Don Movie Reviews

For me, the story on the whole is pretty good and the people (especially the two main characters and their horse, but others as well) are quite funny. I was a little frustrated with parts of it, and I didn't really care much for the leading lady, but on the whole, I was entertained. For an adult, I'd say go ahead and buy. But before buying it for your children, just be aware that the PG rating is for a some pretty frightening supernatural scenes near the end, a "mooning" scene, and a suggested sex scene.

To give you a better idea of what the sex scene is all about, it goes something like this: The leading lady seduces one of the main characters in order to keep him from following the other main character, she massages his shoulders from behind as he sits on a sofa, she puts her hands far down the back of his shirt (at one point, he yells "ow!"), he resists her and they switch places, but she tells him that she is "free now" and pulls her hair aside from her shoulders to expose them better, then he gives in and massages her shoulders as a drunken smile comes over his face, then the scene cuts to something else, but it later returns to their voices and an empty sofa where, on hearing the voice of the villain, she pops up from the floor all worried about being found with him, she pulls her leg over 'something' to sit up, then he sits up with the drunken smile still, and she straightens his clothes and shoos him to meet his visitor -- they are clothed all along (her always rather scantily anyway), but they were obviously laying on the floor, and she was fairly obviously laying on top of him. Also, it may be inconsequential to some, but the suggested sex is outside of marriage or a present love relationship of any kind in the movie. Gotta say I was pretty shocked at this being in an animated DreamWorks film (PG-rating and all), even though the two do end up inlove which then didn't seem believable as there was not much more to their relationship than a mutual friendship of convenience.

If you don't mind your kids seeing that (and you won't always know if a child totally missed it, is curious but just doesn't want to discuss it, or for an older kid, has a pretty good idea and is now being influenced by its acceptability in the film) or the scary supernatural scene, I'd say go ahead and buy because it's worth seeing otherwise. But don't let Hollywood desensitize you (or other reviewers bully you) into thinking you have to accept what makes you uncomfortable or you're just an old prude -- think for yourself and use your own best judgment ESPECIALLY when it comes to your kids.

It is nice to see that Disney has some competition. This is a solid 3 star movie of average entertainment value. The strength of the movie is repartee between the two main characters. The script design reminded me a little of a combination of the Sean Conneryand Michael Caine movie THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING and the Road movies done by Hope and Crosby only here they are Spanish warriors, not british warriors or american dandys.

This is a movie that had enough action for my little kids and enough comedy for the older ones, like me. If you are looking for non-disney family fun also check out SWAN PRINCESS, BRAVE LITTLE TOASTER and the LAND BEFORE TIME.

I judge children's movies based on how eager I am to watch it again after what seems like the 50th viewing.

El Dorado passes with flying colors. My husband and I enjoy watching it as much as my three year old does. I notice something new every time. The characters are believable, the story holds my attention and the music isn't too annoying.

I give it only three stars because I think there are some aspects of the story that are too mature for little ones. It is rated PG, which I missed before I ordered it, due to some sexual situations and scary scenes. My daughter doesn't get the sexual references, but I could see a six year old asking some interesting questions.

For me, the story on the whole is pretty good and the people (especially the two main characters and their horse, but others as well) are quite funny. I was a little frustrated with parts of it, and I didn't really care much for the leading lady, but on the whole, I was entertained. For an adult, I'd say go ahead and buy. But before buying it for your children, just be aware that the PG rating is for a some pretty frightening supernatural scenes near the end, a "mooning" scene, and a suggested sex scene.

To give you a better idea of what the sex scene is all about, it goes something like this: The leading lady seduces one of the main characters in order to keep him from following the other main character, she massages his shoulders from behind as he sits on a sofa, she puts her hands far down the back of his shirt (at one point, he yells "ow!"), he resists her and they switch places, but she tells him that she is "free now" and pulls her hair aside from her shoulders to expose them better, then he gives in and massages her shoulders as a drunken smile comes over his face, then the scene cuts to something else, but it later returns to their voices and an empty sofa where, on hearing the voice of the villain, she pops up from the floor all worried about being found with him, she pulls her leg over 'something' to sit up, then he sits up with the drunken smile still, and she straightens his clothes and shoos him to meet his visitor -- they are clothed all along (her always rather scantily anyway), but they were obviously laying on the floor, and she was fairly obviously laying on top of him. Also, it may be inconsequential to some, but the suggested sex is outside of marriage or a present love relationship of any kind in the movie. Gotta say I was pretty shocked at this being in an animated DreamWorks film (PG-rating and all), even though the two do end up inlove which then didn't seem believable as there was not much more to their relationship than a mutual friendship of convenience.

