The fourth season ofTim Miller(Deadpool) andDavid Fincher’s animated sci-fi series,Love, Death & Robots,just launched on Netflix, a series that has already built itself a fanbase over its previous three seasons. One wonders how many of those fans are even aware that the showrunners' were inspired by the 1981 animated anthology movie,Heavy Metal, which itself was born out of a popular comic anthology magazine of the same name. In fact,Love, Death & Robotsbegan its life as an attempt to create a modern-dayHeavy Metal,a story that’s almost as interesting as rewatching the originalHeavy Metalnearly 45 years later.
15 years ago, Miller was talking with Fincher about creating a new version ofHeavy Metal, and other filmmakers likeJames Cameron(Avatar) andZack Snyder(300) were already on board to direct animated segments. Animated movies geared towards adults have not had the greatest track record at the box office, so that plan was canceled when it seemed like making a newHeavy Metalmovie for theatrical release would cost too much money.Along comes Netflix in 2019, when the streamer greenlit a series of short animated sci-fi films, which becameLove, Death, and Robots.Six years later, the fourth season has just hit the streamer with ten new short films, bringing the total number of shorts in the series up to a whopping 45.
What Exactly Was ‘Heavy Metal’ Anyway?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock where music hasn’t existed for the past five decades, you’ll be familiar with or at least aware of the hard music genre dubbed “heavy metal.” It led to so many big bands of the ’70s and ’80s, fromBlack SabbathtoAC/DCtoJudas Priestand even the famed hair metal bands of the ’80s. That music only partially inspired a bunch of French comic book artists to create a comics anthology magazine calledMetal Hurlant, which was eventually retitled asHeavy Metalfor its American release.That magazine became so popular, especially among teen boys, that it led to a rare animated anthology movie geared towards older viewers.The movie version ofHeavy Metalcombined stories and characters taken directly from the magazine – popular comics likeRichard Corben’s “Den,”Berni Wrightson’s “Captain Sternn,”Angus McKie’s “So Beautiful & So Dangerous,” andMoebius' “Arzach” – with new concepts like “B-17" fromAlienco-creatorDan O’Bannon.
For those of a certain age, the animatedHeavy Metalallowed filmmakers to pair those science fiction stories with music from some of the hottest rock acts of the late ’70s and early ’80s. An even odder aspect of this Canadian production was how many members of theSCTVsketch comedy series would provide voices, includingJohn Candy,Eugene Levy,Joe Flaherty, andHarold Ramis. Those inclusions might not be quite as surprising when you see that the lateIvan Reitmanproduced the movie, having already established himself with hit comedies likeAnimal HouseandMeatballs.Years later, Reitman would directGhostbusters,creating a popular comedy genre franchise that would add to his legacy, even as his involvement withHeavy Metalwould soon be forgotten.
‘Heavy Metal’ Animated Epic Gets 4K Blu-ray Steelbook Release With New Retrospective Feature
Relieve the awesome ’80s animated film.
‘Heavy Metal’s Impact Is Undeniable Even 45 Years Later
Truthfully, the original 1981Heavy Metalhas not aged well with its misogynistic depiction of women as sex objects and its exorbitant amount of female nudity. Even despite that, the last segment focused on one ofHeavy Metal’s most popular characters, Taarna, a fierce female warrior riding a bird-like creature, inspired by comic artistMoebius, went on to become the image most associated with the franchise.Otherwise, the movie very much felt like something geared specifically towards teenage boys, much like the comic magazine was.
The influenceHeavy Metalhas had on the likes ofLove, Death & Robotsis palpable, with one particular episode from Season 4, “How Jake Got Religion,” based on a short story byJ.T. Petty, seemingly a homage to the Dan O’Bannon segment fromHeavy Metal. Even having Fincher directing an animated music video for theRed Hot Chili Peppersfor Season 4 is very much in line withHeavy Metal’s original meshing of rock with animation. Other segments of the new season offer the type of science fiction storytelling that was very much the M.O. ofHeavy Metal, as well as some of its humor.
Although previous attempts at revivingHeavy Metalfailed quite miserably, few people will even remember the very badHeavy Metal 2000,released just a month after Disney’sFantasia 2000.Still, Miller and Fincher seemed to have found the sweet spot in blending animation with science fiction and music whilefinding an audience on streaming, rather than trying to make it work theatrically.Clearly, they remember howHeavy Metalinspired their younger selves to create something that might appeal to young sci-fi fans in a similar manner.
Heavy Metal
