What happened?

>> The failure of Heavy Metal FAKK 2 has everyone puzzled

by MATTHEW HAYS

When a Canadian film drums up enough box-office and general intrigue to inspire a sequel, it's considered a big deal. Our film industry--which many argue really isn't big enough to be called an industry--is dwarfed by that of America's, and the smaller-budget films so often produced here are regarded as lucky if they make their money back.

Thus the announcement that a sequel to Heavy Metal--the '81 Canadian animated feature that has grossed millions and attracted a cult following--would be produced was met with great enthusiasm and anticipation. The original film, initially dismissed as crude animation based on the pulp comic strip, had gained considerable cred within the film world. Take One, Canada's film magazine, has cited the film as a true original and landmark piece of work. Anticipation ran even higher when it was announced that the film would be helmed by an animator and filmmaker who worked on the original, Montreal-based George Ungar, and that the film would be provided a budget of $15-million (for a Canadian feature, especially, them's big bucks).

A not-so-animated film

But the sequel, which will be released this Friday, is receiving virtually universal negative press. Long the buzz on fan Web sites, Heavy Metal FAKK 2 was apparently initially slated for an August '99 release, but is finally unreeling in cinemas a year later. Having watched the film, it does appear something of a disappointment; where the first one felt fresh and atmospheric in its presentation of a bizarre dystopia, the sequel feels weak and too often infantile.

But don't take my word for it. The experts in animation have spoken, and their views aren't pretty. Mike Dobbs, for example, in his Animation Planet E-Newsletter, writes "The story is just an excuse for nasty characters to do nasty things... I'm no prude, but 'adult' material can indeed have sympathetic characters and wit. When one of the major moments of comic relief is a scene of two lizards copulating, you know the film is in trouble." Dobbs goes on to slag the animation in the film as well, saying it looks amateurish and poorly thought-out.

The question now is: how did things go so terribly wrong? How was the ball dropped on such a sure-fire thing? Admittedly, Canadian sequels don't have the best track record (though Les Boys 2 earned as much as its prequel, it's considered an anomaly), but backers pumped $15-million into this.

Things looked promising at the get-go. Columbia was on board, and George Ungar, who was riding a wave of glowing reviews for his surreal documentary feature The Champagne Safari, was signed on to direct the film three years ago.

Celluloid asunder

A source who worked on the film but quit after several months, has told the Mirror Ungar was shut out of key decision-making almost from the beginning and was "stuck in all sorts of battles with producers about the tone the film should take." The source, Stan (not his real name), who's a Montreal comic-book artist and graphic designer, says he doesn't blame Ungar for ultimately walking away from the project. "Soon enough, it started to look like an unmendable situation." Ungar, who cited artistic differences when he left the project last year, declined to comment for this article.

Stan confirms that once Ungar left, any direction the film had began to waver. "There were a lot of different people involved," he says. "Things seemed to change direction repeatedly, in very short order. I was happy to leave the work situation."

A spokesperson for the local Ciné-Groupe production house (where much of the film was done) says executive producer Jacques Pettigrew stands by the work, saying he thinks it's a fine film. Pettigrew didn't return the Mirror's phone calls before deadline.

Stan says that though a failed feature isn't entirely noteworthy, to botch a Heavy Metal sequel really does present a severe lost opportunity. "This could have been something, something really cool. I'm sorry it's turned out this way. No one would have liked to see a more successful Heavy Metal 2 than me." :

Heavy Metal FAKK 2 opens Friday, Aug. 11