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1[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/12428481_1300x1733.png]]
2[[caption-width-right:300:This provides the rock 'n roll and the sex,[softreturn]you [[WatchItStoned provide the drugs]].]]
3
4->''"Music/BlueOysterCult, Music/BlackSabbath, [[Music/VanHalen Sammy Hagar]] and Riggs take you to a universe you've never seen before. A universe of magic. A universe of mystery. A universe of sexual fantasies. A universe of awesome good, and terrifying evil."''
5-->- '''Trailer'''
6
7->''"A shadow shall fall over the universe...and evil will grow in its path...and death will come from the skies..."''
8-->- '''OpeningMonologue'''
9
10''If you were looking for the music genre, go to HeavyMetal.''
11
12The 1981 Canadian-animated film anthology of stories from [[Magazine/HeavyMetal the magazine of the same name.]] Laden with sex, violence, profanity, decent animation, and a [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic rippin' soundtrack]].
13
14The framing story for each short concerns the Loc-Nar (Percy Rodriguez), "the sum of all evil," a sentient, floating [[GreenRocks green orb]] that kills people by [[BodyHorror painfully melting them into goo]] or turning them into monsters (and a plot device that figures into each short), showing a young girl (Caroline Semple) its influence across space and time (after killing her astronaut father (Music/DonFrancks), who had just brought it back to Earth, de-orbiting in a [[ImprobablyCoolCar classic Corvette convertible]]).
15
16* '''Harry Canyon''' (Richard Romanus), a New York taxi driver in the distant future, gets caught up in a fight between a gang and an archaeologist's daughter over the Loc-Nar. She [[DoubleEntendre screws him more than once]].
17* '''ComicBook/{{Den}}''', originally a [[GeekPhysiques skinny]], nerdy kid named Dan (voiced by Creator/JohnCandy), gets [[TrappedInAnotherWorld sucked into Neverwhere]], becomes a bald, naked, [[BarbarianHero musclebound hunk]] (still voiced by John Candy) that every woman in the story (equally [[FanService naked and buxom]]) apparently throws herself at, and finds himself in the middle of a deadly rivalry between an [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen evil queen]] and an [[{{Immortality}} unkillable]] [[SissyVillain dandy]] to save [[DamselInDistress the girl]] he encountered upon arrival. One of the better received stories, thanks in part to Candy's narration giving the macho fantasy a refreshingly lighthearted humourous touch that takes away none of the eroticism. Due to the fairly consistent female nudity, this segment is generally excised from TV prints of the movie altogether. (Incidentally, this is one of the few segments of the movie to have no songs--Music/ElmerBernstein's score is front and centre here.) Is also the {{Trope Namer|s}} for NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow, spoken by Den while swimming a LONG way underwater).
18* '''Captain Sternn''' (Creator/EugeneLevy), on trial for multiple crimes (including a [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking moving violation]]), gets more than he bargained for when [[PunnyName Hanover Fiste]] (Creator/RodgerBumpass), the man he paid to act as his character witness, goes berserk under the Loc-Nar's influence.
19* '''B-17''' tells the story of a [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII WWII]] bomber, whose crew after sustaining heavy losses during a night raid, encounter the Loc-Nar and are transformed into fearsome, undead creatures. The scariest part of the film. Among critics of the movie, also regarded as the strongest segment, and rarely spoken of in anything but a positive light.
20* '''So Beautiful, So Dangerous''': Aliens abduct a buxom Pentagon secretary, and the robot leader takes a shine to her. The pilots ingest a massive amount of [[FantasticDrug plutonium nyborg]] and fly home utterly stoned, while the robot [[{{Robosexual}} gets into the secretary's knickers]]. The BreatherEpisode after '''B-17''', and seems to be [[PlayedForLaughs playing things for laughs]].
21* '''Taarna''', the last Taarakian, is called to defend a peaceful civilization from Loc-Nar-mutated barbarians. She arrives [[YouAreTooLate too late]], and she turns to vengeance to fulfill her pact.
22
23At the climax, Taarna's defeat of the Loc-Nar echoes, and the orb menacing the girl is destroyed. A purple bird of the same kind that Taarna flew arrives at her side, and she [[RidingIntoTheSunset flies off]], her hair turning white and the Taarakian crest appearing on her neck.
24
25Once noted for KeepCirculatingTheTapes because music rights kept it from being released on home video. Bootleg tapes of it would routinely turn up, some taped off airings on pay cable channels. Now legally available as well.
26
27The film is adapted from a number of stories in the ''Magazine/HeavyMetal'' magazine, an American version of the French comic ''Métal Hurlant'' founded by Creator/{{Moebius}} and Creator/PhilippeDruillet. A number of other adaptations have also been made, including the film ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal2000'' and the ThirdPersonShooter ''VideoGame/HeavyMetalFAKK2'' (which was based upon ''Heavy Metal 2000''). Somewhat strangely, the film ''Heavy Metal 2000'' is also sometimes seen under the title ''Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.2''. Another adaptation is the TV series ''Series/MetalHurlantChronicles'', as was ''WesternAnimation/LoveDeathAndRobots'' during its origins.
28
29Plans for a new version of the film began to take shape in 2008, with [[Creator/DavidFincher lots]] [[Creator/JamesCameron of]] [[Creator/ZackSnyder big]] [[Creator/GuillermoDelToro names]] floated around to direct segments. However, the project fell into DevelopmentHell, since nobody was interested in investing in it. However, in August 2011, Creator/RobertRodriguez acquired the rights for a ''Heavy Metal'' movie and started the project over from scratch at his newly created company, Quick Draw Studios. This, too, would fall to the wayside as Rodriguez began focusing more on [[Creator/ElReyNetwork his own television channel]].
30
31In 2018-19, ''Heavy Metal'' publishing released a four-issue ''Taarna'' comic-book scripted by Creator/AlexDeCampi, with art by Esau and Isaac Escorza. More comics starring Taarna by other writers and artists continued to follow.
32
33At the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, the ''Heavy Metal'' publications [[https://www.cbr.com/heavy-metal-announces-metalverse-films-and-shows-trailer/amp/ unveiled the creation of their own production company]], with plans to produce a slate of various series and films, both live-action and animated. Among the projects revealed to be in the works is a live-action ''Taarna'', of which [[https://youtu.be/cq0i_jz1-to a test-reel was released.]]
