223 recensioni
- lambiepie-2
- 7 ott 2002
- Permalink
- BandSAboutMovies
- 2 giu 2021
- Permalink
Trying to con Harry Canyon in futuristic New York City ("big deal"), striking a deal with Den, having sex with a robot (or, as he puts it, using "mechanical assistance"), bribing Hanover Fiste to testify on your behalf in court, praying for Taarna to save you. None of these things have anything in common except for the Loch-nar, a green ball supposedly containing the essence and entirety of evil.
It doesn't matter if none of this makes complete sense or if it's even that good in terms of plot construction. This is Heavy Metal!
The concept of this 1981 animated experiment is two-fold: show good and evil in a constant state of flux, and bring to life the richness and erotic energy of the popular animated magazine. Add to that some science fiction, a slight reverence for history (in the beautiful ghoul scene in the WWII B-17) and a juvenile insight into drugs and sex, and you have the definition of my '80s youth culture.
I was one of those kids who'd sneak an issue of Heavy Metal, found on the magazine stands in the local drug store next to the grocery store where my father did his weekly shopping, inside another magazine and stare at the drawings, looking for some violence and humor ... and naked women with bi g breasts. I did the same thing whenever I got my hands on a National Lampoon and, if I was lucky, Hustler.
It's pre-pubescence at its hormonal best! And seeing it again as an adult brings all that excitement back to me. Every story, every piece of music ... God, every shot for that matter -- they all bring me back to being 10 years old and wrestling with my older cousin as she tried to block my eyes when the chick Harry Canyon picks up off the street strips and slides into bed with him to the tune of Journey's "Open Arms."
This movie wasn't meant to be cinematic greatness. It was meant to be a boy's fantasy and his coming of age. Sometimes we take these things too seriously. A good movie is a good movie, and a good memory is a good memory. Let's leave it at that ... and let me get a whiff of that stuff the spaceship pilots have lined along the floor...
It doesn't matter if none of this makes complete sense or if it's even that good in terms of plot construction. This is Heavy Metal!
The concept of this 1981 animated experiment is two-fold: show good and evil in a constant state of flux, and bring to life the richness and erotic energy of the popular animated magazine. Add to that some science fiction, a slight reverence for history (in the beautiful ghoul scene in the WWII B-17) and a juvenile insight into drugs and sex, and you have the definition of my '80s youth culture.
I was one of those kids who'd sneak an issue of Heavy Metal, found on the magazine stands in the local drug store next to the grocery store where my father did his weekly shopping, inside another magazine and stare at the drawings, looking for some violence and humor ... and naked women with bi g breasts. I did the same thing whenever I got my hands on a National Lampoon and, if I was lucky, Hustler.
It's pre-pubescence at its hormonal best! And seeing it again as an adult brings all that excitement back to me. Every story, every piece of music ... God, every shot for that matter -- they all bring me back to being 10 years old and wrestling with my older cousin as she tried to block my eyes when the chick Harry Canyon picks up off the street strips and slides into bed with him to the tune of Journey's "Open Arms."
This movie wasn't meant to be cinematic greatness. It was meant to be a boy's fantasy and his coming of age. Sometimes we take these things too seriously. A good movie is a good movie, and a good memory is a good memory. Let's leave it at that ... and let me get a whiff of that stuff the spaceship pilots have lined along the floor...
One of my all-time favorite flicks is this animated anthology of stories all bound together by this glowing green "Locnar," an orb of evil unmatched in all of time and space. The animations are terrific: "Harry Canyon" about a futuristic cabbie in NYC, "DEN" about a nerd who is transported to a far off land as a hulking muscleman, "Taarna" about mankinds last stand against the power of the "Locnar," and others. My personal favorite is the short "B-17" about a bomber in WWII and the horrible power of the "Locnar." As I mentioned previously, the animation is spectacular...reminding me of a day when not everything was computer-generated. Features Cheap Trick, Riggs, Nazareth, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Devo and others on the kicking soundtrack. Overall, a classic of the 80's: one that shouldn't be missed at any cost. My Highest Recommendation.