If you don't mind your kids seeing that (and you won't always know if a child totally missed it, is curious but just doesn't want to discuss it, or for an older kid, has a pretty good idea and is now being influenced by its acceptability in the film) or the scary supernatural scene, I'd say go ahead and buy because it's worth seeing otherwise. But don't let Hollywood desensitize you (or other reviewers bully you) into thinking you have to accept what makes you uncomfortable or you're just an old prude -- think for yourself and use your own best judgment ESPECIALLY when it comes to your kids.

It is nice to see that Disney has some competition. This is a solid 3 star movie of average entertainment value. The strength of the movie is repartee between the two main characters. The script design reminded me a little of a combination of the Sean Conneryand Michael Caine movie THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING and the Road movies done by Hope and Crosby only here they are Spanish warriors, not british warriors or american dandys.

This is a movie that had enough action for my little kids and enough comedy for the older ones, like me. If you are looking for non-disney family fun also check out SWAN PRINCESS, BRAVE LITTLE TOASTER and the LAND BEFORE TIME.

I judge children's movies based on how eager I am to watch it again after what seems like the 50th viewing.

El Dorado passes with flying colors. My husband and I enjoy watching it as much as my three year old does. I notice something new every time. The characters are believable, the story holds my attention and the music isn't too annoying.

I give it only three stars because I think there are some aspects of the story that are too mature for little ones. It is rated PG, which I missed before I ordered it, due to some sexual situations and scary scenes. My daughter doesn't get the sexual references, but I could see a six year old asking some interesting questions.

Disney's animated Peter Pan movie is a good movie, I really enjoyed watching it, I liked the story, the animation, the voices and the catchy songs and I recommend this highly to fans of Disney movies.

Of all the Disney adaptated tales, Peter Pan was proably one of the best. While not as Dark as JM Barrie's original story, it keeps the spirit of the original work and makes it family friendly without betraying it (Hercules anyone? Talk about completly gutting the source material). This is an acceptable adaptation in comparrison to Hercules.

Peter's arrogance and pretty much being oblivious to the way the girls around him feel about him is right on point. Tink, Wendy, and even Tiger Lily all want Peter to be something he can never be, a man. While his willingness to sacrafice for the good of others and be a knight in shinning armor of sorts must be what draws the girls in, but on a personal level he can never connect in a mature way. Even when he starts out on a nobel effort (like saving Tiger Lily) he gets so caught up in the game he just about forgets that he's there to save the young lady. This is certainly an impression of Peter given in the book. You can't really hate him for his moments of being a silly boy, especially when it comes to girls, because that's all he is and all he can ever be, a boy. And as for the 'jealouse women' reactions that circle the film, it's important to note they're not women -- they're girls. Yes, Tink is a fairy but her sense of things seems to be at the same level as Wendy.

Some of the complaints I've heard about the film are the way the Indians are portrayed. And quite a few lines ('ugh', 'How', the 'red man' song) are proably an unfortunate product of the time. But the fact is, when I was a kid I did run around saying 'bwah, bwah, bwah' when I played 'Indian'. So it makes sense in a world locked into a child's sense of the world the indians (to proper english children) would be a bit exagurated.

So all in all, Disney did a pretty good job adapting this into a film. And it's still a favorite. All in all it's a good peice. I'm a grown woman still hoping Peter will visit my window one day. And my little sisters love the movie.

I love this movie, as I do all the earlier Disney animations. I read the review by Carolinapooh, and I, too, remember that the part about clapping to keep Tinkerbell alive was in the movie! If you watch it, you will see Tinkerbell fading, and then there is an abrupt cut and suddenly she's OK. Why would they have taken it out? Maybe they think kids today are just too sophisticated for that, and sadly, they may be right.