34
35----
36!!The original 1981 film contains examples of:
37
38[[foldercontrol]]
39
40[[folder:A-M]]
41* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: The future of 1981, anyway. Manhattan looks like it did before the cleanup in the 80's and 90's, with sex shops, dirty sidewalks and the World Trade Center.
42* AbsentAliens: Dr. Anrak from "So Beautiful & So Dangerous" assures the press that humans are the only intelligent lifeforms in the universe seconds before getting abducted.
43* TheAce: Subverted with Captain Sternn. Outwardly he looks to be the typical Ace, with the heroic clothes, the swagger, the lantern jaw, etc., but we soon discover he's really a despicable character despite his outward charms.
44* AcidTripDimension: Neverwhere's skies consist of trippy, shifting colours.
45* ActionGirl: Taarna, who is as beautiful as she is deadly.
46* AdaptationalModesty: Downplayed in the ''Den'' segment. The original comics had the title character go naked, but in the animated segment he makes himself a loincloth at the first opportunity to avoid going about with his "dork" hanging out. As for the major female leads of that story, they have loincloths that seem to disappear whenever they are not viewed frontally, and/or fleetingly depicted at a distance when the animators felt they could dare to have them fully naked.
47* AdaptationSpeciesChange: The undead soldiers from "B-17" were gremlins in the original comic.
48* AdaptedOut: During the chase in the Captain Sternn segment after the Captain leaves through the steel door that Hanover Fiste smashes through, he runs into a group of robots who try to stop him and Hanover who in turn grabs their weapons and eats them before Hanover Fiste smashes their heads together.
49* AfterTheEnd: Several stories take place in a post-apocalyptic setting.
50* AgeLift: In the original animated short and comics, Den was an adult before coming to Neverwhere, now he's an eighteen year old.
51* AlienAbduction: Alien stoners Zeke and Edsel capture Gloria by accident in "So Beautiful, So Dangerous".
52* AllAmazonsWantHercules: In 'the "Den" story, Den is a 98-pound weakling voiced by John Candy. Sent to an alternate dimension, he transforms into a bald, muscle-bound, loin-cloth-wearing ActionHero, "with his dork hanging out." He rescues a DamselInDistress, Kath, and when they have a moment to talk in peace (expanded upon in a deleted scene), Kath explains that she brought into that world as well and changed to her delight into a [[ShamelessFanserviceGirl naked]] MsFanservice ideal and would love to offer her attentions to her hero, and he accepts eagerly. Later, Den is forced to join a small raid against an evil queen's palace only to blunder into the queen in the dark. When the lights come on, he is clearly grabbing her (very much uncovered) breasts. The queen doesn't mind; a few seconds of animated sex later, she proclaims Den her messiah. About par for female characters in that movie.
53* AllThereInTheScript: In "So Beautiful, So Dangerous," Zeke and Edsel are the names of the stoner aliens, and Gloria is the redheaded secretary they abduct, which aren't spoken onscreen, but given in the segment's credits. The robot, however, has no name listed.
54* AllWomenAreLustful: It varies wildly: the girl in "Harry Canyon" sleeps with Harry to manipulate him for her scheme, Gloria in "So Beautiful, So Dangerous" is seduced by a robot well enough to stay with him, and in "Den," Kath and the Queen are in the fantasy realm of Neverwhere where they have gained [[ShamelessFanServiceGirl naked]] [[MsFanservice idealized bodies]] and are eager to [[AllAmazonsWantHercules enjoy them with a studly hero like Den]]. By contrast, the young girl in the connecting story is too occupied as the Locnar terrorizes her and Taarna is too busy with her vendetta to indulge in anything.
55* AmbiguouslyGay: In "Taarna", the Council chamber sentry wears a pink jacket, a pink bow-knot and really short and tight shorts that leave his entire legs bare. [[BuryYourGays His death]] is displayed in graphic detail a mere minute after he appears on screen.
56* AnthologyFilm: The movie is a collection of different animated shorts connected by the presence of the Loc-Nar.
57* ArtifactOfDoom: The Loc-Nar is an ancient and powerful artifact of evil..
58* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: The charges against Captain Sternn:
59--> '''Prosecutor:''' Lincoln Sternn, you stand here accused of 12 counts of murder in the first degree, 14 counts of armed theft of Federation property, 22 counts of piracy in high space, 18 counts of fraud, 37 counts of rape...and one moving violation.
60* ArtisticLicenseSpace:
61** In the opening sequence, the Space Shuttle is seen releasing the Corvette from its storage bay through doors in the hull. In real life, the doors are on the ''other'' side of the shuttle.
62** During his rampage through the station, Hanover Fiste causes a part of it to collapse ''inwards'' (complete with a settling cloud of dust), instead of ''outwards'' (which would have sent debris floating away into space).
63** At the end of Hanover's rampage, [[spoiler: Sternn disposes of him by pulling a lever, which drops him through an ordinary trapdoor into space... just as if he were on a planet with gravity, and without an airlock to keep the atmosphere in.]]
64** Though he's not entering a planetary or solar atmosphere, Hanover Fiste somehow catches fire in the vacuum of space. (Although you could {{handwave}} this by saying that it's the Loc-Nar's doing, or even solar radiation. But still.)
65* ArtShift: The changes in art style between the segments is justified, as each segment was handled by a different animation studio.
66* AsLongAsThereIsEvil: The Loc-Nar boasts that it will always be around as long as malice and greed exist.
67* AscendedFanboy: Den, who goes from being a geek to being a brave hero in another dimension.
68* AsideGlance: "Den". After Ard gives his ultimatum ("..you die, she dies, everybody dies!"), Den turns to the camera and thinks/narrates "Sounded reasonable to me!"
69* AlienBlood: The Mutants in the Taarna segment have green blood.
70* BadassCreed: Taarna, "To defend, this is the Pact. But when life loses its value and is taken for naught - the Pact is to avenge."
71* BarbarianHero: Den is the hero of his story and also happens to be muscular and nearly naked.
72* BatheHerAndBringHerToMe: Said almost word-for-word by the mutant leader in "Taarna", ordering his men to have the heroine stripped, bathed, and brought to him.
