Metallica Through the Never

Seeing Metallica on an IMAX screen in 3D and hearing them come through the amazing sound systems in IMAX....WOW, what a treat. If you are a Metallica fan DO NOT MISS this opportunity to see the best possible concert experience outside being there in person. The "move" aspect was a fun little adventure, but lets face it, I was there to HEAR Metallica on an amazing sound system.

The Audio was the highest quality best sounding I have ever hear Metallica (or any other band) in my entire life. The sound was loud yet crystal clear with the ability to hear each individual instrument as if they were performing right in front of you. It was astounding! You will not be disappointed in your ears. Watching this on IMAX you will understand why the MP3 format finally needs to die and we need a much higher quality sound format to do our ears justice! I'm desperately trying to find this album in 192khz FLAC, but no dice...guess I'll just have to wait for it on Bluray.

The 3D was equally as good. IMAX 3D is far superior to other theaters, you forget you are wearing glasses and you are completely immersed into the film. It's so crystal clear that it actually feels as if you are right there. IMAX 3D never fails to disappoint!

Bottom line, if you love seeing Metallica live GO SEE THIS "MOVIE"...it's spectacular!

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.

Metallica does it again! These guys always know how to raise the bar for every other metal band out there. IMAX 3D is the way to go! Almost everyone was amped in the theater and we were all pretty much rocking in our seat and singing along. We were even clapping like it was an actual concert! Metallica provided total energy throughout the film. It was 70% concert (like you were on stage with them), 25% action movie, and 5% music video! Anyway, they did not skimp on the effects or the sound! I'm not sure what ssp113 was talking about when he/she stated that the resolution was awful. It was the coolest and clearest thing ever! So, if you are a metal fan and, especially, a Metallica fan, you are going to love this film and rock your way through it!

Just watched it and went back home in awe. It's not only because it was the most spectacular show i 've ever watched, nor because the back story freaked me out. It was because i realized that through the never i got a glimpse from future music entertainment.

Let me guarantee you some things about Through the never. -You WILL have a good time. -You will head bang. -You will grab the person next to you saying "this is surreal mate" -You will sing Metallica songs for the rest of the week. -You will start imagining other bands doing the same thing in the future.

But let me just say some cons -You will have a small headache, similar to the one after a loud concert -You won't see any plot -If you are not a Metallica fan or a metal fan in general you are in for a shock -If you are Mustaine, you will feel like crying again.

Seriously now, nobody should miss it especially in 3D. It is like a big concert video clip. It will change music live shows in the future. Metallica are still pioneers.