I don't care what the rest says, this is the best frickin' movie I EVER saw!
(Just wished someone could ship it to the Netherlands.. but I guess PAL/NTSC-compatibility gives a problem with that..)

I saw this movie years ago on HBO or Showtime, Thought... Ehhh.. Nothing big. The more times I saw this film the more I realized the amount of detail and elbow grease was put into it. You have to watch this and pay attention to the details, from reading the back of the ambulance to hearing Igg and Ook Mention their names while dying. The cast of this movie was priceless.

I know this movie gets bad press but it's an ingenious masterpiece. Putting the robberies to music and the fact that his "high tech" gadgets include skateboards, softballs, and olive oil in such an unexpected and brilliant move that the amazing cast, hilarious lines, and uproaring sequences (my favorite being the "purary dart" sequance)just help put it even farther ahead of its time to the point that we still haven't caught up. The only comedies that walk beside it are "UHF" and "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie". so when you buy this also buy those cause they add that same humor.

'nuff said

I saw this movie for a number of reasons. I had heard that Russell Crowe gave a stellar performance (it was mediocre at best), that the film was the Australian equivalent of "American History X" (it was no such thing), and that it was in Premiere Magazine's list of the most controversial films ever made.

Unfortunately, the film was rather aimless. The first forty-five minutes or so concentrate on the neo-Nazis' war against Vietnamese immigrants, while the second forty-five minutes concentrate on a bizarre competition between Hando (Crowe) and Davey (Daniel Pollock)over an abused epileptic named Gabe (Jacqueline McKenzie). The sudden shift in subject leaves the viewer wondering if the film has a true purpose. The first half seems like a cheap attempt at grabbing the audience's attention, while the second half seems like a hurried attempt to make a point about the confusion of neo-Nazis.

In addition, the cinematography was amateurish, with the camera frequently being jolted around to remind the viewer that the film is supposed to be violent. Also, the music is dated.

In my opinion, this movie is not worth watching. I recommend seeing "A Clockwork Orange" if you want to see some violence or "American History X" if you want to see some neo-Nazis.

in its sheer ugliness, which this film spews out with every scene. Think about doing a hate crime? Watch this and it will cool any intolerant ardors. This story of neo-nazi skinheads living on the fringes of Australian society should be viewed as preventive medicine. Or as a sociological case. Grim and merciless in its violence, the film documents the short life and times of a group of nobodies, whose only recourse in life is to hate. Themselves and others. Russell Crowe hands in one of his most intense roles ever. This lad from down under can truly ACT. Crowe slips into the skin of Hando, leader of the group and gives a rivoting performance as one who makes a life out of resentment. Out of hating others. These 'others' are the Vietnamese immigrants who threaten Hando's whiteness. Threaten, because it is all he has. Whiteness. His band of miscreants have nothing to show for themselves. No education, no jobs, not even true love for one another. So their sole raison d'etre is fighting for the one thing they had no role in creating. Their race.

The film starts with a truly forboding scene. The thrashing(almost to death) of some hated 'gooks' in an empty underpass. This senseless violence sets the tone for the whole film. It gets worse. Much worse. The skins attempt to ethnically cleanse their neighborhood and then it backfires. The get a taste of their own poison in one of the most adrenalin-pumping scenes ever filmed. I can remember when I first saw this film in my youthful years. My heart just about jumped out with fear. Those shots of the bloodied haters being chased down narrow alleys by a vengeful horde, make you almost pity Hando's gang. But they choose the knive.

The film centers around action. Beating, slugging, kniving. In a word, destroying. In an attempt at balance, the film contains the subplot of Gabe, Hando's girl. A runaway from a sexually abusive father, Gabe's as lost as the others. No goal, no plan, no life. Yet, she appears to offer the gang a tinge of civilizing love. Whether demanding mercy for a brutally beaten Vietnamese or cooking for them, she thinks a little love will set these boys straight. When she finds out she is wrong, it is too late. She escapes and gets her revenge by tattling to the police. The noose tightens.

All the while of course, one of the skins, Davey, a moody, taciturn 'sensitive' thug begins to have doubts about Hando and his methods. The softening of his heart is no doubt the influence of Gabe, who gives up on the dead-end street of Hando.