73* {{Bathos}}: Much of the humor in "Den" comes from how the straight-faced, if lurid, high fantasy and Den's own heroic exterior are both contrasted by his inner monologue, e.g., the thoughts of a very dorky teenage boy.
74-->''[Den and Katherine are interrupted from having sex by several of Ard's soldiers]''\
75'''Soldier:''' Come.\
76'''Dan:''' ''[frustrated]'' I don't know who these ASSHOLES were, but they sure picked a bad time to show up.\
77[...]\
78'''Den:''' '''''And if I refuse?'''''\
79'''Ard:''' ''[sounding very bored]'' If you refuse you die, she dies, ''everybody'' dies.\
80''[Den smirks at the camera]''\
81'''Dan:''' Sounded reasonable to me.
82* BeastMan: The Red Queen's troops are animal men.
83* BeautyIsNeverTarnished:
84** Averted when Taarna is seen in the dungeon with visible scars [[spoiler:in the aftermath of being whipped by the Barbarian Leader]].
85** Also averted in the final showdown the Barbarian Leader, when [[spoiler: Taarna is wounded, which likely would have proved fatal if she hadn't decided to sacrifice herself to destroy the Loc-Nar instead.]]
86** [[GenderFlip Gender-flipped]] with the [[TallDarkAndHandsome pilot]] in the "B-17"-segment, who immediately upon landing after bailing out of his aircraft, feels his face and is relieved that it is unspoiled [[spoiler: from his encounter with the zombies]] ... [[FromBadToWorse for now.]]
87* BigDamnHeroes: In “Den”, when Katherine is thrown into the water while tied up as part of a sacrifice, the titular hero leaps into the water to save her. Without him, she would have drowned.
88* BigNo: A pilot in the end of "B-17" lets out a hollered "No" many times when he is surrounded by zombie airmen.
89* TheBigRottenApple: The New York that is the backdrop for the "Harry Canyon" short has definitely seen better days. Very early on we get a mention of ''the United Nations headquarters'' having been turned into a (really shitty, by Harry's recognition) housing project, for example.
90* BittersweetEnding: Harry Canyon's arc; [[spoiler:He ends up with alot of money after getting rid of Loc Nar, but he had to [[DidNotGetTheGirl kill the archaeologist's daughter]] after revealing her true motives, leaving him by himself]].
91* BodyHorror: In "B-17". The poor airmen are already dead, but ''still''. Also happens to the astronaut father of the girl.
92* TheBodyPartsThatMustNotBeNamed: When Den appears naked on the planet Neverwhere in his new body, he covers himself with a cloth and mentions that he isn't going to walk around with his "dork" hanging out.
93* BolivianArmyEnding: "B-17" ends on an inconclusive but grim note with [[spoiler: the sole survivor of the titular plane trapped on a deserted island and surrounded by zombies.]]
94* BondVillainStupidity: The Loc-Nar spends almost the entire film bragging about his plans instead of killing the girl while she's defenseless.
95* BreatherEpisode: With the exception of the list of heinous adulterated crimes committed by the segment-title character mentioned, "Captain Sternn" does not have any graphic violence or sexual content like the other segments and it's more cartoonish in comparison to the others.
96* BullyingADragon: If you value your life do not do the following: do not grope Taarna, do not challenge Taarna to a fight. Three of the Barbarian Leader's thugs learned that the hard way.
97* TheCameo:
98** JustForFun/RobbyTheRobot sells Harry Canyon a hotdog.
99** Edsel and Zeke nearly crash their ship into the [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries USS Enterprise]].
100** "Through Being Cool" by ''Music/{{Devo}}'' plays during "Taarna" and a futuristically dressed version of the band appear performing it on a bar.
101* CanonWelding: The comics this movie is based on weren't set in the same universe as each other. Here the Loc-Nar MacGuffin from ''ComicBook/{{Den}}'' linking most of the stories.
102* CaptainSpaceDefenderOfEarth: Sternn, as one of the darker examples of a space-faring hero, ends up on trial for a string of heinous crimes, one of them being rape.
103* CaughtInASnare: Taarna is caught in a net trap while flying.
104* CentralTheme: Metal (as in the material) appears as this and an ArcSymbol in all segments:
105** '''Grimaldi/Soft Landing''': The titular astronaut's Corvette.
106** '''Harry Canyon''': Again, the main character's modified vehicle and the bounty on the Loc-Nar.
107** '''Den''': The heavy chains [[spoiler: used by the hero to dispatch the villains]].
108** '''Captain Sternn''': The PlanetSpaceship setting and again, what is essentially blood money.
109** '''B-17''': The titular bomber, the [[MoreDakka copious firepower]] employed, and [[spoiler: the DerelictGraveyard]] at the end.
110** '''So Beautiful And So Dangerous''': Intricate alien machinery and another space dreadnought.
111** '''Taarna''': Taarna's [[CoolSword sword]] against the cyborg chief's lethal instruments.
112* CharacterizingSittingPose: Ard, the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, is seen slumped across his throne. His legs dangle over the left armrest, while his shoulders rest on the right armrest. He greets the muscular Den flippantly, and seems unperturbed when Den overpowers his guards, then aims a firearm at Ard. Even after FiveRoundsRapid, Ard merely giggles at his bullet holes, which heal in seconds. "I could see why they made this guy their leader," Den thinks to himself.
113* ComicBookAdaptation: In 2018-19, ''Heavy Metal'' publishing released a four-issue ''Taarna'' comic-book scripted by Creator/AlexDeCampi, with art by Esau and Isaac Escorza. More comics starring Taarna by other writers and artists continued to follow.
114* CrucifiedHeroShot: [[http://www.taarna.net/Sacrificed.jpg And not a particularly subtle one.]]
115* CruelTwistEnding: [[spoiler:In "B-17," the captain bails out of the plane to escape his zombified crewmates, and lands on an island filled with wrecked planes.. and a whole bunch more zombies.]]
116* DamselInDistress: Katherine ends up having to be rescued by Den.
117* DangerTakesABackseat: Several times in the Harry Canyon segment. Not very smart, considering taxi cabs in this world have a security system that vaporizes anyone in the backseat. Or at least, ''Harry's'' does. The fact people keep trying to threaten him while in his cab's back seat suggests this is not the norm. Interestingly, the one career criminal who gets into his car instantly notices it and prevents Harry from using it.
118* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler:The original comic ended right after Hanover Fiste was paid for lying about Captain Sternn's transgressions in court. In this film, Sternn immediately shoots Fiste into space and kills him after handing over the promised bribe.]]
119* DeathIsTheOnlyOption: Taarna the Taarakian sacrifices herself and her mount to defeat the sum-of-all-evils Loc-Nar. It works, and Taarna's spirit transfers to Grimaldi's daughter, making her the new Taarakian.
120* DelayedReaction: It takes a handful more lines of dialogue from Hanover Fiste after he mutates before everyone in the courtroom panics and flees for their lives.
121* DelayedSafetyFeature: An astronaut pilots a car as it enters a planet's atmosphere. After it hits the ground, the astronaut pulls a lever and a parachute deploys.
122* DemBones: "B-17" has a World War [=II=] pilot attacked by the resurrected skeletons of his dead crewmates.
123* DemotedToExtra: In "So Beautiful, So Dangerous," the Loc-Nar only appears as a bauble on Gloria's necklace at the beginning of the segment. At most, all it does is make Dr. Anrak freak out and attack Gloria; other than that, it plays absolutely NO role in the story. Which makes one wonder why the Loc-Nar bothered to show that story to the little girl in the first place. It was intended to have a larger role, and would have had the vignette not ended abruptly. See WhatHappenedToTheMouse, below.
124* DepravedHomosexual: Ard is a villain in Den's segment and at least ''acts'' CampGay.
125* DerelictGraveyard: "B-17". After bailing out of his B-17 bomber, the pilot lands on a tropical island and finds it filled with crashed airplanes. Unfortunately, the pilots of those planes are still around, and they're [[HorrorHunger hungry]] zombies.
126* {{Determinator}}: Taarna doesn't let anything deter her from defeating the barbarians.
127* DisintegratorRay: Harry Canyon has a disintegrator ray installed in his cab to dispose of passengers who try to rob him.
128* DisneyAcidSequence: We get a short acid sequence in "So Beautiful, So Dangerous," to the tune of "All of You" by Don Felder. And the ''[[Franchise/StarTrek U.S.S. Enterprise]]'' even makes a cameo!
129* DownerEnding: Captain Sternn and the B-17 arcs; [[spoiler:the former ends up with him getting away with his crimes and [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness killing off Hanover]] while the latter ends up with both living pilots killed off by the zombies]].
130* DragonRider: Taarna...sort of. It's not clear ''what'' her winged mount is supposed to be, though.
131* DropShip: It starts with an astronaut exiting his space shuttle and landing on Earth in a convertible Corvette.
132* EarnYourHappyEnding: Den's arc is played up as this; [[spoiler:In spite of all the obstacles he's faced in rescuing Katherine, he defeats both antagonists and chooses to stay with her after saving her. Even though he won't see his old world again, he's content with that given he has decided he has more of a future on Neverwhere with her than on Earth]].
133* EarthAllAlong: The deleted "[[https://youtu.be/miar5eKG4uY Neverwhere Land]]" segment would have had the [[GreenRocks Loc-Nar]] crashing on a nearby planet that turns out to be Earth and starting life after being ThrownOutTheAirlock in the previous "Captain Sternn" short.
134* EldritchAbomination: The Loc-Nar, which travels through time and space wrecking people's lives and turning them into zombies, and is clearly sentient. Uhluhtc in the Den segment. [[SdrawkcabName Does this look]] [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos familiar?]]
135* EmeraldPower: The Loc-Nar, which glows green whenever it exerts its power.
136* EverybodyHasLotsOfSex: Den lampshades the fact that, on this new planet, he got lucky twice in one day after arriving a virgin. Note that the fact he's now tall and muscular, saved one of the women from an unpleasant death and had something the other one desperately wanted might have had anything to do with it...
137* EvilSoundsRaspy: Rudnick, the main villain of the "Harry Canyon" segment, has a raspy voice.
138* ExcusePlot: The Loc-Nar shows these segments to a young girl it intends to kill to show her what kind of evil he's capable of.
139* ExtyYearsFromPublication: "Harry Canyon" takes place in 2031, fifty years after the film's 1981 release date.
140* FaceNodAction:
141** "Harry Canyon". Rudnick's two flying goons look at each other and nod briefly before following Harry's cab.
142** "Den". Den and his companion Korg look at each other and nod just before entering the Queen's quarters.
143* {{Fanservice}}: So many huge-breasted naked women they could have called the film ''Heavy Silicone''. Special mention goes to Taarna for managing to make putting her clothes ''back on'' look sexy.
144* FantasticDrug: The plutonium nyborg that the alien pilots snort up in "So Beautiful, So Dangerous". It is ingested like cocaine and produces hallucinogenic effects while leaving its users in a mellow state of euphoria, basically a [[MarijuanaIsLSD combination of marijuana and LSD in powder form]].
145* FantasticFirearms: The barbarian horde that attacks the city and its civilian populace in the final vigniette have firearms that launch darts. These are like [[NailEm huge nails]] but without the head. There isn't the usual "bang!" of gunpowder or other explosive propelling these darts, so it must be compressed air (some guns have hoses) or else a pressurized striker (other guns have a reciprocal piston mechanism). The darts are propelled with sufficient force to skewer people through the thorax.
146* TheFederation: Seems to be the government putting Captain Sternn on trial as he's charged with stealing federation property and Hanover Fiste calls him a law-abiding citizen of the federation.
147* FlippingTheBird: In the "Harry Canyon" segment, Harry at one point gives the finger to some prostitutes at the police station.
148* FramingDevice: Basically the whole film is the Loc-Nar [[EvilGloating bragging what a bad-ass]] it is.
149* FromNobodyToNightmare: In the "Captain Stern" segment, Hanover Fiste starts off as a milksop weakling and is mutated by the Loc-Nar into a gigantic, vicious muscle-bound brute.
150* TheFutureIsNoir: Pretty much the premise of Harry Canyon's segment. It takes place in the future, but follows a noir style.
151* GenderFlip: Taarna is based on a man from the comics called Arzach
152* AGodAmI: The Loc-Nar says he's worshipped as God on some world's before introducing the "Den" segment.
153* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: The Red Queen in Den's segment is a very harsh ruler.
154* GoodIsNotSoft: The few characters who do manage to resist and even fight back the Loc-Nar, namely [[spoiler: Harry Canyon, Den, Skip the pilot, Taarna, and the Girl]], are invariably kind-hearted and just, but also forces to be reckoned with. Even so, vanquishing the ultimate evil changes their lives forever, and not for the better in [[ZombieApocalypse every]] [[HeroicSacrifice case]].
155* GreenRocks: The Loc-Nar is literally a green rock that can raise zombies, transform humans into monsters, alter personalities, etc.
156* {{Hammerspace}}: Where, exactly, was Taarna hiding that sword before her sacrifice?
157* HatesBeingTouched: A couple of thugs learned the hard way that Taarna hates being touched inappropriately... by losing their heads. It didn't help that they belonged to the faction that killed the people she was summoned to defend either.
158* HealingFactor: Ard turns out to be able to heal from any injury when Den attempts to shoot him.
159* HeavyMithril: The Music/BlueOysterCult album ''Fire Of Unknown Origin'' was composed to be the soundtrack for the film - ultimately, only the song ''Veteran of the Psychic Wars'' (written by Creator/MichaelMoorcock) made it into the film, though the song ''Vengeance (The Pact)'' off the same album is a blatant retelling of Taarna's story.
160* HeroicMime: Taarna, the lead action girl in the final segment "Taarna", never says a single word.
161* HoistByHisOwnPetard: "Taarna". Taarna kills the Barbarian Leader by pushing his chainsaw hand into his own chest.
162* {{Homage}}: The film uses the same {{Theremin}} StandardSnippet that was used in TheFifties {{B Movie}}s; the score was unsurprising by Music/ElmerBernstein, who was ''very'' familiar with it, and would later use it in [[Film/Ghostbusters1984 another supernatural film]] directed by Creator/IvanReitman (who was a co-producer in this one).
163* TheHorde: Barbarian minions are seen in "Den" and "Taarna".
164* HorseOfADifferentColor: Taarna's bird-dinosaur-thing is her mount. Also the bat-like steeds tied up outside the BadGuyBar Taarna visits, and the giant winged bugs from "Den".
165* HulkingOut: Hanover Fiste ends up transforming into a muscular brute because of the Loc-Nar.
166* HumanSacrifice: The queen in "Den" sacrifices women to appease "Uhluhtc" and gain the powers of the Loc-Nar. Ard does the same thing later, with the same intended sacrifice, even.
167* HypercompetentSidekick: Taarna's bird not only saves her from certain death twice, but also ends up kicking more ass than she does.
168* IChooseToStay: Den chooses not to return to Earth, satisfied that he was pulled away from home to a better home.
169* ImADoctorNotAPlaceholder: When the elder from "Taarna" is told that they must arm themselves he says that they're not warriors, they're statesmen and scientists and have to summon a Taarakian to defend them.
170* ImMelting: Many people in this film meet their ends by melting, mostly by exposure to the Loc Nar.
171* IntimidationDemonstration: Before fighting Taarna, the Barbarian Leader shows off the cutting power of his circular saw hand by cutting through a metal pipe.
172* ItsSnowingCocaine: The "So Beautiful, So Dangerous" segment - Zeke and Edsel, the alien pilots, each hoist out what looks like a 25-pound bag of plutonium nyborg, lay them out in lines long enough to travel the entire ship, then proceed to snort all of it.
173* JudicialWig: The segment that focuses on the trial of Captain Lincoln Sternn is presided over by a corpulent judge wearing the classic woolen wig, even though the courtroom is aboard a huge space station, with a CastOfSnowflakes gallery of bizarre aliens. He presumably bugs out when star witness Hanover Fiste goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
174* KarmaHoudini: Sternn gets off scot-free for his transgressions thanks to hiring Hanover Fiste to lie in court and making a run for it when the Loc-Nar causes Fiste to go berserk and try to attack him. He even avoids getting killed by Fiste by paying him the money he promised him and then shooting him into space.
175* LanternJawOfJustice: The trope of a good guy having a large chin is inverted. [[AntiHero They give the chin to Sternn]], whose segment has him on trial for many awful crimes he's committed.
176* LargeHam: Hanover Fiste really chews the scenery while bringing up Captain Sternn's atrocities.
177--> '''STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!'''
178* LastOfHisKind: Taarna is the last of the Taarakians. [[spoiler: Until the end.]]
179* LawEnforcementInc: In "Harry Canyon", Harry tries to report a murder and seeks assistance from the police but in this dystopian future they've become privatized and are no longer a public good instead demanding $1000 a day for their services.
180* LightningCanDoAnything: Lightning passing through the Loc-Nar is what transported Den to Neverwhere. He letter redirects electricity through it to banish Ard and the Queen.
181* LimitedAnimation: The Grimaldi bridge sequence has certain parts, like the Corvette, poorly rotoscoped, and the [[spoiler:house blowing up in the end not rotoscoped at all, but this is due to time constraints]].
182* ListOfTransgressions / LongList: The charges against Sternn.
183* LittleUselessGun: At the end of "Harry Canyon", [[spoiler:the archaeologist's daughter pulls a pocket pistol on Harry, who disintegrates her with his cab's death ray. He catches the dropped pistol, but disgustedly chucks it at the (closed) window instead of putting it in his glovebox with the other weapons passengers had used to threaten him.]]
184* ALongTimeAgoInAGalaxyFarFarAway: "Captain Sternn" was originally going to end with the Loc-Nar starting life on Earth meaning Sternn must belong to a society of HumanAliens billions of years in the past.
185* LodgedBladeRemoval: Attempted during the "Taarna" segment. As the Council of Elders try to summon a Defender, an acolyte rushes to barricade the chamber door against the barbarian horde. The barrier crumbles before their assault, and the acolyte receives a number of darts at close range, falling supine at this barrage. One dart is lodged in his throat, and he tries in a panic to pull it out. He dies before that happens, however.
186* MadeOfBologna: The three mooks that harass Taarna in the bar get their heads cut off in two deft strokes. One mook's headless body falls prone, revealing green bologna with a spinal bone and a universal conduit, and nothing else besides green blood.
