The musician feature film, Metallica: Through the Never, has been many things. Hollywood cashing out on the popularity of artistes’ drug-fueled impulse decisions.
Hey, y’know, wouldn’t it be really cool, if like, we all appeared in a movie, like, as cartoon versions of ourselves man.
Metal is like vegemite: thick, heavy and unyielding. It divides the populace into those who hate it and those who worship it. They are both born of beer and aggression, and in the right situations, has the power to change your life.
Combine the above two and you have the potential for a movie/concert of Wagnerian proportions, which proves itself in a head-spinning display of aural and visual assaults. No the amps do not go up to 11, but they come pretty damn close.
Most concert movies explain the origin stories of the bands they cover, they . But every fan knows the Legend of Metallica. No one wants to watch a young Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield brainstorm for band names — Ok, that would actually be pretty funny.
This is not a compilation of heartwarming and hilarious moments with Metallica.  This is 90 minutes of a fascinatingly well produced and shot Metallica concert, with the band being at their best- displaying one visual spectacle after another while covering a wide range of their respectably sized discography. Interwoven with the concert is a narrative of sorts involving a roadie named Trip (Dane DeHaan) which, despite being slightly ridiculous and about nothing in particular, works pretty well with the concert, providing  intermissions from the constant barrage of music while keeping things visually interesting.
Did I also mention that the movie is in IMAX 3D? This is the closest you can get to an actual Metallica concert  without feeling the sweat fling off Robert Trujillo’s hair onto you (which might not be a bad thing to some people really). Don’t expect this to win a Palme d’or at Cannes anytime soon, but it IS a hell of a journey. You strap yourself down, try not use too much of that big brain of yours and just enjoy the ride.
Try not to headbang too hard in the cinema.
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You can watch the trailer here.
Image credits : Picturehouse