Canadian edit is the only version worth watching.
The re-dubbed American cable edit is absolutely horrible. It rips the
heart and soul out of the movie - right from the intro where Mok's code isn't referred to as "satanic", to the removal of almost all of the drug references, and the absolutely horrible replacement voice for Omar (the guy doesn't hold a candle to the original voice actor). Get the 2 disc version from Amazon with the uncensored Canadian version, you won't regret it.. the original movie, as intended. I think the problem with this movie, ever there ever really was a problem, is that it isn't a kids movie, nor is it particularly well written or clever to be much of an adult's animated feature, but it works well for teenagers (as I was one when I first saw it, many years ago on the CBC late night movie). Given the time the movie was made animation was still thought of as "kid's stuff", or simply dirty (Say Fritz the Cat), and this movie really falls into the grey area between those extremes. Poorly marketed, no doubt, but the American cable edit exists because of this failure to the realize the market.. Rocking and ruling since 1983.
Out of all the genres of music, rock and metal music sticks out as the
most popular with the use of electric and bass guitars, keyboards, and a drum set played by someone who probably used to be in an insane asylum. Nelvana, the Canadian company behind The Care Bears Movie, decides to release a film that pays homage to this with the 1983 feature "Rock & Rule". This time, unlike The Care Bears Movie, this one isn't aimed at children, but aimed at teens, adults, hard rockers and metal-heads alike. Rock & Rule takes place in the post-apocalyptic future. A futuristic war ended, and the only survivors were dogs, cats, and rats, whom have mutated to anthropomorphic creatures that have human characteristics to replace the human race. Mok, a super rocker, has been conducting an experiment to open the door to the next dimension and release a demon. The only thing he's missing is a key. That key is one particular voice. He decides to kidnap a female member of a rock band named Angel and use her to open the door, Her fellow band mates, Omar, the lead singer and lead guitarist, Stretch, the bass guitarist, and Dizzy, the drummer, notice that she has been kidnapped after a trip to Mok's place, and they travel to Nuke York to find and get Angel back before Mok releases Armageddon. The film was made entirely in Canada, and to some, it's considered an underrated animation masterpiece, but is that necessarily true? Well...yes. The animation is very impressive for a 1980s animated feature, and the special effects are amazing too. It captures the post-apocalyptic feeling that some people might think of at the time when viewing films taking place in that setting, similar to that of Ralph Bakshi's 1977 film "Wizards". As for the music and songs, it's a mix of different genres of rock, ranging from psychedelic to heavy metal. The original score is just straight psychedelic, and I'll admit, it's one of my favorite soundtracks of any movie. Rock bands such as Cheap Trick, Iggy Pop, and Lou Reed team up to write the songs for the movie to the point where Blondie and Robin Zander (of Cheap Trick) do the singing voices of two of the main characters. This is yet another great post-apocalyptic film, and what's better is that it revolves around rock music, which is always awesome to many music lovers. If you're looking for a rock-and-roll film that truly exemplifies the rock and metal genre of music and what it stands for, this is the film for you.. |
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