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IMDbPro

Heavy Metal

  • 19811981
  • RR
  • 1h 26m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
35K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,607
454
Heavy Metal (1981)
Home Video Trailer from Columbia Pictures
Play trailer1:17
2 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Animation
  • Adventure
  • Fantasy
A glowing green orb - which embodies ultimate evil - terrorizes a young girl with an anthology of bizarre and fantastic stories of dark fantasy, eroticism and horror.A glowing green orb - which embodies ultimate evil - terrorizes a young girl with an anthology of bizarre and fantastic stories of dark fantasy, eroticism and horror.A glowing green orb - which embodies ultimate evil - terrorizes a young girl with an anthology of bizarre and fantastic stories of dark fantasy, eroticism and horror.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
35K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,607
454
  • Directors
    • Gerald Potterton
    • John Bruno(segment Soft Landing)
    • John Halas(segment So Beautiful and So Dangerous)
  • Writers
    • Daniel Goldberg(screenplay)
    • Len Blum(screenplay)
    • Dan O'Bannon(original story)
  • Stars
    • Richard Romanus(voice)
    • John Candy(voice)
    • Joe Flaherty(voice)
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Gerald Potterton
    • John Bruno(segment Soft Landing)
    • John Halas(segment So Beautiful and So Dangerous)
  • Writers
    • Daniel Goldberg(screenplay)
    • Len Blum(screenplay)
    • Dan O'Bannon(original story)
  • Stars
    • Richard Romanus(voice)
    • John Candy(voice)
    • Joe Flaherty(voice)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 203User reviews
    • 80Critic reviews
    • 51Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 2 nominations

    Videos2

    Heavy Metal
    Trailer 1:17
    Heavy Metal
    Heavy Metal
    Trailer 1:17
    Heavy Metal

    Photos181

    Heavy Metal (1981)
    Heavy Metal (1981)
    Julie Strain in Heavy Metal (1981)
    Heavy Metal (1981)
    Heavy Metal (1981)
    Heavy Metal (1981)
    Heavy Metal (1981)
    Heavy Metal (1981)
    Heavy Metal (1981)
    Heavy Metal (1981)
    Heavy Metal (1981)
    Heavy Metal (1981)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Richard Romanus
    Richard Romanus
    • Harry Canyon (segment "Harry Canyon")as Harry Canyon (segment "Harry Canyon")
    • (voice)
    John Candy
    John Candy
    • Desk Sergeant (segment "Harry Canyon")as Desk Sergeant (segment "Harry Canyon")
    • (voice)
    • …
    Joe Flaherty
    Joe Flaherty
    • Lawyer (segment "Captain Sternn")as Lawyer (segment "Captain Sternn")
    • (voice)
    • …
    Don Francks
    Don Francks
    • Grimaldi (segment "Grimaldi")as Grimaldi (segment "Grimaldi")
    • (voice)
    • …
    Caroline Semple
    • Girl (segment "Grimaldi")as Girl (segment "Grimaldi")
    • (voice)
    Susan Roman
    Susan Roman
    • Girl (segment "Harry Canyon")as Girl (segment "Harry Canyon")
    • (voice)
    • …
    Al Waxman
    Al Waxman
    • Rudnick (segment "Harry Canyon")as Rudnick (segment "Harry Canyon")
    • (voice)
    Harvey Atkin
    Harvey Atkin
    • Alien (segment "Harry Canyon")as Alien (segment "Harry Canyon")
    • (voice)
    • …
    Glenis Wootton Gross
    • Whore (segment "Harry Canyon")as Whore (segment "Harry Canyon")
    • (voice)
    Marilyn Lightstone
    Marilyn Lightstone
    • Whore (segment "Harry Canyon")as Whore (segment "Harry Canyon")
    • (voice)
    • …
    Jackie Burroughs
    Jackie Burroughs
    • Katherine (segment "Den")as Katherine (segment "Den")
    • (voice)
    Martin Lavut
    • Ard (segment "Den")as Ard (segment "Den")
    • (voice)
    August Schellenberg
    August Schellenberg
    • Norl (segment "Den")as Norl (segment "Den")
    • (voice)
    • …
    John Vernon
    John Vernon
    • Prosecutor (segment "Captain Sternn")as Prosecutor (segment "Captain Sternn")
    • (voice)
    Eugene Levy
    Eugene Levy
    • Sternn (segment "Captain Sternn")as Sternn (segment "Captain Sternn")
    • (voice)
    • …
    Rodger Bumpass
    Rodger Bumpass
    • Hanover Fiste (segment "Captain Sternn")as Hanover Fiste (segment "Captain Sternn")
    • (voice)
    • (as Roger Bumpass)
    • …
    Douglas Kenney
    Douglas Kenney
    • Regolian (segment "Captain Sternn")as Regolian (segment "Captain Sternn")
    • (voice)
    George Touliatos
    George Touliatos
    • Pilot (segment "B-17")as Pilot (segment "B-17")
    • (voice)
    • …
    • Directors
      • Gerald Potterton
      • John Bruno(segment Soft Landing)
      • John Halas(segment So Beautiful and So Dangerous)
    • Writers
      • Daniel Goldberg(screenplay) (story) (story)
      • Len Blum(screenplay) (story) (story)
      • Dan O'Bannon(original story) (story) (segment Soft Landing)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The home video was removed from circulation for several years because of problems with music licensing - with so many bands and artists on the soundtrack, securing rights to the music proved difficult.
    • Goofs
      The two final scenes of "So Beautiful & So Dangerous" are reversed. The robot and Gloria leave the spaceship onto the space station before the ship lands. If you look closely at the lower right corner of the screen as the ship grinds to a halt in the hangar bay, the escalator ramp used by the robot and the secretary only seconds before is deployed.
    • Quotes