- sick_boy420xxx
- 25 apr 2001
- Permalink
The women in this collection of animated short stories are very fond of taking off their clothes and/or hopping into bed with men they just met. Not a criticism, just an observation. When you add graphic violence, elements of sci-fi and fantasy, and relatively crude animation to the busty nymphos, you have a slapdash, strangely affecting film that is both irritating and fascinating.
As has been mentioned in several comments, the quality of the stories vary from dull to captivating. The taxi driver tale and the story about the young geek who becomes a muscular hulk are weird and fun to watch; others, like the final story about an avenging beauty clad in a skimpy system of straps, are tedious and revel too much in their unique brand of kinkiness. However, the story about the fighter plane which becomes infested with the living dead is an underappreciated gem.
The writing is average and the animation is pedestrian when compared with some of today's animated classics ("The Iron Giant," "Tarzan"), but "Heavy Metal" is an amusing enough exercise in rock and roll cartooning. (The selection of music is hit-and-miss as well, and the exclusion of Ted Nugent is inexcusable.) If you rent this not expecting much, you might be pleasantly surprised.
As has been mentioned in several comments, the quality of the stories vary from dull to captivating. The taxi driver tale and the story about the young geek who becomes a muscular hulk are weird and fun to watch; others, like the final story about an avenging beauty clad in a skimpy system of straps, are tedious and revel too much in their unique brand of kinkiness. However, the story about the fighter plane which becomes infested with the living dead is an underappreciated gem.
The writing is average and the animation is pedestrian when compared with some of today's animated classics ("The Iron Giant," "Tarzan"), but "Heavy Metal" is an amusing enough exercise in rock and roll cartooning. (The selection of music is hit-and-miss as well, and the exclusion of Ted Nugent is inexcusable.) If you rent this not expecting much, you might be pleasantly surprised.
It took 40 years, but I finally got around to watching the animated movie everyone had kinda recommended I should watch. Time doesn't really change your perception of a piece of art, but one can look back into a prism and see just how they would have fallen for the piece of art back in the day. Fourteen year old me would have loved it, while 44-year old me finds it interesting and nostalgic. Go figure.
So how do I critique such a work? Do I go back in time and compare it to it's cool temporaries, the 2D Era of Disney and the rotoscoped images of Rankin-Bass? From the point of view, the animation holds up fairly well, even if it looks choppy in some spots. This was the era before the 80s cartoon boom created a uniform, simplistic approach to animation that was meant to be broad and cater more toward selling toys. And 14-year old me can certainly say one thing....it's like the animators idea of the ideal female body was incepted right out of my pubescent head.
What I didn't realize was the story would be an anthology. While a couple of the stories seemed rather silly, there was some cool storytelling that would be perfect for the sci-fi and medieval imagery that metal bands were using in those times. Plus a story about an orb that stirred up evil where ever it went was like an old Rush album from the 70s. This format did have an added benefit at least. With a slow and often times disjointed story, the anthology style did allow you to engage in different stories.
Is this film a triumph of animation? Depends on your age, I guess. Is it essential viewing for all rock and metal lovers? Of course!
So how do I critique such a work? Do I go back in time and compare it to it's cool temporaries, the 2D Era of Disney and the rotoscoped images of Rankin-Bass? From the point of view, the animation holds up fairly well, even if it looks choppy in some spots. This was the era before the 80s cartoon boom created a uniform, simplistic approach to animation that was meant to be broad and cater more toward selling toys. And 14-year old me can certainly say one thing....it's like the animators idea of the ideal female body was incepted right out of my pubescent head.
What I didn't realize was the story would be an anthology. While a couple of the stories seemed rather silly, there was some cool storytelling that would be perfect for the sci-fi and medieval imagery that metal bands were using in those times. Plus a story about an orb that stirred up evil where ever it went was like an old Rush album from the 70s. This format did have an added benefit at least. With a slow and often times disjointed story, the anthology style did allow you to engage in different stories.
Is this film a triumph of animation? Depends on your age, I guess. Is it essential viewing for all rock and metal lovers? Of course!
I have to admit, I loved this movie from when I first saw it. A true cult classic, and second in Midnight Movie viewing only to Rocky Horror.
