Archimedex It's interesting to see Moebius art in a feature film. That said... it's nothing compared to his comic books, the visuals are mostly rough and stuff is flickering a lot. The animation is roto-like, meaning lifeless, no contrasts, the motion of everything is even and slow-ish. But hey, it's animated in 1981. The story... I don't know, it's probably interesting if you're high. Very, very high. This film was probably made by people who understand comics, not film, and it's not a good adaptation of comics to motion pictures. I think the film does have merit though, for being a feature that looks like a comic book, not like the usual 2D animation stuff: the line is more complicated, lots more details in the drawings. Some of the backgrounds are quite interesting, and they use line art, so the whole picture is colored line art.. as opposed to the usual animation look which has painted backgrounds and colored line art for animated elements (and it doesn't look cohesive). Anyway, overall... this film is more or less a creative mess. It has some remarkable bits of eroticism, not normally found in animation. Personally I would love to see more comic-book-like feature animation. But made today, with modern tools and animation and film knowledge, and with better character design and better overall visual style.

Rainey Dawn This animation is rated R for a reason - it is catered to adults that were (and maybe still are) fans of Heavy Metal Magazine. A fair warning for parents: this movie really is not for kids.I was 9 years old when this film came but I did not get to see it until I was 13 or 14 years old (maybe I was 15) anyway, the movie's story is not all that bad - but it's not that grand either. I am not a fan of the soundtrack either although some of the songs are OK. It's worth watching for the artwork (animation) and pure nostalgia factor.This movie is OK. And it most definitely is a cult classic film - it's not a film for everyone.6/10

Pozdnyshev This is an animated movie that's awesome and sucks at the same time. It's awesome because of its spirit of adventure and experimentation. I'd rather see ten weird, experimental, and personal movies like "Heavy Metal" than one boring pander-fest like "500 Days of Summer" which, like a smooth politician, is guaranteed a wide audience because it's engineered to appeal to as many people as possible. What it loses in the process is a human touch, the sense that I'm getting to know a real person's dreams and aspirations, not being manipulated into thinking that it's hip for young women to have borderline personality disorder (as in most popular RomComs like "Juno"), or that grand special effects are more exciting than a good story (as in the Avengers or the Phantom Menace). This is just a guess, but I think these animated stories are very close to the hearts of the people who wrote and designed them, and this movie was made out of love for the stories instead of expecting to get rich off of it. I love it for that alone because even if it's a bad story, someone believed in it enough to not let it get (too) watered down by someone who didn't think it had enough mass appeal. So for better or for worse, it's a window into another person's heart, which makes me feel connected to humanity. You can't buy that with all the special effects and cinematography in the world.So I love this movie for the spirit behind it. But the movie itself - eh. It's a mess. Stunningly detailed background plates vie with very hit-and-miss animation. In fact it's shockingly bad in many places, the battle scene in "Den" is almost as choppy and wooden as in "GI Joe." And it's juvenile -- there's not much going on underneath the boobs, violence, and cool drawings. I want some kind of cohesive message to justify all this eye candy, like making the green orb only destroy people who are evil anyway (the B-52 pilot wasn't necessarily evil). And why is it some busty chick, of all people, who defeats evil? Since this plot device is just plopped in there, it makes me think that the answer to this question is that the filmmakers thought chicks with swords and big boobs just look cool, that's why. I want more reason why it's HER who defeats evil, because I don't think hot Amazonian chicks who dress like pole-dancers defeat evil in real life; they'd create it by frustrating men with their hot and exposed bodies. A more plain- looking woman in a monk's robe would be more believable, but (I know) a lot less cool-looking. That's not to say there aren't some gems here and there that shine on their own. There's a scene towards the beginning of the "Taarna" part where townspeople are turned evil by being immersed in green slime. That part on its own has a strange, resonant power like a story from the Bible, and is worth the entire movie. I think it resonates because of its chilling similarity to Marxist and feminist brainwashing, but that's just my opinion. :PA must-see if you're into the art of animation or just have a taste for strange movies, its heart is in the right place but watching it is like looking through a talented fourteen-year-old boy's sketchpad.

suite92 The film follows the Loc-Nar (glowing green orb) that contains the personification of ultimate evil in the universe. The orb corrupts whatever it stays near.First story ('Harry Canyon'): a professor finds the orb while excavating. The professor is killed by gangsters. His daughter is rescued by a cab driver, Harry Canyon. She disappears on him overnight. Next morning, everyone wants to talk to Harry, so he half heartedly looks for her. Loved the humour here.Second story ('Den'): an idiot who experiments with lightening obtains the globe. During a storm, his apparatus catches lightening; the globe adds its own power. The experimenter is transported to another planet and perhaps another time. He is in a new body. He rescues a woman from being sacrificed. They get kidnapped by an odd group that takes him to the leader of the revolution, whatever that is. This person demands that he steal the Loc-Nar from the queen.Third story ('Captain Sternn'): set on a space station orbiting a planet that resembles Jupiter. A space officer, Captain Sternn is on trial. He thinks he has an 'angle' with a janitor Hanover Fiste. The Loc-Nar takes over Fiste, who delivers damning evidence against Sternn.Fourth story ('B-17'): set on a World War II vintage B-17. The Loc-Nar follows the plane. It kills the crew one by one. The pilot parachutes out. Does he survive?Fifth story ('So Beautiful and So Dangerous'): set in Washington, DC. Mutations have been appearing on Earth. Is this because of interference from forces from outer space? An expert says no at a top secret meeting in the Pentagon. The expert starts to mutate himself; he attacks the voluptuous secretary taking notes. Then aliens abduct them. Can this turn out well?Sixth story ('Taarna'): set on another world. The Loc-Nar enters a volcano, which it causes to erupt in green vomit-like lava. This mutates those who are trapped in it. The non-mutants are about to be overrun by the mutants. An elder calls for Taarnak (of the line of Tarrak) to come defend them. It is their sworn duty, after all. She answers the call after those she was to defend are all slaughtered. Her mission becomes vengeance.The preparation scene in Taarna was beautiful, as was the destruction of Loc-Nar and the transfer of the mission to the new Taarakian.This is quite a classic.-----Scores------Art/Animation: 5/10 Good for 1981, but does not age well. At all. Has some of the same styles as Bakshi's Wizards, 1977, for instance, and that is not a compliment.Sound: 10/10 Outstanding. The music is still good. For a list of performers, see this page; look in the User Reviews.Voice: 7/10 OK.Screenplay: 8/10 The last segment, Taarna, was the best. I would give it high marks for heart, humour, and heroism; its use of a female hero was cleansing and cathartic, rather than PC nonsense. This segment almost carries the entire film. The first and second stories were good for humour, and advanced the story overlying the segments a bit. The third and fourth stories were not as good as the others. The fifth was just a waste.