The end is a Shakespearian intersection of paths taken to their logical conclusion. Hando can't admit he is the one responsible for his meaningless life. It's always the fault of others. The signature of all haters. Davey and Gabe recognize the need for a new start and Hando can't accept this. He won't go down alone.....

Not a deep film, nor one with much emotional complexity. But an intense one with its own kind of stark moral. What you breed will eat you.

Next time your heart fills with hatred, watch this film and let it purge you back to your senses.

Romper Stomper begins as a movie about racism. The Australian white people feel as though the Asian immigrants are encroaching on their homeland, so violence quickly ensues. After a mass retaliation by the immigrants, the neo-nazis are forced to flee their home. Their numbers plummet as members are killed in run-ins with both the immigrants and the police. The movie ends with a love triangle between the two male leads and best friends, Hando and Davey, and the female lead, Gabe. So, the question rises: Did American History X rip Romper Stomper off? No, it did not. American History X focuses solely on racism, whereas Romper Stomper seems to deal with a woman ruining a friendship between two men, with the backdrop of racism. This point explains why Romper Stomper takes a sharp turn for its second half in dealing strictly with the love triangle and why the scenes of violence involving the immigrants seem so neutral, as previously pointed out by other viewers. So, if you are looking for a movie that has a lesson on racism, this may not be what you are looking for. However, I still recommend it since it does have a strong message attached, even though that message could be considered somewhat controversial in itself.

I saw this movie for a number of reasons. I had heard that Russell Crowe gave a stellar performance (it was mediocre at best), that the film was the Australian equivalent of "American History X" (it was no such thing), and that it was in Premiere Magazine's list of the most controversial films ever made.

Unfortunately, the film was rather aimless. The first forty-five minutes or so concentrate on the neo-Nazis' war against Vietnamese immigrants, while the second forty-five minutes concentrate on a bizarre competition between Hando (Crowe) and Davey (Daniel Pollock)over an abused epileptic named Gabe (Jacqueline McKenzie). The sudden shift in subject leaves the viewer wondering if the film has a true purpose. The first half seems like a cheap attempt at grabbing the audience's attention, while the second half seems like a hurried attempt to make a point about the confusion of neo-Nazis.

In addition, the cinematography was amateurish, with the camera frequently being jolted around to remind the viewer that the film is supposed to be violent. Also, the music is dated.

In my opinion, this movie is not worth watching. I recommend seeing "A Clockwork Orange" if you want to see some violence or "American History X" if you want to see some neo-Nazis.

in its sheer ugliness, which this film spews out with every scene. Think about doing a hate crime? Watch this and it will cool any intolerant ardors. This story of neo-nazi skinheads living on the fringes of Australian society should be viewed as preventive medicine. Or as a sociological case. Grim and merciless in its violence, the film documents the short life and times of a group of nobodies, whose only recourse in life is to hate. Themselves and others. Russell Crowe hands in one of his most intense roles ever. This lad from down under can truly ACT. Crowe slips into the skin of Hando, leader of the group and gives a rivoting performance as one who makes a life out of resentment. Out of hating others. These 'others' are the Vietnamese immigrants who threaten Hando's whiteness. Threaten, because it is all he has. Whiteness. His band of miscreants have nothing to show for themselves. No education, no jobs, not even true love for one another. So their sole raison d'etre is fighting for the one thing they had no role in creating. Their race.

The film starts with a truly forboding scene. The thrashing(almost to death) of some hated 'gooks' in an empty underpass. This senseless violence sets the tone for the whole film. It gets worse. Much worse. The skins attempt to ethnically cleanse their neighborhood and then it backfires. The get a taste of their own poison in one of the most adrenalin-pumping scenes ever filmed. I can remember when I first saw this film in my youthful years. My heart just about jumped out with fear. Those shots of the bloodied haters being chased down narrow alleys by a vengeful horde, make you almost pity Hando's gang. But they choose the knive.

The film centers around action. Beating, slugging, kniving. In a word, destroying. In an attempt at balance, the film contains the subplot of Gabe, Hando's girl. A runaway from a sexually abusive father, Gabe's as lost as the others. No goal, no plan, no life. Yet, she appears to offer the gang a tinge of civilizing love. Whether demanding mercy for a brutally beaten Vietnamese or cooking for them, she thinks a little love will set these boys straight. When she finds out she is wrong, it is too late. She escapes and gets her revenge by tattling to the police. The noose tightens.