I think one reason that this movie was looked forward to for so long is that it was unavailable for so long. I remember around 1984 when a release was planned, and a dispute with the multiple musicians caused it to be pulled. But thankfully this was finally resolved, so we can own it again.
I bought a pirate copy when i was in Japan in 1988 (On Beta no less), and almost played it to death. And having been a fan of the comic when I could find it, I think it told the stories very well. I admit that the "green sphere" link was silly and did not work, and that the original "carousel" concept would have been much better (watch the DVD release for details on this). The simple fact that I have bought 3 copies of this time and still own all 3 of them says something about the movie.
Harry Canyon, Den, and Taarna are the be the most remembered pieces of this movie. Each in itself could even be fleshed out to hour long length, and still be enjoyable. So Beautiful, So Dangerous is enjoyable, and Harold Ramis and John Candy steal the show with their voices ("Hey man, you got any of that plutonium niborg left?"). And I admit, the film version of the story was MUCH more enjoyable then the original one from the comic.
PS: Watch for the cameo of a destroyed USS Enterprise. I love pointing that out to people that miss it.
I think one reason that this movie was looked forward to for so long is that it was unavailable for so long. I remember around 1984 when a release was planned, and a dispute with the multiple musicians caused it to be pulled. But thankfully this was finally resolved, so we can own it again.
I bought a pirate copy when i was in Japan in 1988 (On Beta no less), and almost played it to death. And having been a fan of the comic when I could find it, I think it told the stories very well. I admit that the "green sphere" link was silly and did not work, and that the original "carousel" concept would have been much better (watch the DVD release for details on this). The simple fact that I have bought 3 copies of this time and still own all 3 of them says something about the movie.
Harry Canyon, Den, and Taarna are the be the most remembered pieces of this movie. Each in itself could even be fleshed out to hour long length, and still be enjoyable. So Beautiful, So Dangerous is enjoyable, and Harold Ramis and John Candy steal the show with their voices ("Hey man, you got any of that plutonium niborg left?"). And I admit, the film version of the story was MUCH more enjoyable then the original one from the comic.
PS: Watch for the cameo of a destroyed USS Enterprise. I love pointing that out to people that miss it.
I didn't know what to expect when I sat down to watch this.
Keeping in mind that it is over 30 years old, the animation is fantastic.
The heroine, a voluptuous woman, is also way ahead of it's time. Four stars to full figures.
I really thought I would be in for some loud head banging music, but I was thrilled by the score. It was really fitting to the film and enjoyable.
This is film history, a "camp" classic, and would look totally different if made today. I should be seen as an excellent example of early animation.
Keeping in mind that it is over 30 years old, the animation is fantastic.
The heroine, a voluptuous woman, is also way ahead of it's time. Four stars to full figures.
I really thought I would be in for some loud head banging music, but I was thrilled by the score. It was really fitting to the film and enjoyable.
This is film history, a "camp" classic, and would look totally different if made today. I should be seen as an excellent example of early animation.
- lastliberal
- 18 gen 2010
- Permalink
Gerald Potterton's "Heavy Metal" is definitely one of the best animation movies ever made.It has everything:violence,sex,nudity,humor and intelligent story.Great soundtrack by such hard rock/heavy metal groups like Black Sabbath,Nazareth,Devo,Blue Oyster Cult,Journey,Sammy Hagar,Trust,Grand Funk Railroad etc.My favourite segment from "Heavy Metal" is "B-17"-this one is dark,bloody and creepy!My highest recommendation.
- HumanoidOfFlesh
- 29 ago 2001
- Permalink
This movie is bad in every way conceivable. It's a adult-oriented yet approached in a very immature manner. The animation is anywhere from sketchy to stiff and dead. The plots in each of the stories only serve the singular purpose of indulging in whatever immoral and ridiculous themes that the writers thought of. The film as a whole is just shallow and mindless, like living out some immature adolescent comic book geek's dream. You don't sit through this film, you trudge painfully through it. For a film that requires no thought whatsoever, this movie causes your head to hurt too much. Why waste your time with it? There are better adult-oriented animated films from the era, see those.
