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On the podcast this week, Steven and Sean are enjoying a radical, ahead-of-its-time animated film from the \\u201880s. It\\u2019s the film from a lot of different directors, Heavy Metal.

Okay, hold on. I can\\u2019t let that introductory paragraph slide. Sure, this one was probably noteworthy and captivating when it came out. It was experimental and still has a crazy amount of energy (even if the fight scenes are as slow as molasses). There\\u2019s a lot going on in here that probably blew the feeble minds of people alive in the early \\u201880s. Especially if those minds belonged to young teenage boys. Now, though? Oh boy, is this a problematic film.\\xa0

Is it any worse than many \\u201880s movies that seem more interested in opportunities to show off the bare breasts of its women characters? I mean, come on, there\\u2019s Porky\\u2019s and Caddyshack and Fast Times at Ridgemont High to consider here!

That\\u2019s the thing, though! As Bob Dylan said (in probably a far different context), \\u201cthe times they are a-changin\\u2019.\\u201d Watching a film like Heavy Metal requires a certain understanding and patience, and I think it\\u2019s acceptable if you don\\u2019t want to give it your time. There\\u2019s a lot that\\u2019s troublesome with this one. Most notably, women appear to only exist as sex objects. Entire segments are dedicated to suggesting that the best they can ever achieve is to pleasure a man, or else they\\u2019ll be vaporized and forgotten.

Or they can dress in some ultra-skimpy number and fight alien dudes. Progress, I guess?

It\\u2019s got some entertaining moments, but there\\u2019s a clear reason why this one is a B-movie bonus episode. It ticks all the boxes:

• Is it pretty terrible? Check.
• Is it tone-deaf to a fault? Check.
• Is it unintentionally funny? Check.
• Does it have a peculiar fan base? Elon Musk loves it, so\\u2026 check.
• Did we have a fun time ripping it apart? Check!

(Recorded on February 22, 2021)

Links to Stuff We Mentioned:

Heavy Metal - IMDb

Heavy Metal trailer - YouTube

The Incredibles - IMDb

Jumanji - IMDb

SpaceX's Starman and Elon Musk's Tesla just made their 1st Mars flyby - Space

The Fifth Element - IMDb

Luc Besson - IMDb

Gary Oldman - IMDb

Wonder Woman (tv show) - IMDb

The Boys - IMDb

The Godfather - IMDb

Gone with the Wind - IMDb

A Low Down Dirty Shame - IMDb

A Low Down Dirty Shame | More Movies Please! - Libsyn

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka - IMDb

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