187* MadeOfEvil: The Loc-Nar is an artifact of pure evil that brings out the worst in people.
188* MageInManhattan: Den uses the Loc-Nar to banish Ard and the Queen from Neverwhere and figures they're probably in his house back on Earth.
189* MagicMeteor: Loc-Nar is referred to as a meteor a couple of times.
190* MakeThemRot: The Loc-Nar can give off a green energy that causes highly accelerated decomposition. If used on living creatures it causes death ("Grimaldi", "Harry Canyon"). If used on dead bodies it makes their flesh rot away and turns them into animated skeletons ("B-17").
191* MaleGaze: Throughout the movie, there's plenty of focus on women's breasts and buttocks.
192* MarijuanaIsLSD: Plutonium nyborg, a FantasticDrug in the film, is a powder that is ingested like cocaine by the alien pilots of the segment "So Beautiful, So Dangerous" and produces hallucinogenic effects while leaving its users in a mellow state of euphoria, as sort of a combination of marijuana and LSD.
193* {{Martians}}: Some graffiti on the side of the SpaceStation in "So Beautiful & So Dangerous" says "Martians are people too".
194* MoeGreeneSpecial: The co-pilot of the B-17 finds the bespectacled radioman shot through the eye.
195* MostCommonSuperpower: Taarna is a heroine with large breasts.
196-->'''Website/TheAgonyBooth:''' Revenge-seeking warrior, with '''boobs'''! Just think every strong, silent fantasy hero cliché, and you’ll get the idea. Plus, '''boobs'''!
197* MostWritersAreMale: There was almost no female character that behaved in any way, shape, or form the way a reasonable and intelligent person would act. You had a woman who worked at the Pentagon, whose first reaction to being abducted by aliens was to complain that she was going to miss her gynecologist appointment, and who later fell in love with a robot who didn't look remotely human. (Of course, the archaeologist's daughter was trying to manipulate Harry, which makes her behavior to that point make sense. And as for Gloria... even the most sensible of us will panic and babble about random things while in shock—although, admittedly, that ''only'' explains her going off about her check-up, ''not'' jumping in bed with the robot.)
198* MrFanservice: Den, a teenager who is brought to Neverwhere and changed into a musclebound, bald and hung Adonis. The only way to make him more an example would have been for him to stay naked as in the original comics.
199* MsFanservice: They appears through most of the stories, and in different ways:
200** The Girl in "Harry Canyon" is a villainous manipulator who easily seduces Harry for her scheme until she tries to dispose of him.
201** Kath and The Queen in "Den" are ShamelessFanserviceGirl characters who revel in becoming naked physical ideals in the primitive and magical land of Neverwhere and enjoy having the attentions of the ultimate MrFanservice.
202** Gloria in "So Beautiful, So Dangerous" is a relatively vapid secretary who grows to enjoy the seduction of a goofy robot.
203** Taarna is a {{Stripperific}} ActionGirl who spends much of her time both bloodily fighting barbarians and being captured, stripped naked and whipped by them.
204* MuggingTheMonster: One of Harry Canyon's fares tries to rob him at gun point, causing Canyon to kick a secret button that activates a DisintegratorRay.
205* {{Mutants}}: "So Beautiful & So Dangerous" starts with a scientist being asked about green radiation from space turning people into mutants. They apparently turned green and grew arms from their backs.
206* MysticalWhiteHair: Though Taarna looks like a young woman, her hair is all white with streaks of grey. Also, at the end, the girl develops white hair after she's revealed as Taarna's reincarnation.
207[[/folder]]
208
209[[folder:N-Z]]
210* NakedOnArrival: Den is nude when he first appears on Neverwhere, though he quickly grabs a loincloth.
211* NeverTrustATitle: This movie really does not focus on heavy metal music. The soundtrack is subdued enough that most of the music is barely audible in the background, there are long gaps between songs, and by today's standards most of the songs would not really be considered heavy metal. The name comes from the magazine the stories were taken from rather than the music.
212** As far as the soundtrack album goes, only the Sammy Hagar, Riggs, Nazareth, and Music/BlackSabbath songs were considered "metal" (or hard rock, at best). The Donald Fagen and Stevie Nicks songs were soft rock, the Journey song was a power ballad, the Devo song was New Wave, and everything else was regular rock.
213** Indeed, as much as half the music heard in the film is a well-regarded symphonic score, composed by Music/ElmerBernstein.
214** This is more an example of a misunderstood title. The title of the film comes from the American version of the incredibly influential French graphic/comic book anthology "Métal hurlant", in which the Metal refers not to music but to the application of a Metal attitude to graphic novels, just as Punk literature does not have to involve Punk music.
215* NippleAndDimed: Every clip but ''B-17'' has completely uncensored bare boobs. ''B-17'' is Adult for [[BodyHorror another reason]].
216* NoBodyLeftBehind: The DisintegratorRay that Harry Canyon uses to melt customers that try to rob him leaves nothing behind.
217* NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow: The {{Trope Namer|s}}, after Den, in his new body, swims an extremely long distance underwater.
218* ObsessiveCompulsiveBarkeeping: In "Taarna", when the title character enters a bar the bartender is repeatedly shown drying a glass.
219* OurZombiesAreDifferent: In "B-17". They're reanimated by the Loc-nar, and apparently have SuperStrength, as seen when they rip through the solid steel door of the titular plane's cockpit.
220* {{Panspermia}}: The deleted "Neverwhere Land" had the Loc-Nar starting life on Earth.
221* PercussiveMaintenance: In "So Beautiful and So Dangerous" one of the aliens causes a compartment to slide open by kicking it.
222* PoliceAreUseless: In "Harry Canyon", Harry tries to report a murder and seeks assistance from the police but in this dystopian future they've become privatized and are no longer a public good instead demanding $1000 a day for their services. Harry snarks, "Thanks for nothing".
223* PossessingADeadBody: In the segment "B-17", an aerial sortee of B-17's conduct a bombing raid over hostile territory. One plane in particular suffers heavy casualties, leaving only the pilot and co-pilot alive. During the return trip, a green orb called the Loc-Nar smashes its way aboard, where it reanimates the dead crewmen into shambling zombies hellbent on killing the two survivors.