- Woodyanders
- 1 ago 2007
- Permalink
Animated anthology about a glowing green orb called the Loc-Nar, which is apparently pretty bad stuff. All of the stories tie back into the orb somehow. The best stories were: "Harry Canyon" about a cabbie in futuristic New York who becomes involved with a sexy woman on the run from bad guys, "Den" about a nerdy teenager who is transformed into a muscular hero, and "Taarna" about a silver-haired big-breasted beautiful savior out to save her planet from an army of zombies. The rest of the stories are all okay, although I liked "Captain Sternn" the least. That's about a guy named Captain Sternn put on trial for his crimes where one of the witnesses turns into a monster. Anyway, they're all watchable. Some of them were adapted from stories from Heavy Metal magazine. The animation is crude at times but there's certainly a lot of imagination put into it. The story doesn't always make a lot of sense either but it's still very interesting and fun. The music is great. It's obviously for adults, not kids. It's good if you enjoy fantasy stuff and can manage to not take it all so seriously.
HEAVY METAL (1 outta 5 stars)
I was very much into the "Heavy Metal/Metal Hurlant" magazines back in my late teens... and I think it was this movie that got me disinterested in the books for good. Yes, there was some good material in the early issues but there was a lot of crap, too. Too bad the crappy elements of HM are all that seemed to make it into this movie... a series of short sci-fi/fantasy cartoons linked by the lame device of some evil, sentient green jewel that sets out to kill the one person that can destroy it... but first, it's going to tell its victim several irrelevant stories. Most of the stories are based on some of the best cartoons from the early years of HM... but the transition to animation doesn't do them any justice. The best cartoon of the bunch, "Captain Stern" is but a pale, pale echo of Bernie Wrightson's original 7 page strip. Every other sequence is just an endless parade of juvenile sex/drug jokes and senseless bloody violence. I guess you could argue that that's all the magazine ever was anyway... but at least there was an artistic vision behind it all. There is no art in this movie whatsoever... just clumsy animation, bad writing, crummy voice work and lousy inappropriate heavy metal music (hey, the movie is called "Heavy Metal"... better cram some heavy metal music in it!) I just recently saw the movie again to see if it was as bad as I remembered. Guess what? It is!
I was very much into the "Heavy Metal/Metal Hurlant" magazines back in my late teens... and I think it was this movie that got me disinterested in the books for good. Yes, there was some good material in the early issues but there was a lot of crap, too. Too bad the crappy elements of HM are all that seemed to make it into this movie... a series of short sci-fi/fantasy cartoons linked by the lame device of some evil, sentient green jewel that sets out to kill the one person that can destroy it... but first, it's going to tell its victim several irrelevant stories. Most of the stories are based on some of the best cartoons from the early years of HM... but the transition to animation doesn't do them any justice. The best cartoon of the bunch, "Captain Stern" is but a pale, pale echo of Bernie Wrightson's original 7 page strip. Every other sequence is just an endless parade of juvenile sex/drug jokes and senseless bloody violence. I guess you could argue that that's all the magazine ever was anyway... but at least there was an artistic vision behind it all. There is no art in this movie whatsoever... just clumsy animation, bad writing, crummy voice work and lousy inappropriate heavy metal music (hey, the movie is called "Heavy Metal"... better cram some heavy metal music in it!) I just recently saw the movie again to see if it was as bad as I remembered. Guess what? It is!
- philanselmogirl
- 5 ago 2004
- Permalink
- Lady_Targaryen
- 22 gen 2006
- Permalink
Even though Heavy Metal (from 1981) may be somewhat silly and incredibly disjointed at times, it is an impressively animated anthology of 8 sexy, Sci-Fi/Fantasy stories set to (what else? - but) heavy metal music.
These fantastic stories of graphic violence, female nudity and perverse sexuality were adapted for this film from the original Heavy Metal comic book, which was all produced by the magazine's publisher, himself, Leonard Mogel.
Heavy Metal's stories follow the path of a glowing green orb called Loc-Nar that contains the sum total of all the evil in the entire Universe. Loc-Nar travels continually through time and space, spreading violence and discordance everywhere in its wicked wake.
Heavy Metal's artists and animators were recruited from 17 different countries. The animation process used in Heavy Metal was the old, roto-scope technique, which consisted of filming models and actors, then tracing the shot onto film for animation purposes.
