The Five Most Metal Movie Characters!

Conan the Barbarian / Saruman / Predator

It turns out that Christopher Lee, who played the evil -- and totally rad -- wizard Saruman in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies is making a "symphonic metal" album based on the life of the first Holy Roman Emperor, King Charlemagne.

Yes, 2010 is shaping up nicely.

The 87-year-old Brit actor recently announced his plans in a series of new videos, available to watch right here. So, the fact that a man who played such an obviously metal character is making a metal album got us wondering: who are moviedom's most metal dudes, the ones whose sheer being compels you to bang your head and throw the devil horns?

Below are our top five picks. Think you can do better? Prove it in the comments section.

• Conan the Barbarian AKA Conan the Cimmerian

  Movie: Conan the Barbarian (1982); Conan the Destroyer (1984)

  Why: His sword is huge, and originally belonged to the King of Atlantis. Not enough? Does the fact that he spent his formative years as a slave, turning the wheel of pain, do anything for you? How about his being trained in the deadly arts by the secretive War Masters? And as the mustard on this metal pie, he was played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and gave the following answer to the question, what is the best in life?: "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their women." Yes, that is best.

  Watch: Conan The Barbarian Trailer
  

• Draco the dragon

  Movie: Dragonheart (1996)

  Why: Because he's the last dragon, duh. He's also honorable and loyal (like more metal people than you think). Need proof? Well, he ultimately chose to sacrifice himself so that the reign of the evil king Einon would come to an end. (Don’t worry though, his sacrifice allowed him to gain entry into dragon heaven.) Oh, and he shoots fire from his mouth.

  Watch: Dragonheart Trailer
  

• Roy Batty

  Movie: Blade Runner (1982)

  Why: Roy is the ultimate embodiment of the metal fan's emotions and fantasies. He's a rebellious killer man-machine in a world that wants to enslave and/or destroy him. He doesn't know how to control his emotions. He's got a hot cyborg ladyfriend. He's played by a Dutchman (Rutger Hauer). He also has the coolest movie death-speech ever: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I've watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those ... moments will be lost in time ... like ... tears ... in rain." Chills.

  Watch: Blade Runner Clip
  

• Khan Noonien Singh

  Movie: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

  Why: Let's face it, there's something kinda nerdy about metal -- and Star Trek is the ne plus ultra of nerdy things. Khan, played by Ricardo Montalban, is Trek's baddest hombre. He's super-strong, leads a cult, has an creepy accent, implanted a Ceti eel in Chekhov's brain, and came this close to burying Captain Kirk alive. What have you done?

  Watch: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Clip
  

• Predator

  Movie: Predator (1987) [There are other Predator movies but they're not metal.]

  Why: The Predator has evolved throughout the eons into a sublimely effective killing machine. But this bad boy kills for sport, not sustenance. And he's from space. Any creature that spends its life in pursuit of the most dangerous game is more than metal enough for us.

  Watch: Predator Trailer