Wolff rating: FAIR
Plot summary: Comic book heroine chases madman across the galaxy in search of immortality.
Biased, pithy comments: Well, one could have made a far worse movie for your money. Unlike the original Heavy Metal (which was a series of animated sex scenes connected by LSD-inspired art and no plot or coherence), this one makes sense, more or less, all the way through. It still hits all the notes it should, with gratuitous nudity, comic book gore, and over-the-top mayhem. Even so, the pacing seemed almost languid and the plot felt as if it had been borrowed from some other low-budget Star Wars knockoff and used without close examination. I had fun, but in a low-budget cheeseball way, and the movie seemed to be reaching a little higher than that. It's too bad there can't be more comics for big kids outside of Japan, since I'd love to see another movie like this without the Asian influence. For your DVD dollar, I'd get Cowboy Bebop instead, but this is definitely worth the rental.
Other Notes: Animated.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Julie Strain, Michael Ironsides, Billy Idol (voices)
Directed by: Michael Coldewey, Michel Lemire