All the while of course, one of the skins, Davey, a moody, taciturn 'sensitive' thug begins to have doubts about Hando and his methods. The softening of his heart is no doubt the influence of Gabe, who gives up on the dead-end street of Hando.

The end is a Shakespearian intersection of paths taken to their logical conclusion. Hando can't admit he is the one responsible for his meaningless life. It's always the fault of others. The signature of all haters. Davey and Gabe recognize the need for a new start and Hando can't accept this. He won't go down alone.....

Not a deep film, nor one with much emotional complexity. But an intense one with its own kind of stark moral. What you breed will eat you.

Next time your heart fills with hatred, watch this film and let it purge you back to your senses.

Romper Stomper begins as a movie about racism. The Australian white people feel as though the Asian immigrants are encroaching on their homeland, so violence quickly ensues. After a mass retaliation by the immigrants, the neo-nazis are forced to flee their home. Their numbers plummet as members are killed in run-ins with both the immigrants and the police. The movie ends with a love triangle between the two male leads and best friends, Hando and Davey, and the female lead, Gabe. So, the question rises: Did American History X rip Romper Stomper off? No, it did not. American History X focuses solely on racism, whereas Romper Stomper seems to deal with a woman ruining a friendship between two men, with the backdrop of racism. This point explains why Romper Stomper takes a sharp turn for its second half in dealing strictly with the love triangle and why the scenes of violence involving the immigrants seem so neutral, as previously pointed out by other viewers. So, if you are looking for a movie that has a lesson on racism, this may not be what you are looking for. However, I still recommend it since it does have a strong message attached, even though that message could be considered somewhat controversial in itself.

i loved this movie. everyone will like this movie. it's awesome.

I can't believe the number of negative reviews this movie has gotten! I bet these people don't like James Bond movies, either.

To fully appreciate Heavy Metal, one has to understand the era it came out in. At the time, most animation, at least what was seen in the US, was frequently of the "family entertainment" variety seen in Saturday morning cartoons and TV commercials. Apart from Ralph Bakshi, most animators were basically shackled by the need to present something that was "rated G". Heavy Metal took the exact opposite route. It was a liberating experience for the animators working on the film to be allowed to draw things they usually weren't allowed. And they got paid to do it, too!

After the opening Soft Landing sequence, we're introduced to the Loc-Nar, a glowing green orb responsible for all the evil that has plagued the universe (or at least, that which has plagued the human race). The various stories contained in the film are told by the Loc-Nar to a young girl, as examples of it's awesome power.

The stories include the film noir homage Harry Canyon, the male "wish fulfillment fantasy" of Den (which demonstrates the versatility of the late John Candy, who voices both Dan, the science nerd who gets transported into an alternate dimension by the Loc-Nar, as well as Den, the Conan/He-Man-esque beefcake that he is magically transformed into), the highly amusing Captain Sternn (trivia: the voice of the prosecutor is done by John Vernon, the actor who portrayed Dean Wormer in Animal House), the EC-esque B-17 (aka Gremlins, which went through so many script revisions, it's a miracle it got finished at all), the bizarrely hilarious So Beautiful And So Dangerous (ok, maybe there's some truth to the juvenilia charges during this segment, but only a corpse could keep from laughing at this piece), and revenge scenario of Taarna (imagine a tougher, sexier version of Xena, only about a decade and a half earlier).

While there IS some element of juvenilia here, it's no worse than any other movie that's been released by any major studio during the last 25 years. In fact, I bet it's a little more cerebral than most of those other movies. Harry Canyon is a rather crafted film noir homage, while some elements of Taarna are clearly patterned on Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns. And while there are a couple sex scenes and a certain amount of excessive violince in Heavy Metal, again, it's nothing compared to some of the garbage that's shown on cable TV these days. I'd certainly rather watch this than Basic Instinct or No Way Out.

This movie is a classic piece of animation. Yeah, some of it's rough around the edges, but that has a lot to do with Columbia's decision to move up the deadline so they could have the original movie out in time for the summer 81 season. One has to consider the scope of the undertaking, and the relatively short time that was at hand to create it.