      Prosecutor: Are you Captain Lincoln F. Sternn?

      Stern: [haughtily] I am.

      Prosecutor: Lincoln Sternn, you stand here accused of 12 counts of murder in the first degree, 14 counts of armed theft of Federation property, 22 counts of piracy in high space, 18 counts of fraud, 37 counts of rape...

      [pauses to check the criminal record]

      Prosecutor: ...and one moving violation. How do you plead?

      Stern: [haughtily] Not guilty.

    • Crazy credits
      The rolling text of the credits stutter upwards in rhythm with the machine sound that opens the song "Working in the Coal Mine" performed by Devo.
    • Alternate versions
      Because of time constraints, a segment called "Neverwhere Land (1996)" was deleted; in this film, this would have connected "Captain Sternn" to "B-17". The story follows the influence of the Loc-Nar upon the evolution of a planet, from the Loc-Nar landing in a body of water, influencing the rise of the industrial age, and a world war. This original story was created by Corny Cole. The original rough animatics are set to a loop of the beginning of the song "Time" by Pink Floyd. The 1996 VHS release included this segment at the beginning of the tape. On the DVD release, this segment is included within the bonus features and is dedicated "In memory of Dawn M. Cole - 1931-1985". In both released versions, the sequence is set to the music of "Passacaglia" (from Magnificat), composed and conducted by Krzysztof Penderecki.
    • Connections
      Featured in Imagining 'Heavy Metal' (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Radar Rider
      Performed by Riggs

      Written by Jerry Riggs, Marc Jordan

      Publisher: Mr. Sunshine Inc, BMI

    User reviews203

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    A true Cult Classic, and well worth seeing.
    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.
    helpful•72
    15
    • mushrom
    • Feb 1, 2001

    FAQ2

    • Was the redhead pregnant with Harry Canyon's child after they had sex?
    • What are the differences between the Theatrical Version and the Workprint?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 7, 1981 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Canada
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Universo en fantasía
    • Filming locations
      • England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Pictures
      • Guardian Trust Company
      • Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $9,300,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $546,545
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $204,660
      • Mar 10, 1996
    • Gross worldwide
      • $546,545
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 26 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
      • Dolby Atmos
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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