Rock Star

Where have all the rock stars gone? The bubble gum pop bands with their virginal image and the hip hopping wannabe baddies bore me. Where's the flash and excess of groups like Led Zeppelin, or the old Motley Crue? These were the hard rocking, and even harder partying bands who brought the sex and drugs to rock n' roll. Whether trashing hotel rooms, engaging in debauchery that would make Caligula blush, or caught up in a deluge of chemicals and booze, there were no half measures. Women wanted them and men wanted to be them. Sometimes, life is good.

Life as a photocopier repairperson is less than riveting. For Chris Cole the only way to cope with the daily tedium of toner and paper jams is in his alternate guise as the lead singer in a "Steel Dragon" tribute band. Chris acts, dresses and sounds like his idol, hoping beyond all reason that one day he will join his idols. Lucky for him, rock and roll is a fickle business.

As anyone who follows heavy metal (or reads previews) knows, "Rock Star" is loosely based on the true story of salesman-turned-heavy-metal-frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens, who was tapped to fill in as lead singer for Judas Priest when Rob Halford left the band. However, the similarities end there - when Judas Priest pressed for increased creative control over the project, the producers opted to distance themselves from the band and change the story and the exploits of "Steel Dragon" are a composite of several apocryphal rock legends.

With strong performances in such films as "Three Kings" and "The Perfect Storm" Mark Wahlberg has proven that he is more than a living underwear mannequin. Wahlberg brings the same combination of innocence and wide-eyed wonderment to Chris that he displayed in "Boogie Nights" (without displaying much else). These qualities keep Chris' transformation from nobody to rock god from becoming a ridiculous parody. Keeping him grounded is Jennifer Aniston as his girlfriend/manager, the one person who realizes his talents and for once Aniston breaks free of Rachel, and delivers a decent performance. The supporting cast, drawn from real rockers and solid character actors, gel well onscreen. Overall, the story is well paced, light-hearted, the soundtrack is great (I felt my head moving back and forth more than once) and you actually buy the group as a real band. Definitely worth the price of admission, and remember not to leave before the outtakes are finished.

This movie was originally supposed to be about Judas Priest and Ripper Owens' climb to be lead singer. The various lawyers got involved, and all the direct references were deleted, but although, 'The names have been changed...' this movie is still about that!

I think it's interesting seeing some of the inner workings of Judas Priest, and if you are a fan of the band, or even of the genre, you will enjoy it. Of course, it's NOT perfect, it's the 'Hollywood' version of metal and Rock and Roll lifestyle....

...rent it, buy it, get a few cold ones out of the fridge, and pop it in the player...enjoy!

Rock Star tells the story of the lead singer of a tribute band who get's to live out his dreams on a much grander stage. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Jennifer Aniston, Timothy Spall and Timthy Olyphant it certainly doesn't lack star power.

As you'd imagine being a movie about classic/glam rock the soundtrack is fantastic, right up there among the best of them though shatter any illusions you may have that it was Wahlberg singing.

It's big, it's stylish and to my knowledge it's pretty damn accurate so why am I not rating this higher? I like the cast, I'm an old school rocker myself and on paper this should be a guaranteed tick in the win column from me.

The construction of a movie is simple, you need a beginning a middle and an end and Rock Star has that but in a rather disjointed way. The films construction is my biggest grip, it comes across more like a Behind the Music episode than an actual movie. The protagonist walks away having learned several life lessons but the viewer (Or rather in this viewers case) it felt more empty than it should have.

Rock Star is an interesting enough look at a subject rarely touched upon by the mainstream Hollywood movie industry but perhaps needed an additional 30+ minute to really flesh it out.

The Good:

Great cast

Awesome soundtrack

Some brilliant visuals

First movie ever to make Timothy Spall a successful "Good guy"

The Bad:

Olyphant feels wasted

Oddly built

I struggled to feel for our leads

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Jennifer Aniston holds the secret of eternal youth

They could/should have found Wahlberg a better wig

Ballet is where rock stars go to die

Nothing really unpredictable in this movie, but a solid flick in all respects. Everything from acting to cinematography was solid. Not a perfectly linear plot line, but there wasn't anything you couldn't see coming. Perhaps a tad melodramatic at points, but again, a fairly decent movie none the less. Definitely worth checking out. If in doubt of what film to rent over the weekend, give this a go. Though you may not feel like running out and buying it, I found it to be quite worth while.

As a huge fan of 80s Hard Rock, I was really looking forward to seeing Rock Star. As the movie started I was more than satisfied. A lot of the early scenes were funny and entertaining. The concert scenes made me feel like I was actually there. One major compliment I give this movie is that they made the songs from the fictional band STEEL DRAGON sound realistic for the time period the movie is in. If I didn't know better, I could've been fooled into thinking Steel Dragon was a real band, and all their songs actually were made in the mid 80s. The underdog portion of the story may not be original, but it still works none the less. And by the time Wahlberg's character was in his first concert with the band, I really thought Rock Star could be one of the coolest movies of the year.

But at about the halfway point, I was lost. The second half of this movie could've really used a lot of work on the script. I say that the second half of the script needed work, but what I should say is the second half of the movie actually could've used a script, period. The second half is held together by some predictable sequences, all telling the story of a guy indulging in the rock star life, which we've all heard and seen a thousand times. There were very few moments that actually were used to progress the story.

But I don't want to give the impression that Rock Star was no good. Although some of the movie didn't work, I still had a blast watching it. The music is what really holds it together. Both the original songs written for the film (Steel Dragon), and the background songs used. It's not often that you can hear bands like Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Kiss, and Motley Crue used in a movie. And like I said before, the concert scenes are awesome.So for people who love great 80s Rock, this movie will be a lot of fun.

Rock Star is an average movie, with an above average soundtrack. Not a perfect film, but it provides enough entertainment for your money.