Metal HurlantKaleidoscope Entertainment, out now

The second season of live-action adaptations of stories that first appeared in Heavy Metal…

The original Heavy Metal (the English language name for the Metal Hurlant publications) has a well-deserved reputation for being ground-breaking, and featuring unusual and challenging concepts. It inspired a couple of animated movies, and this very belated live action TV anthology show, every story in which features an asteroid that passes by the location at some point, but otherwise are unconnected. The show was aired in two seasons of six episodes in France, and has come out in the UK in two separate Blu-ray/DVD releases, the first of which came out in July with the opening six episodes.

The stories were made on a low budget, and it often shows – but almost as if to make up for it, a strong cast of genre actors has been assembled. The opener in Resurgence features Buffy/Torchwood’s James Marsters alongside The Terminator’s Michael Biehn; John Rhys-Davies pops up in the third story, while Dominique Pinion turns up in the final two. Sometimes the stories feel a bit derivative, but if you track back, you’ll realise that the original tales on which they are based pre-date the stories you think are being homaged/ripped off!

Verdict: A set of undemanding but on the whole enjoyable SF tales. 7/10

Paul Simpson

Metal Hurlant Chronicles and Metal Hurlant Resurgence are available now digitally, on DVD and Blu-ray