into a port. That's just one short, but there are usually some stagnant bits to each one, or else it only appeals to the male sensibilities. Still, the film overall is pretty great, boasting some interesting animation, ideas, and characters that aren't utilized in animation all that much. The last animated short, where the last warrior in an extinct race takes down the original orb, all while bedecked in skimpy armor and not saying a damned word, was actually empowering and awesome. That last short makes up for a lot, because it's long, paced correctly, and gives us a truly cool female hero, which just doesn't happen enough.
May 24, 2012
FrizzDrop

Super Reviewer

The epitome of cult. It's an odd blend of so bad it's good sci-fi, tongue in cheek amnie and 'crumb' style pornography. Add to the mix an 80's rock soundtrack, popular 80's voices (John Candy, Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis) and some of the funniest dialogue in cinema history and you're on to a winner. Believe everything you've heard, it's as good/bad as it sounds and very much worth a watch!
January 21, 2013
SirPant

Super Reviewer

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