Episode 179: Heavy Metal (1981)

Ah, heavy metals! While fans often appreciate the whole spectrum, everyone’s got their favorite.  Some will fight to the death for the supremacy of Erbium, while others are ride or die for Niobium or Dysprosium. Sure, some folks will flirt with Palladium or Osmium, but everyone eventually agrees on the uses of Lead and Molybdenum.  I myself have a Praseodymium tattoo in an embarrassing location but that’s neither . . . what’s that? There’s a MUSIC genre . . . huh, what did I watch, then? I’ll tell you what I watched, and what Mike watched for our final “That Sure Was 1981” series: we got our ROKK ON with “Heavy Metal,” the anthology of animated segments drawn from the stories of the illustrated magazine of the same name and loaded with heavy metal music, which I totally knew was a type of music and not just a description of the chemical properties of certain elements.  Did I mention rokk on? This was a mainstream foray into adult animation and by adult, well, the filmmakers pretty much used exactly the definition of the term that you think they did.  So give a listen and let’s all get METAL! Yeah! Vanadium 4 life!! No, hang on . . .

Poll question: (not in any way stolen from Mike) We’ve seen a pant-load of animated films remade as live action; can you think of any live action movie that would be improved by making it an animated feature?

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5 thoughts on “Episode 179: Heavy Metal (1981)”

  1. It is I…sigh… the snowman… I accept my fate. (and Bumpy bucks)
    I saw this when it came out and it was big disappointment. Because it was comic artists… and good ones… I assumed the animation would be stellar and it was anything but that. I am not a fan of connecting this tories elements, the Poe Anthology “Extraordinary tales” had oe recently and it didn’t work there either, thought the animation in that was awesome.

    Thought it started as a radio play and went on to a TV show before becoming a movie I thought Hitchhiker’s Guide to the galaxy” would have been betters an animated film. Live actors just limited the humour and what could have been done with such and oddball story. There are always rumours that Jodorowsky’s Dune will be made into an animated feature and I am ALL for that!

    1. Thanks, Snowman! C’mon, you love it! Here’s another BumpyBuk…yah, this SHOULD have been great but the artists that made the comics were only peripherally involved, if at all, and the animators were not the greatest. 9 mil doesn’t go far and didn’t then. I honestly think it wouldn’t have mattered as none of the stories were compelling and I often found those in the magazine to be the same. Hitchiker’s Guide…that’s an interesting thought! Certainly would make all the alien species a lot easier to deal with, never mind things like “three mile high letters which spelled out, “Share and Enjoy.” Perhaps someday they will. Thanks for listening!

      1. I forgot, I was one of those who didn’t buy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from those guys (I think Craig agreed). Well, I did buy 5 copies but then it became a “thing” and there weren’t any extras around. My bad I guess though I didn’t and still don’t like that comic!

  2. All superhero movies would be better as animated movies unless they’re explicitly send-ups of superhero tropes like Mystery Men, Deadpool, and The Boys. The first two movies of the Dark Knight trilogy were admittedly really good, as was Thor: Colon Ragnarok and Logan, but they’re the exception rather than the rule. (Watchmen and V for Vendetta get a pass because neither of them really have superheroes, but both were still flawed in their own way.)

    1. Interesting choices, Ned! What’s most interesting to me is that superhero movies, animated ones, would be much closer to their source material. As has been noted elsewhere, animation has limitless possibilities (and is in a lot of ways cheaper) that are rarely tapped. As always, thoughtful answers we’re glad to read. Thanks!

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