224* PragmaticAdaptation
225** Most of the magazine-based stories are altered to fit the format. In particular, Den, who is perfectly comfortable being [[MaleFrontalNudity buck naked]] in the original comics, gets a loincloth. On the plus side, the comic's stiff English translation of the dialogue is replaced by a much relaxed tone that sounds more natural and humorous with a horny teenager's take on the macho fantasy story.
226** Originally there was going to be a lot more overlap between the stories (e.g. Hanover Fiste is seen traveling on the same ship as the stoner aliens and declares that Sternn WILL go free). However this became impossible due to the filming of each segment being handled by different studios, with collaboration between them being incredibly difficult.
227* PrivateEyeMonologue: "Harry Canyon" has Canyon talk to himself like he's a noir protagonist.
228* PunnyName: Hanover Fiste. Harry Canyon.
229* RaisedHandOfSurvival: The Taarna segment has the huge Loc-Nar spew a torrent of greenish ooze, which floods the valley and inundates everyone beneath it, including the red-robed leader. After much time submerged in this ooze, the leader's organic hand breaks the surface, still clutching his "Z" medallion. Then his mechanical hand also breaks the surface, and makes a fist. The leader emerges as an undead evil minion of the Loc-Nar, promptly declaring war on the rest of the living world: "Death to all who oppose us!"
230* ReasonYouSuckSpeech: Regarding Captain Sternn..
231-->'''Hanover Fiste:''' He's nothing but a low-down, double-dealing, backstabbing, larcenous perverted worm! ''Hangin's'' too good for him. ''Burnin's'' too good for him! He should be torn into little bitsy pieces and ''buried alive!''
232* RedEyesTakeWarning: The evil queen in "Den" and the Barbarian Leader's giant evil rat {{Right Hand Cat}}s in "Taarna" have red eyes.
233* RefugeInAudacity: Some of the charges against Sternn are so over the top they're hilarious, including running a prostitute ring consisting of preschoolers and dealing drugs while disguised as a nun.
234* ReligionOfEvil: The Uhluhtc worshipers in "Den".
235* ReincarnateInAnotherWorld: After dying on a distant planet Taarna reincarnates as [[spoiler:Grimaldi's daughter]] on Earth.
236* ReincarnationIdentifyingTrait: Astronaut Grimaldi's daughter witnesses the demise of the last Taarakian warrior as she vanquishes the BigBad. Escaping her home just before it's blown to smithereens, Grimaldi's daughter discovers a featherless bird has come to her side. Her hair turns white in the moonlight, and she develops a ring-and-sword birthmark on her neck, which indicates that she has become the newest Taarakian warrior. Some closing exposition by August Schellenberg as the narrator verifies this spirit-transfer.
237* RescueSex: In the "Den" sequence.
238-->'''Katherine:''' I have no reward to give you, but - if any part of me pleases your senses, I would give it to you... willingly.
239* RevelingInTheNewForm: In the segment "Den", a scrawny science nerd is studying lightning in his room when a bolt creates an electric arc that teleports him through space and time to the world called Neverwhere, transforming his body into that of muscular warrior. "Hmm, big," Den notes of his new physique, and promptly snags a pennant to use as a loincloth.
240* RidiculouslyHumanRobot: The robot in "So Beautiful and So Dangerous", to the point that he has sex with Gloria and ends up begging her to marry him.
241* RightHandCat: The giant rat-like pet of the BigBad Barbarian Leader in "Taarna".
242* JustForFun/RobbyTheRobot: Cameos selling Harry Canyon a hotdog from a cart.
243* {{Robosexual}}: Gloria and the robot, somehow, get it on.
244* RocketlessReentry: In the opening an astronaut exits the space shuttle in a 1959 Corvette and descends to Earth. Strangely, he only deploys a parachute after he lands.
245* {{Rotoscoping}}: Much of Taarna's actions, especially the dressing scenes, were rotoscoped from Toronto model Carole Desbiens. Also some of the B-17 footage and parts of "Grimaldi".
246* RuleOfCool: The entire film not only uses this, it runs wild with it.
247* RuleOfFunny: During the "Captain Sternn" and "So Beautiful, So Dangerous" segments, logic is thrown out for the sake of humor.
248* SamusIsAGirl: Taarna turns out to be female after it's assumed she'd be male.
249* SavedByThePlatformBelow: Subverted. Taarna come to upon a ledge within a very deep pit. Some poor RedShirt is thrown in, and he misses the ledge and continues plummeting into the depths, screaming all the way.
250* SceneryPorn: Particularly in the alien abduction segment and the Taarna segment.
251* SchizoTech: Present in the settings of Den and Taarna, which feature automatic weapons in tandem with swords, axes, and spears.
252* SdrawkcabName: In the segment "Den", the deity that several characters try to make a HumanSacrifice to is named "Uhluhtc": Cthulhu (from the Franchise/CthulhuMythos) backwards.
253* SexBot: A robot capable of sex is featured in "So Beautiful and So Dangerous".
254-->'''Robot''': Earth women who experience sexual ecstasy with mechanical assistance always tend to feel guilty!
255* ShamefulStrip: When Taarna is captured by the Barbarian Leader, he has her stripped. Not that there was much to take off to begin with...
256* ShootingSuperman: Ard isn't bothered by Den shooting him and the bullet wounds heal instantly.
257* ShoutOut:
258** In the "Den" story, the name of the eldritch god "Uhluhtc", whose favor the villains are trying to win is clearly "Cthulhu" spoken backward (the sacrificial altar also clearly resembles Cthulhu).
259** There's a moment in the final scene of the movie which is probably a reference to the Andrew Wyeth painting "[[https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78455 Christina's World]]".
260* ShroudedInMyth: The Loc-Nar.
261* SicklyGreenGlow: The Loc-Nar glows green to show how sinister he is.
262* SissyVillain: Ard, "Leader of the Revolution, and Next Ruler of the World."
263-->'''Ard''': Well, aren't we ''fierce!'' Guards, castrate him!
264* SleepsInTheNude: In “Harry Canyon”, the titular character sleeps in his apartment bed this way. When a smitten woman he saved is taken there, she decides to join him like this, taking off her clothes and getting into bed.
