A Spinal Tap Reunion: The 25th Anniversary London Sell-Out

Those who loved This Is Spinal Tap generally divide into two categories: those who love heavy metal and those who hate it. If you fall into the latter, The Return of Spinal Tap is probably not for you. If, on the other hand, you watched the movie and then went out and bought the soundtrack... it's definitely worth your time. You should know, though, what to expect beforehand. The Return of Spinal Tap is not a satire or a mockumentary like This Is Spinal Tap. It's nothing more and nothing less than Spinal Tap Live. Don't get me wrong: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer are still funny as hell; but the brilliant commentaries carry less weight in favor of the music. And why not? The joke could never have been as funny the second time around, so instead, the three just decided to have some fun, returning to their beloved characters and living out the dream of doing a big rock concert in front of a huge crowd. Frankly, the concert segments are much funnier this time around, with the on-stage antics of the three brilliant comedians, as well as winks back to the first movie in segments like 'Rock N' Roll Creation' and 'Stonehenge'. Plus, you get to sing along to all the beloved, cheesy, brilliantly idiotic songs from the first movie, like 'Big Bottom', 'Sex Farm', 'Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight', '(Listen To The) Flower People', 'Hell Hole' and 'All The Way Home'. Also you get a bunch of great new songs like 'Bitch School', 'Break Like The Wind', 'Clam Caravan' and 'Cash On Delivery' with a rare lead vocal performance by Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer - by now, keep in mind, a Simpsons veteran).

Before you watch The Return Of Spinal Tap, you should ask yourself two questions. The first is - do I really love Spinal Tap, or did I like it just for the satire? If you really loved the first movie, you'll love seeing the beloved old characters of Smalls, St. Hubbins and Tuffnel return. The second is - would I enjoy watching a Kiss concert? If you answered both these questions with a positive reply, watch it.

Spinal Tap is probably my favorite Comedy of all-time. Needless to say, I was quite excited to see this film. But this just did not deliver. I can't believe it was the same actors doing this.

It was mildly amusing overall, but extremely weak. I would only recommend to Spinal Tap fans who are really bored. (3.7/10 - rounded up to 4/10)

Mildly disappointing "reunion" of the fictional band made famous by the wonderful mockumentary, THIS IS SPINAL TAP. Most of the film consists of concert footage, and though the actors do a more than credible job on-stage, you come away wishing there had been more interviews and gags. Almost all the best songs were featured in the original movie, although there is a wonderfully cynical finale. Not bad, but on a scale of 1 to 11, a very modest 6.

"The Return Of Spinal Tap" proves that Spinal Tap were indeed a band of superb musicians, excellent vocalists and ultimate showmen. It doesn't matter that they are fictional characters, because what you get here is one of the most powerful sounding and visually impressive rock'n'roll stage shows anyone could ever hope to see.

Sadly when Tap did Australian appearances to promote their "Break Like The Wind" CD, the public and media all thought that they were joking when they said they were planning a world tour and that Australia could be included if demand was high enough. This film is some compensation for all of us who missed out on experiencing Tap live and at their peak.

Filmed with inclusion of state of the art flying cameras and superb visual editing as well as sound production. I've enjoyed many repeat viewings of the LaserDisc over the years - and I'm always blown away. Crank your sound system to eleven and enjoy the ride.

I was at this show with several friends at the end of our musical tour through the U.K. We read about the concert on our flight from LAX and got tickets as soon as we landed. Originally scheduled for one night, it sold out so quickly they had to add a 2nd night.

Was great to sing-a-long with "Big Bottoms" and other classic Tap hits. I bought the LaserDisc as soon as it came out in '93 and have enjoyed it several times. It is longer than the current DVD release and so much fun to see my 'seat' in the long shots!

A great follow up to the classic film... if you've not seen the original, watch it first and then settle down for Spinal Tap playing "At Home" in the U.K.