To be sure - Heavy Metal is an adult, animated, feature film that is certainly not gonna appeal to everyone.
These fantastic stories of graphic violence, female nudity and perverse sexuality were adapted for this film from the original Heavy Metal comic book, which was all produced by the magazine's publisher, himself, Leonard Mogel.
Heavy Metal's stories follow the path of a glowing green orb called Loc-Nar that contains the sum total of all the evil in the entire Universe. Loc-Nar travels continually through time and space, spreading violence and discordance everywhere in its wicked wake.
Heavy Metal's artists and animators were recruited from 17 different countries. The animation process used in Heavy Metal was the old, roto-scope technique, which consisted of filming models and actors, then tracing the shot onto film for animation purposes.
To be sure - Heavy Metal is an adult, animated, feature film that is certainly not gonna appeal to everyone.
- strong-122-478885
- 17 gen 2017
- Permalink
Grimaldi returns home from a Space Shuttle trip landing his Corvette through the atmosphere. He bring home a present for his daughter, a glowing green orb called the Loc-Nar. It turns out to be a sum of all evil. It disintegrates Grimaldi and shows the little girl how he destroys the lives of people it touches in a series of short stories.
The animation is dated with the 70s style. The material is violent and full of scantily clad women. It is sexist and juvenile. It just does it with such abandon that it fully develops what it promises. It revels in the big boobs women in tiny outfits and muscle bound men. It's grotesque. It's got good music. It's a cult classic and fully deserves to be.
The animation is dated with the 70s style. The material is violent and full of scantily clad women. It is sexist and juvenile. It just does it with such abandon that it fully develops what it promises. It revels in the big boobs women in tiny outfits and muscle bound men. It's grotesque. It's got good music. It's a cult classic and fully deserves to be.
- SnoopyStyle
- 9 giu 2014
- Permalink
Yes, this movie has a bunch of short cartoon stories that are loosely tied together by a green orb that is apparently very evil. We start off with an introduction kind of story where the orb begins terrorizing this girl while telling her of the various evil he has done throughout time. Then we shift to a very cool cartoon, the best of the bunch about some cab driver from the future. Unfortnately, we then go to a comedy in some new dimension and I think there is nudity in this one, but I have never saw this movie on anything but standard television. It shifts again, I have a hard time remembering the exact order, I do know there is a rather good one featuring some sort of pirate on trial, a cool one about some bad happenings on a plane during what looks like world war II, and then one with aliens that is not all that good and we wrap it up with the weakest of the bunch about some woman on some bird. Do not ask me why I dislike that one the most, I can not even give you an answer, I just thought it played out very weakly. The voice work is interesting having John Candy as one of the main voices used and the music is pretty good too. The animation is not top notch anymore, but for its day it was okay. The stories themselves range from too short to to long. The ones you want to run long end to abruptly, the ones you want to end seem to go on and on. Still it was a pretty cool movie when looked at as a whole.
I remember when this came out I was maybe 14 years old, and this movie had a legendary status among my crowd (none of whom ever got to see it). And why not, just looking at the poster promises everything to excite a young teenage male, basically a Rock album cover (or DnD book) come to life.
And it does not disappoint! I had no idea what to expect 40 years later, but I am more than happy with what was delivered - a sequence of loosely connected stories that, in some sense are obvious and unsophisticated, but are all strangely compelling.
And of course the girls, OMG, the girls. It's probably best I did not see this at 14 because my brain would surely have exploded.
Yes, sure, we live today in an age on infinite porn, so who cares about these girls? I think this is where some evolutionary psychology can help. Consider your male ancestor; sure there's one module in his brain for actually performing sex, doing the job; and that's the module that's tickled by porn. But there's a different module (I don't want to say more important, let's just say more subtle) that's about the search for a female mate, for the part before the porn kicks in. It is that *that* module that this movie kicks in overdrive and beyond, an on-going stream of "her, no her, no her, no HER HER HER".
And hell, it even teared me up towards the end. All in all far far better than I expected, and well worth a watch, even two or three.
And it does not disappoint! I had no idea what to expect 40 years later, but I am more than happy with what was delivered - a sequence of loosely connected stories that, in some sense are obvious and unsophisticated, but are all strangely compelling.