Look at the "travelling sequence" during Taarna, where she's shown riding her mount (a sort of large bird creature) over a rolling landscape, and consider that it was done WITHOUT the use of any kind of computer generated work. It's explained in the audio commentary on the rough cut of the film, as well as during the documentary how it was done, and why it didn't quite turn out as planned). No one had ever done anything like that, and it had to all be done by hand.

Really, you can't take this movie too seriously. It's a movie that exists soley to entertain. There's no big message or point to the movie. Just put the DVD in the player, turn out the lights, turn up the volume LOUD, and just enjoy the trip.

It should be noted, that this disc also contains some of the best bonus features I've seen on any DVD. Besides the regular movie, you get a full length "rough cut" of the film, consisting of storyboards, pencil tests, and some completed animation. The only audio for this rough cut (besides the optional audio commentary, by Carl Macek, who also does a completely different commentary for the finished movie) is the dialog. There's long stretches of silence, but it's worth watching, as there's lots of bits of dialog that were cut from the final movie (we learn, for instance, that Katharine, like Den, was also transformed when she was transported to this mysterious alternate universe). It's also interesting to note that the stories weren't always in the order that they were in the final movie.

There's also a half hour documentary with interviews from many of the filmmakers involved in making the film. We finally find out why we see a model of a house blowing up at the end (because they didn't have time to finish the animation for that one bit), and also why Cornelius Cole's Neverwhere Land was cut from the movie (either for reasons of length/continuity, or because Cole didn't finish it in time, depending on exactly which version of the story you wish to believe.

You also get a few minutes of deleted scenes, most notably the above mentioned Neverwhere Land, which was originally supposed to link Captain Sternn and B-17. There's also a few minutes that surround an early version of the framing story (in whence the Loc-Nar was actually the power source of a magical merry-go-round, and the various objects on the merry-go-round related in one way to the stories...ie, there's a taxicab, Taarna's mount, etc...each time the girl takes a ride in a different vehicle on the merry-go-round, she experiences a different story).

And finally, you get all Heavy Metal covers up through 1999, plus various bits of production drawings, cels, etc.

In short, this is a classic film that should be viewed by all fans of animation and/or heavy flicks. Prudes and conservatives who get cranky at the very thought of a movie being ruined by a little too much flesh or blood (and really, there isn't THAT much of either in this film) or a little warped humor (ok, there's PLENTY of that here) are advised to keep away. I just wish they had restored Neverwhere Land to it's original place between Captain Sternn and B-17.

Growing up in the 70's and early 80's, I loved what this animated classic had to offer. Music from all of my favorite bands and good stories straight from Heavy Metal magazine. Or course, the animations are dated compared to todays standards, but the actual stories more than make up for it. The final story was the best with the great soundtrack and all.

This classic is for fans of the 70's and 80's generation and truly enjoyed the music from those days. Fans of Heavy Metal magazine will defintely love this also. Today's snobbish teenies need not apply!!

i loved this movie. everyone will like this movie. it's awesome.

I can't believe the number of negative reviews this movie has gotten! I bet these people don't like James Bond movies, either.

To fully appreciate Heavy Metal, one has to understand the era it came out in. At the time, most animation, at least what was seen in the US, was frequently of the "family entertainment" variety seen in Saturday morning cartoons and TV commercials. Apart from Ralph Bakshi, most animators were basically shackled by the need to present something that was "rated G". Heavy Metal took the exact opposite route. It was a liberating experience for the animators working on the film to be allowed to draw things they usually weren't allowed. And they got paid to do it, too!

After the opening Soft Landing sequence, we're introduced to the Loc-Nar, a glowing green orb responsible for all the evil that has plagued the universe (or at least, that which has plagued the human race). The various stories contained in the film are told by the Loc-Nar to a young girl, as examples of it's awesome power.

