Will There Ever Be a Third Heavy Metal Film?

The Blind Eternities forum

Posted on June 14, 2017, 9:32 p.m. by DemonDragonJ

The Heavy Metal film, released in 1981, was a groundbreaking film that was unlike anything that had been seen before then. Although it was not the first animated film to be intended specifically for adults, as Ralph Bakshi had already released several adult animated films before that, it pushed the boundaries on what could be shown in animated films, or films in general, with its graphic violence and explicit nudity and sexuality. True to its name, it features music from numerous heavy metal musicians who were popular at that time, with two notable examples being Black Sabbath and Sammy Hagar.

In my mind, one of the film's strongest traits, the one that makes it such an interesting and effective film, is that it does not have a single, central story; it is a collection of independent yet interconnected segments that each have their own self-contained plot, with a central narrative connecting them together. As a side note, I had known about the existence of this film for years, but did not watch it for the first time until several years ago, a fact about which I am very displeased; how did I wait for so long to watch such an amazingly epic film?

Although it was certainly highly ambitious, the film was not a major financial success, and now is regarded as a cult film. It did have a sequel, a full nineteen years later, entitled Heavy Metal 2000. While that film is certainly not a bad film by any standards, it is too much of a typical action film, in my mind, one that could not live up to the legacy of this predecessor. The sequel film had several weaknesses that I could perceive; first, it took too long to be made. If the filmmakers were planning to make a sequel, they should have done so only several years after the first, or perhaps at the end of the 1980's, to serve as a bookend to the first film, which was released at the beginning of that decade; by the year 2000, films had been pushing boundaries and breaking new ground frequently, so there was little new ground left to break with this film, lessening its impact compared to the first. Second, it had a single central plot, rather than the episodic nature of the original, and, while that allowed for more time developing the plot and characters, it also allowed for the story to drag at points, while the segments of the first film kept it tightly focused and prevented there from being any filler. Third, the sequel had very sleek and detailed art and animation, but the rough and gritty nature of the original was part of its appeal, as it felt more visceral and intense.

Therefore, I am wondering if there shall ever be a third Heavy Metal film, as it has now been almost nineteen years since the second film was released, which was the duration that passed between the original and the sequel, so I believe that the time is now ideal for a third installment to be made, and, if such a film were to be made, I would wish for it to return to the episodic format and gritty atmosphere of the original, instead of the streamlined nature and appearance of the sequel.

What does everyone else say about this? Will there ever be a third Heavy Metal film?