And of course the girls, OMG, the girls. It's probably best I did not see this at 14 because my brain would surely have exploded.
Yes, sure, we live today in an age on infinite porn, so who cares about these girls? I think this is where some evolutionary psychology can help. Consider your male ancestor; sure there's one module in his brain for actually performing sex, doing the job; and that's the module that's tickled by porn. But there's a different module (I don't want to say more important, let's just say more subtle) that's about the search for a female mate, for the part before the porn kicks in. It is that *that* module that this movie kicks in overdrive and beyond, an on-going stream of "her, no her, no her, no HER HER HER".
And hell, it even teared me up towards the end. All in all far far better than I expected, and well worth a watch, even two or three.
- name99-92-545389
- 21 mar 2023
- Permalink
"Heavy Metal" has deranged lab experiment written all over it. An anthology made up of dissimilar vignettes (aside from an alien orb that vaguely ties them together); a cast of SCTV veterans; an adolescent fantasy full of creatures, other worlds and T&A; all set to a decidedly un-metal soundtrack (Stevie Nicks?). But it is very much a soundtrack movie, one that's chock-full of famous names, and it wouldn't work nearly as well without that music. I do like this soundtrack, and it's really the reason for watching this movie. This is 90 minutes of sex, fantasy and rock and roll, and I imagine that, were I to watch this movie stoned, it would make for a wild ride.
No matter your feelings on "Heavy Metal", I think we can all agree that an astronaut driving a Corvette down to earth is a pretty cool image.
6/10
No matter your feelings on "Heavy Metal", I think we can all agree that an astronaut driving a Corvette down to earth is a pretty cool image.
6/10
This animated film essentially begins with a green orb from outer space which lands on earth and is then carried by a man into his house. The orb then disintegrates the man and holds a young female in terror as it announces that it is the "sum of all evil". As the horrified girl looks deeper into the orb she is allowed to observe into the future as well as other worlds where the orb has wreaked havoc and destruction. What follows are several loosely connected vignettes which vary from one another but inevitably lead to a conclusion. Some of the scenes-especially those at the beginning-were pretty good but those at the end tended to be less interesting. At least for me. Likewise, there was some good music by groups such as Blue Oyster Cult but all of the songs were cut off after the first verse or two which was equally disappointing. Be that as it may, if a person has ever read any of the Heavy Metal magazines they will know that the plots are rather dark and there is quite a bit of eroticism as well. So this film is definitely not for children. In any case, I found this to be an adequate picture for the most part and for that reason I have rated it accordingly.
A misunderstood and underrated film work that deserves more attention.
This set of interesting and entertaining stories merges into one truly fascinating cinematic work. From the first second we are drawn into that amazing world where anything is possible, a world full of fun characters, good music and fascinating adventures.
The music is excellent and fits perfectly into the stories and further enhances the impression of this unusual film experience.
What makes Heavy Metal special is its atmosphere and the spirit of the time. This is a film that consists of several different stories that all make sense together, and each has its own separate point.
The characters are surreal and the stories are fascinating. There are stories that are brutal and dark, and there are also humorous ones that all together make one extraordinary film work. Music blends perfectly with the stories and the atmosphere, music is that magical ingredient that gives these stories life.
Some stories have a happy ending and some don't, just like in reality, and although they are surreal and fantastic, we can feel and experience them. They give us a glimpse into another world, which is both fantastic and brutal at the same time.
A fascinating film work that deserves its place in the history of film art.
This set of interesting and entertaining stories merges into one truly fascinating cinematic work. From the first second we are drawn into that amazing world where anything is possible, a world full of fun characters, good music and fascinating adventures.
The music is excellent and fits perfectly into the stories and further enhances the impression of this unusual film experience.
What makes Heavy Metal special is its atmosphere and the spirit of the time. This is a film that consists of several different stories that all make sense together, and each has its own separate point.
The characters are surreal and the stories are fascinating. There are stories that are brutal and dark, and there are also humorous ones that all together make one extraordinary film work. Music blends perfectly with the stories and the atmosphere, music is that magical ingredient that gives these stories life.
