Heavy Metal 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Heavy Metal 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 21, 2022

Sony has released one of the most popular cult films of them all, 1981's animated anthology 'Heavy Metal,' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/Dolby Vision video, a new 'enhanced' Dolby Atmos soundtrack, and a new retrospective supplement. Also included is the film on Blu-ray (identical to Sony's 2011 issue) as well as a 1080p Blu-ray copy of Heavy Metal 2000, making its HD disc debut exclusively in this set. Finally, this package ships in exclusive SteelBook packaging.

Official synopsis: Based on the fantastical illustrated magazine HEAVY METAL, producer Ivan Reitman enlists the help of some of Hollywood's animation masters to create the otherworldly tale of a glowing green orb from outer space that spreads destruction throughout the galaxy. Only when encountered by its one true enemy, to whom it is inexplicably drawn, will goodness prevail throughout the universe. Richly and lavishly drawn, the vignettes of the orb's dark victories include the character voices of John Candy, Harold Ramis and a pounding soundtrack by Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Devo, Donald Fagen, Don Felder, Grand Funk Railroad, Sammy Hagar, Journey, Nazareth, Stevie Nicks, Riggs, and Trust. Highly imaginative and full of surprising special effects, HEAVY METAL set the standard for alternative contemporary animation. An intoxicating experience not to be missed!

For a full film review, please click here.

Heavy Metal 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sony's brand-new 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD presentation of Heavy Metal is not only the best the film has ever looked, but it is also one of the finest UHDs on the market. Sony touts this presentation as "a brand new 4K restoration of the film approved by Producer Ivan Reitman." The image is drop dead gorgeous. Grain is intact and healthy. It is not super fine, but neither is it overpowering; it's very flattering and complimentary. The animation details are remarkably crisp and sharp, boosted by quite a margin over the previously issued Blu-ray, offering far more clarity and stability that extends beyond the old transfer and its 1080p limits. Not to be outdone is the gorgeous Dolby Vision grading which brings extraordinary new depth and vividness to the presentation. Bright electric light sources, the green Loc-Nar, and various vivid colors around planets, gore effects, clothes (or lack thereof), Den's red skin, and so on just leap off the screen with newfound brilliance as well as tonal accuracy and subtlety. Whites are brilliantly vivid (look at Taarna's hair!), blacks are perfectly deep, and the image suffers from no source or encode issues; a handful of softer shots are inherent to the original animation rather than a fault of the Blu-ray transfer.

Heavy Metal 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sony touts the newly minted Dolby Atmos soundtrack as "a brand-new immersive experience utilizing enhanced sound effects and much more, supervised by producer Ivan Reitman." Purists may scoff, but they shouldn't. This is a wonderful listening experience. Bass is everywhere, offering extreme low-end engagement to a number of audio cues: the Loc-Nar rumbling about, heavy footfalls reverberating through the stage, the spherical alien spacecraft crashing and clanking upon impact, a volcanic eruption, and the B-52s lumbering through the skies are all amongst the low end highlights at work. The track offers full stage engagement, which includes a healthy supportive top end component. Discrete effects are not plentiful, but the sense of larger fill (along with the added surround-back channels) helps to deliver a spectacularly immersive experience that absolutely brings new life to this 40-year-old audio presentation. Music, from the eclectic assortment of top talent that contributed to the soundtrack, plays with exceptional clarity and effortless spacing. The front end dominates but the surrounds carry a healthy barrage of guitar riffs and other instrumentals. Lyrics tend to stay up front, but not exclusively to the center. The same goes for dialogue; it's largely presented from a natural front-center position but there are examples of both discrete placement and large-area reverberation. This is a first-rate soundtrack that is the perfect compliment to the visual experience.

Heavy Metal 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Sony brings Heavy Metal to the UHD format with a single new supplement on the UHD disc. The bundled Blu-ray is identical to the studio's 2011 issue; its supplements are listed below and full reviews can be found by clicking here. Note that the bundled Heavy Metal 2000 also includes several extras; for coverage of that content, please see the full, individual review by clicking here.

UHD:

• Heavy Metal: A Look Back (1080p, 9:20): Ivan Reitman, Norman Reedus, Kevin Smith, Ebony Jeanette, Matthew Klickstein, and Matthew Medney reflect on the film more than four decades since its release: the origin comics, animation style, music, voice work, sexuality, the Taarna character, the film's lasting legacy and influence, and more.

Blu-ray:

• Heavy Metal: Feature Length Rough Cut
• Deleted Scenes
• Imagining Heavy Metal

The SteelBook packaging presentation is very attractive. The front panel features the film's classic poster artwork depicting Taarna riding her winged, birdlike mount, her sword held vertically in the air, with smoke billowing in the background over an earthen color cityscape. The film's title in chrome-like letters, light blue in color with an orange-red bottom quarter of the lettering. In the familiar style, the final letters in "Heavy" appear to be toppling over to the right. The rear panel depicts the spacecraft from the "So Beautiful & So Dangerous" vignette. In the "mouth" area is Den from the vignette of the same name. The spine is simply black with the film's title center and a Sony logo at the bottom. The interior panel is simply a uniform silver color. The three discs are presented on three hubs; the ones on the right are staggered-stacked. A single digital copy code sheet with unique codes for each film is included inside.

Heavy Metal 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sony has done a wonderful job with Heavy Metal on UHD. The film looks and sounds incredible and fans are going to be delighted. The new supplement adds some meat and the SteelBook packaging is first-rate. Highly recommended.