The stories include the film noir homage Harry Canyon, the male "wish fulfillment fantasy" of Den (which demonstrates the versatility of the late John Candy, who voices both Dan, the science nerd who gets transported into an alternate dimension by the Loc-Nar, as well as Den, the Conan/He-Man-esque beefcake that he is magically transformed into), the highly amusing Captain Sternn (trivia: the voice of the prosecutor is done by John Vernon, the actor who portrayed Dean Wormer in Animal House), the EC-esque B-17 (aka Gremlins, which went through so many script revisions, it's a miracle it got finished at all), the bizarrely hilarious So Beautiful And So Dangerous (ok, maybe there's some truth to the juvenilia charges during this segment, but only a corpse could keep from laughing at this piece), and revenge scenario of Taarna (imagine a tougher, sexier version of Xena, only about a decade and a half earlier).

While there IS some element of juvenilia here, it's no worse than any other movie that's been released by any major studio during the last 25 years. In fact, I bet it's a little more cerebral than most of those other movies. Harry Canyon is a rather crafted film noir homage, while some elements of Taarna are clearly patterned on Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns. And while there are a couple sex scenes and a certain amount of excessive violince in Heavy Metal, again, it's nothing compared to some of the garbage that's shown on cable TV these days. I'd certainly rather watch this than Basic Instinct or No Way Out.

This movie is a classic piece of animation. Yeah, some of it's rough around the edges, but that has a lot to do with Columbia's decision to move up the deadline so they could have the original movie out in time for the summer 81 season. One has to consider the scope of the undertaking, and the relatively short time that was at hand to create it.

Look at the "travelling sequence" during Taarna, where she's shown riding her mount (a sort of large bird creature) over a rolling landscape, and consider that it was done WITHOUT the use of any kind of computer generated work. It's explained in the audio commentary on the rough cut of the film, as well as during the documentary how it was done, and why it didn't quite turn out as planned). No one had ever done anything like that, and it had to all be done by hand.

Really, you can't take this movie too seriously. It's a movie that exists soley to entertain. There's no big message or point to the movie. Just put the DVD in the player, turn out the lights, turn up the volume LOUD, and just enjoy the trip.

It should be noted, that this disc also contains some of the best bonus features I've seen on any DVD. Besides the regular movie, you get a full length "rough cut" of the film, consisting of storyboards, pencil tests, and some completed animation. The only audio for this rough cut (besides the optional audio commentary, by Carl Macek, who also does a completely different commentary for the finished movie) is the dialog. There's long stretches of silence, but it's worth watching, as there's lots of bits of dialog that were cut from the final movie (we learn, for instance, that Katharine, like Den, was also transformed when she was transported to this mysterious alternate universe). It's also interesting to note that the stories weren't always in the order that they were in the final movie.

There's also a half hour documentary with interviews from many of the filmmakers involved in making the film. We finally find out why we see a model of a house blowing up at the end (because they didn't have time to finish the animation for that one bit), and also why Cornelius Cole's Neverwhere Land was cut from the movie (either for reasons of length/continuity, or because Cole didn't finish it in time, depending on exactly which version of the story you wish to believe.

You also get a few minutes of deleted scenes, most notably the above mentioned Neverwhere Land, which was originally supposed to link Captain Sternn and B-17. There's also a few minutes that surround an early version of the framing story (in whence the Loc-Nar was actually the power source of a magical merry-go-round, and the various objects on the merry-go-round related in one way to the stories...ie, there's a taxicab, Taarna's mount, etc...each time the girl takes a ride in a different vehicle on the merry-go-round, she experiences a different story).

And finally, you get all Heavy Metal covers up through 1999, plus various bits of production drawings, cels, etc.

In short, this is a classic film that should be viewed by all fans of animation and/or heavy flicks. Prudes and conservatives who get cranky at the very thought of a movie being ruined by a little too much flesh or blood (and really, there isn't THAT much of either in this film) or a little warped humor (ok, there's PLENTY of that here) are advised to keep away. I just wish they had restored Neverwhere Land to it's original place between Captain Sternn and B-17.

Growing up in the 70's and early 80's, I loved what this animated classic had to offer. Music from all of my favorite bands and good stories straight from Heavy Metal magazine. Or course, the animations are dated compared to todays standards, but the actual stories more than make up for it. The final story was the best with the great soundtrack and all.