Some stories have a happy ending and some don't, just like in reality, and although they are surreal and fantastic, we can feel and experience them. They give us a glimpse into another world, which is both fantastic and brutal at the same time.
A fascinating film work that deserves its place in the history of film art.
I came to this basically expecting a feature length version of power metal cover art and that's basically what I got.
On the surface the whole thing looks and sounds fabulous: the amazing backdrops and landscapes from the not-to-distant future New York, the post-apocalyptic desert and the technophilic space station. The music is fun enough though personally I'll stick to Manowar and Helloween and there is a rich zeitgheist of those pulpy '80s comics even though it is all in the future or distant planets.
And yet, I struggle to really see this as a masterpiece. As much as I love where it is coming from creatively, there is something rather complacent in the delivery, Often I thought certain moments could have had a lot more theatricity or panach. A scene might be well animated and conceptually interesting but lacks the cinematography (or whatever the right term for an animated movie is) to really let its moments pop off the screen.
But the whole thing is still a fun ride, from the hilariously portentous to the eerily jocular (that guy on trial chills me). It's not hilarious but it has a good sense of humour and there is even a stab at horror that admittedly required a lot more build up to really meet its full potential but never mind.
One thing that didn't wholly surprise is a rather warped sense of gender. I don't want to sanctimonious and I am not one of those people that thinks erotic depictions of women are misogynistic, I even watched mainly to see some amazonion warriors wearing way too little armor than is prudent. I'm not demanding every story depicts a full integration of women and children into all workforces but it does start to seem rather bizarre how all females seem to be some kind of reward for a male character, curiously willing to just surrender themselves when their life is saved or just the secretary. The effeminate antagonist in the first segment doesn't help either.
I thought it would balance things up when Taarna appeared but is not particularly well developed and is curiously incompetent when push comes to shove. She doesn't talk which could easily have made her a more mysterious character but really just gives the impression that no one knew how to write this character.
So in conclusion, on one level a neat piece of science fiction schlock, on another level a testimony to the mentality of gender and sexuality among those who enjoyed these kinds of comics at a certain point in time.
Oh, and I forgot to mention: there are so many hot babes that disrobe in this, go in with a loaded gun if you know what I mean, wink wink.
On the surface the whole thing looks and sounds fabulous: the amazing backdrops and landscapes from the not-to-distant future New York, the post-apocalyptic desert and the technophilic space station. The music is fun enough though personally I'll stick to Manowar and Helloween and there is a rich zeitgheist of those pulpy '80s comics even though it is all in the future or distant planets.
And yet, I struggle to really see this as a masterpiece. As much as I love where it is coming from creatively, there is something rather complacent in the delivery, Often I thought certain moments could have had a lot more theatricity or panach. A scene might be well animated and conceptually interesting but lacks the cinematography (or whatever the right term for an animated movie is) to really let its moments pop off the screen.
But the whole thing is still a fun ride, from the hilariously portentous to the eerily jocular (that guy on trial chills me). It's not hilarious but it has a good sense of humour and there is even a stab at horror that admittedly required a lot more build up to really meet its full potential but never mind.
One thing that didn't wholly surprise is a rather warped sense of gender. I don't want to sanctimonious and I am not one of those people that thinks erotic depictions of women are misogynistic, I even watched mainly to see some amazonion warriors wearing way too little armor than is prudent. I'm not demanding every story depicts a full integration of women and children into all workforces but it does start to seem rather bizarre how all females seem to be some kind of reward for a male character, curiously willing to just surrender themselves when their life is saved or just the secretary. The effeminate antagonist in the first segment doesn't help either.
I thought it would balance things up when Taarna appeared but is not particularly well developed and is curiously incompetent when push comes to shove. She doesn't talk which could easily have made her a more mysterious character but really just gives the impression that no one knew how to write this character.
So in conclusion, on one level a neat piece of science fiction schlock, on another level a testimony to the mentality of gender and sexuality among those who enjoyed these kinds of comics at a certain point in time.
Oh, and I forgot to mention: there are so many hot babes that disrobe in this, go in with a loaded gun if you know what I mean, wink wink.
- GiraffeDoor
- 2 mar 2020
- Permalink