Heavy Metal F.A.K.K.2

It's better than I thought of this animation movie following the cult hit of the same name of 1981. Julie Strain is the muse that has inspired the animators for creating the heroine of this movie (and any film with Julie in it, even as a cartoon clone, is worth all of your time, trust me). The story is nothing particular, but it's fun to watch. There is also a very good heavy metal score that pervades the movie. Beware: it's bloody, politically uncorrect and with a few nude scenes. Another reason to watch it and enjoy.

When watching HEAVY METAL 2000, you have to forget the first film. The original HEAVY METAL was ground-breaking in its day. After all, very few animators ever tried directing animation towards adults (only Ralph Bakshi comes to mind)in the U.S.. Add to this the fact that the original HEAVY METAL was unavailable for nearly 20 years and you have a true cult classic. It is unfair to compare them.

On its own, HEAVY METAL 2000 is ok, neither good or bad. The animation is average and the story has very little in the way of originality. The voice acting is good, but at times over-the-top. Julie Strain, however, does a very good job voice acting. The film is very predictable and none of the characters are interesting. The background art is excellent.

The music is provided by various heavy metal bands, but little of it fits in the film. The score to the film, however, is better than you would expect.

This film has very little nudity and essentially no sex. What nudity it has is pretty bland. Admit it, you picked up this film looking for illustrated nudity. Well, you won't find much.

Since the original film, anime has made its presence known in the U.S.. Frankly, GHOST IN THE SHELL has more in common with HEAVY METAL (the magazine) than HEAVY METAL 2000 does.

The most serious problems with HEAVY METAL 2000 happened before the film was started. While I credit Kevin Eastman with getting this project going, I believe he lacked the experience to make a movie. If the film had the backing of an experienced producer, the film may have benefited. If Eastman ever considers another HEAVY METAL film, perhaps he should look to Japan for animators.

I've watched this film many times. Why?! Well for one thing, we just don't have very many animated films made in America that are directed to adults. There's a whole group of animation fans that are waiting for a HEAVY METAL film that rocks. Hopefully our wishes will be fulfilled.

Unfortunately, this film is just a rehash of the 1981 classic, particularly the last story about Tarna. (They even redid the whole "Swimming to get your battle armor" scene.)

Essentially, the plot is that a guy is infected by a glowing green evil that makes him into a homicidal maniac, seeking to destroy. In the process, they slaughter the heroine's community, and she goes on a quest to hunt down the raiders and avenge them.

Let's talk about sex. This film has a couple of nude shots where it looks like you are going to get some sex scenes, but then they pull out at the last minute. Coitus Interruptus! The 1981 original actually contained several graphic sex scenes. This film pulled out (pun intended) just in time.

Michael Ironside does a great job as the villain, exuding menace over his character's poor animation. But overall, it's barely worth watching...

Heavy Metal 2000 (2000) is a movie I recently watched for the first time in a long time on Amazon Prime. The storyline follows a diabolical and ruthless man and his quest for immortality. Meanwhile a woman destined to save the universe hunts him down with plans to thwart his attempts at reaching his goal.

This movie is codirected by Michael Coldewey (The Fearless Four) and Michel Lemire (The Little Flying Bears) and contains the voices of Michael Ironside (Total Recall), Julie Strain (Beverly Hills Cop III) and Billy Idol (The Wedding Singer).

The animation for this picture was pretty good and reminded me of MTV's Liquid Television. I did miss the great monologue and narration that was in the first film provided by John Candy. I also liked how the first film had multiple villains throughout instead of one like this picture. Nudity was also better used in the first film. The soundtrack for this was a bit uneven with some songs fitting the scenes better than others. I will say the final battle was awesome and fun to watch unfold and the conclusion makes sitting through the film worth it.

Overall this is a huge step down from the first film and missed many of the elements that made the first film so great. I would score this a 5/10 and only recommend watching it if you love the first film or there's nothing better to watch.

Another review here mentioned the likelihood that this was a Julie Strain Ego stroke. I kind of have to agree. I find her a terrible,not-worth-the celluloid actress, although as a cartoon she is better than in real life. The storyline was really weak. So weak in fact one has to wonder if they wrote the entire script on a paper cocktail napkin while out drinking one night. True, the first Heavy Metal's storyline was a little disjointed, but it had multiple contributors and was the first of it's kind. And as the first it was good... and FUN. This one was not fun. There was no ironic/dark comedy moments. You knew where the story was going from moment one. Total formula I could not get involved with these characters either. The writing just never made me care. Lastly there was no sense of adventure. It was just very, repeat VERY, mediocre. Leave it on the shelf at the video store.