Janet Maslin of "The New York Times" wrote that "for anyone who doesn't think an hour and a half is a long time to spend with a comic book, "Heavy Metal" is impressive," and noted that the film "was scored very well, with music much less ear-splitting than the title would suggest." "Variety" declared, "Initial segments have a boisterous blend of dynamic graphics, intriguing plot premises and sly wit that unfortunately slide gradually downhill ... Still, the net effect is an overridingly positive one and will likely find its way into upbeat word-of-mouth." Gene Siskel of the "Chicago Tribune" gave the film three stars, writing that it "isn't intended for close scrutiny on a literal level. The film clearly is intended as a trip, and on that level it works very nicely." He criticized the film as "blatantly sexist" and for having "wildly romanticized" violence. Sheila Benson of the "Los Angeles Times" wrote, "Somehow a great deal of the charm the magazine leaked out on the way to the movie house, but all of the sadism stayed put. And then some. It's the most expensive adolescent fantasy revenge fulfillment wet dream ever to slither onto a screen." John Pym of "The Monthly Film Bulletin" found that it was "to put it mildly, something of a hodge-podge." Film historian and critic Leonard Maltin gave the film 3 stars out of 4 in his "Movie Guide", calling the feature "... uneven, but great fun on a mindless, adolescent level."