Metallica Through the Never

I've just watched this and don't quite know what to make of it.

Whilst I love my hard rock and heavy metal, I'm not a massive fan of Metallica however I'd heard about this and wanted to check it out.

I must admit, I want to see them live now though! If this is an indication of their concerts and level of enthusiasm, I'm in!

The concert stuff was great. The effects were amazing. Just not sure about the tie in with the story. It was OK, but it didn't grab me by the big ones and drag me in. It could've been so much more perhaps (but not sure what!!!)

I'd suggest for the die-hard fans only....

Oh, by the way, watch right through the credits!!!

Before anyone starts going off-topic in the comments, yes, I'm a fan. I also understand the irony of starting with that statement. My point: this is a review of a cinema experience. An outstanding one. Made more exciting to me because it happens to be by and about my favourite band. This is NOT a discussion of the merits of said band's existence. Although it will strike a mighty blow for Metallica when those arguments do inevitably come up, hopefully elsewhere. Moving swiftly along...

This is just a truly mind-blowing sensory overload. Never has a band showcased their live performance with such an ambitious, technical, multi-sensory project. I wouldn't have even thought it possible. They don't just use the handy 3D technology to add gimmick to the next in a long line of live video releases. No. Metallica have pushed the boundaries of the technology itself, and added dimensions to what we see as possible within the realm of 3D cinema.

I had the privilege of chatting with Lars about this when they played some shows here in March, and he described it as their "attempt to truly showcase what they do and who they are." Man, does this emphatically succeed.

The stage is a kind of mutant super-setup, comprising video screens, pyro, tesla coils and the best parts of everything they've ever done in their live shows. As the audience, you're in/on/under/part-of the stage, alongside the band, in glorious 3D.

And, it's tasteful. In as much as Metallica at their tightest, hardest, loudest, biggest and fiercest can be "tasteful."

As for the little story within what is really the best ever technical and technological presentation of a rock concert, it's a lovely compliment to the energy of the performance itself. I don't wanna give-away too much, but as the show begins, a young roadie is sent on an errand. Things go badly (surreally and beautifully) wrong. It's not just exhilarating, but wonderfully interwoven with the songs and the "storylines" within them.

I'm proud to have seen Metallica live seven times. I count this as the eighth. And it probably ranks fourth amongst those eight live (or, in this case, damn-near live) experiences. Truly, truly mind-blowing.

Metallica have truly - and astonishingly - documented what they do and why they are the very best there's ever been at doing it.

Essential for fans, and absolutely worthwhile for all but the most hateful of heavy music in general. Bravo.

Pretty simple - if you like Metallica, you'll enjoy this film, and if you don't like their music - don't watch it! It's essentially a concert film, although shorter than usual, since they only play 14 songs over 90min, rather than the usual 18-20 songs over 140min. The only difference being that this concert is interspersed with 2-5min clips of the roadie (DeHaan) fetching a bag...

I admire what Metallica have tried to do here - spicing up a standard concert film by adding some narrative - but it doesn't really work as you don't really care what's going on outside the venue, especially since it makes no sense! It's basically just the roadie running around, being chased in a fantasy land... And pretty frustrating with the intentional tease of what's in the bag?

The actual concert itself is great - when you open with two of your best songs ('Creeping Death' and 'For Whom The Bell Tolls'), it's pretty amazing that you can still have songs just as good at the end! I wish they had the full 'Ecstasy of Gold' intro - it's pretty special live. I found it funny that 'Through The Never' (off the Black album) never got a run, and 'One', 'Cyanide' and 'Wherever I May Roam' are all cut short. But the amount of effort put into the stage show and design - on top of the coffins used for all of the Death Magnetic tour - is astounding. The stage is made of LED's, plenty of lasers and pyrotechnics, there's the statue from And Justice For All, headstones from Master of Puppets and a giant electric chair from Ride The Lightning. The only thing I didn't like of the concert part was the end to 'Enter Sandman', which was ripped (unnecessarily) off their concert DVD, 'Cunning Stunts'. Also, the band playing all of 'Orion' during the credits is pretty great. Not bad for a bunch of 50-year-olds!

I have allowed a week to pass before writing this review, mainly so I can be a bit more critical than I would have been otherwise. After some time to absorb this experience, I stand behind most of my initial thoughts.

It rocks. Plain and simple.

Okay, so if you are not a Metallica fan and have nothing better to do than bash this film for being egotistical or lacking in plot or some other such nonsense, please save your breath. This is a movie experience designed for musicians and metal heads. Is it flawless? Absolutely not. Are there scratch-your-head moments? Yep. But is the end result worth it? One hundred percent!

The wraparound storyline seems a tad forced at times, but the imagery and scenery are a welcome break from the flashing lights and grandeur of the concert performance. Metallica prove themselves worthy musicians even after all these years. They also prove that there is a Metallica riff for any type of sequence you will ever encounter in a film. The song choices compliment the action perfectly, building an added layer of depth among a movie that is somewhat lacking in that department. Let's face it, this IS basically just a concert. Like it or not, you are paying to watch a performance first, subplot second.

As a musician, I was hoping for a bit more behind-the-scenes looks than were offered. I know that there must be numerous crew members handling sound mixing, guitar effects, lighting and set changes, all of which would have been an added bonus. (Although perhaps they choose not to give away too many secrets?) A few more camera shots of the fingers, particularly during solos, would also have been great, but I was certainly satisfied with what they offered.

Overall, tremendously mixed, well-imagined experience for anyone with even a remote interest in metal (or just good music). See it in IMAX while you can. It's cheaper than a true concert and you don't have to dodge a moshing mob of sweaty drunks. Well worth the price.

Also they play Orion during the credits. Enough said.

now, I'm quite the metallica fan, so naturally when i heard they were making a movie, i was psyched, confused by the trailer but still.

I watched it in 3d with all the overpriced sugar and toppings of today's cinemas, and it was truly a great experience. The sound was superb. But as to the actual movie, it was (a bit to my disappointment) almost entirely a concert. The 'story' about trip and his 'trip' has probably a total running time of 10-15 min. They said the were making a movie, they advertised it like a movie, so i imagined it wouldn't be 85% concert. It's a great concert though.

I gave it a 5 because i simply didn't know how to rate this. The fact is: if you love metallica and want to see a concert DVD with some interesting and surreal side story between songs, then you will love this and it would be a 7.5/10. But if you want to see a movie by J.Hetfield coupled with metallica songs, your gonna have a... well not a bad time, just not a very good one either.