This classic is for fans of the 70's and 80's generation and truly enjoyed the music from those days. Fans of Heavy Metal magazine will defintely love this also. Today's snobbish teenies need not apply!!

eddie murphy is a comical guy, but is he really the right guy to play in something as stupid as this? Of course, who is the right guy for it? One of the questions i can't stand to think about in this movie, is how Dolittle hears the animals speak, but their lips move and nobody notices. Can't they connect the dots? Obviously not. And obviously, the filmmakers couldn't either.

This is a movie I bought first, primarily for the kids because of the reviews. No one ever asked to watch it a second time. I say this because one of my kids was watching the Lion King last night, for the umpteenth time. So yes, I agree that eddie murphy impressed me again with his talent... but it just didn't grab my kids, 3 boys and 2 girls. I had to give it a good rating of 3 rather than a 2 to encourage the making of good movies.

Dr. John Dolittle (Eddie Murphy) has the so called "perfect life", a beautiful wife, two loving daughters and a career that could not be better. All that changes one night when he nearly hits a dog with his car. As he is leaving, the dog calls him a bonehead then runs off. From that day on his childhood ability to communicate with animals is back. Soon, animals are showing up at his home to get help. His colleagues suspect he's going crazy and many decisions still have to be made regarding the sale of the clinic. Just as everything is about to fall apart, a circus tiger falls seriously ill and it's John's turn to prove to everyone that he's not crazy.

Christina Ricci is marvelous as the sarcastic narrator of this witty, sly little film. Although the plot has a few not-so-plausible glitches, in my opinion, the cast, including Lyle Lovett and Lisa Kudrow, make the film a worth-while endeavor. Some of the one-liners in this movie are lost if you only give it the once over. It's comedy that remains true to the characters; its character sketches that are worth fleshing out; and its multi-dimensional so it satisfies the audiences who may view it multiple times and discover tid-bits they missed the first time around. Intelligent and engaging, it should have found a broader audience; it definitely has a broad appeal. It's not only worth owning, it's worth loaning to friends and family who may, just by looking at its packaging overlook it, but will watch it because you asked them to. They'll thank you later.

The keyword to this film- wicked. Here, we enter the mind of Deedee Truit (Cristina Ricci), a teenager who just comes into the lives of many people and just wrecks the wits out of them. But she does have a lighter side, and it does show up at the final stages of the film.

I love gay movies. This one isn't a purely gay film- it really focuses on what love really means, and you just can't help but get a little mushed up at the final scenes.

Lisa Kudrow is extremely funny in this film. As usual, her witty one-liners will get you to laugh so hard. The first time I saw it, my stomach just got hurt bad laughing from Lisa's quips.

All the other performances are just as good. The DVD itself treats us to some interesting deleted scenes, two of which are really funny. I personally think the director's commentary was a bit disappointing. I thought he had a lot of guts to do such a film, but his commentary focused on the technicalities of this film.

If you like gay movies, or if you're straight but you love gay people, you should get out and rent the DVD and if you love it, then order it!

Ricci aside I thought Lisa Kudrow was a delight playing the oppisite of her well known ditzy blonde "Friends" type cast, which helps her to not become to much of a type casted actress. She does have range. I fully enjoyed this movie. I loved the characters, the offensive (to many) script, the well balanced comedy mixed with drama. This film moves you, makes you laugh, think, and truly has you wanting to reach into your television to strangle some if not everyone. Christina Ricci "She's the human tabloid." is all additude and no graditude as DeeDee Truitt a 16 year old girl that refuses to grow a heart of gold even for us the veiwers. Thats cool we see that type of stuff everyday in the movies. After her stepfather kicks the bucket she decides to go and live with her brother. He, who is moaring his lovers death welcomes her. One might say that was a huge mistake on his part. She does little more than ruin his teaching career, steal his new boyfriend, gets him involved in a gay sex scandal involving a former student where he teaches (thus, the reason for his almost termination), okay what else... steals his dead lovers urn containing the mans ashes. Oh and thats just the half of it. Let's finish this... "The Oppisite of sex" is what DeeDee wants. SEX involves relationships, deceases, pregnanies and other complications in ones life. Who want's that? The film also addresses the survival of the species topic. It's true if we didn't love sex (complications aside) we would have died out aeons ago. Good move on God's part. This is a movie that can be enjoyed by adults that aren't easily offended.