265* SmokingHotSex: Gloria smokes a cigarette after sleeping with the robot.
266* SolarSystemNeighbors: The Venutians are after the Loc-Nar in the "Harry Canyon" segment. They're possibly the short aliens helping a human archeologist dig it up in the beginning.
267* SoNearYetSoFar: This sort of plot is used in the episode "Den". Den knows where Katherine Wells is - she's sleeping inside a glass case in Ard's palace. Unfortunately, Ard will only allow her to wake after Den has stolen the Loc-Nar from the Queen and returned it to him. Things don't turn out quite as planned.
268* SoUnfunnyItsFunny: "Goddamn illegal aliens..."
269* SpacePirate: One of the many crimes Sternness is charged with is piracy.
270* SpaceStation:
271** Captain Sternn is set entirely on one.
272** "So Beautiful & So Dangerous" ends with the ship half crashing and half landing inside a vast one.
273* SparedByTheAdaptation: In the original comic, Norl was killed by the Queen's guards when they captured Den. In the film, he enters the chambers from the other entrance and disappears after stealing the Loc-Nar.
274* SpiritualSuccessor: Den -> ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'', in many ways.
275* StabTheSky: Appears on the film poster and during the "Taarna" segment.
276* {{Stripperific}}
277** Taarna, as visible in the poster (although her battle gear doesn't cover much either, and sports CombatStilettos). Although, there were real life warrior cultures where going to war wearing little or nothing was both an actual practice and a sign of being a total badass who wasn't afraid to fight without armor. Plus, it allows for better movement and everything in Taarna's story takes place on a desert planet.
278** Exploited when [[spoiler: the Barbarian Leader slashes Taarna across the stomach. Another reason not to expose your skin in combat.]]
279* TemptingFate. "Captain Sternn". While Sternn is fleeing Hanover Fiste, he takes refuge in a tunnel and says "Lost him" to his robot companion. A second later he hears Fiste smashing through things and approaching him.
280* ThanksForTheMammary: How Den first meets the evil queen.
281* ThemeSongReveal: Music/BlueOysterCult wrote "Vengeance (The Pact)" for this movie but it was replaced with "[[Music/FireOfUnknownOrigin Veteran Of The Psychic Wars]]" due to the former song's lyrics having major spoilers for Taarna.
282* ThongOfShielding: Taarna's thong doesn't cover her buttocks.
283* ThrownOutTheAirlock: The fate of Hanover Fiste is that he's shot into space after Sternn pays him for lying in court.
284* TrapDoor: Captain Sternn uses one to get rid of Hanover Fiste.
285* UnconventionalCourtroomTactics: Sternn bribes Hanover Fiste so that he'll lie about what a good person he is and have his charges dropped.
286* UndressingTheUnconscious: Done in reverse during the "Taarna" segment. Taarna has been captured by the barbarians, and stripped naked. Their chief then horsewhips her into unconsciousness. Taarna awakens naked on a ledge in a [[BottomlessPits bottomless pit]], and has her outfit thrown down to her.
287* UndyingLoyalty: Taarna's winged mount shows this towards its master.
288* UnstoppableRage: '''STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!''' [[spoiler: Or at least it WOULD be this if it wasn't all an act.]]
289* VillainessesWantHeroes: The evil queen ''really'' wants Den to "please" her.
290* VillainProtagonist: Captain Sternn, is the most immoral segment protagonist, when you considered his actions.
291* TheVoiceless: Taarna. It is never stated whether she is actually mute or simply chooses not to speak.
292* WishFulfillment: For straight men: lots of horny busty women who get naked at the drop of a hat and screw anything that moves.
293* WhatHappenedToTheMouse
294** "Harry Canyon." After taking the girl to his apartment (where they have sex), Harry is woken up the next morning by two cops demanding to know where she was, "or you're dead!" While it's not unreasonable for the villain to have corrupt cops working for him, this is never hinted at, and the villain just sends two thugs after Harry.
295** "Den." After Norl splits up with Den during the attempt to steal the Loc-Nar from the Queen, he is never seen again. Since his master Ard ends up with the Loc-Nar, Norl presumably acquired it and returned it to him. However, he doesn't appear during the final battle between the Queen and Ard. (This differs from the comic, where Norl dies fighting the guards.)
296** "So Beautiful, So Dangerous" starts out with government officials discussing mysterious human mutations, and Dr. Anrak seems to be part of a cover-up that is later implied to involve Zeke, Edsel, and the robot. Except the mutation story is completely and utterly forgotten when said aliens abduct Dr. Anrak and Gloria. The behind-the-scenes material on disc implies that this story was [[NoPunIntended heavily]] edited from the original treatment - apparently to the point where it just stops arbitrarily instead of ending. In fact, much that went wrong with this film (particularly the inconsistent animation style, some poor writing in places, and sections that just stop or don't really make sense or were entirely left out like an intended link between Captain Sternn and B-17) can be seen as a combination of inexperience, poor planning, and just plain not enough time and money being spent on the project.
297* WretchedHive: New York in "Harry Canyon", much like parts of it around 1980.
298* WorldOfBuxom: Except for the young girl in the framing story, every major female character is at least big-breasted. Heck, the FemmeFatale in the ''Harry Canyon'' segment has breasts so large they're the ''last'' to vaporize.
299* YouAreTooLate: Tarnaa doesn't arrive at the city that summoned her until everyone is dead, and the bad guys are gone.
300* JustForFun/XMeetsY: The ''Imagining Heavy Metal'' documentary refers to the movie as "SwordAndSorcery meets ScienceFiction meets ''Magazine/{{Playboy}}''".
301* YourSizeMayVary: The Loc-Nar can be anywhere from the size of a large marble to being able to fill a volcano.
302* ZombieApocalypse: The B-17 segment. First the dead crew of the B-17 turn into zombies, then [[spoiler: the B-17's pilot parachutes onto an island infested with zombies who were once the crew of crashed planes.]]
303[[/folder]]
304----
305''Won't you take a ride, ride, ride, ride...on Heavy Metal...''
306----
307->''"...And the spirit of time is transferred across the universe, [[TakeUpMySword to a new defender]], and the power of evil is contained for another generation, [[ChangingOfTheGuard and a new Taarakian is born, to protect the next.]]"''

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