Metallica Through the Never

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.

Trip (Dane DeHaan) is a young skateboarding Metallica roadie. In the middle of the show, the road manager tells Trip to find one of their trucks that had run out of gas in the city. He needs to refill it and drive it back because the band needs something on the truck. Trip takes a pill and starts on a surreal journey into the night.

In the best tradition of music movies, this is a concert movie with a layer of imagination that immerses the audience in the experience. I'm not a big Metallica fan so the music has limited appeal to me other than 'Enter Sandman'. However, I'm sure that fans will love this and it matters very little what my review actually says. For non-fans, this won't be appealing because the music and concert footage is ever present. DeHaan is a terrific young actor and he's great in his limited part.

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.

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!

It's a concert film, it's not a movie. Metallica fans or anyone that has ever taken acid will relate to the cut scenes and the metaphors within the journey of Trip the roadie, as ridiculous as they are.

To anyone else, it's pointless, over the top & completely rudderless, but to the hardcore, lifelong fans who revel in the spectacular. It's too short, not loud enough and not a moment too soon.

The first review in IMDb is from "ssp113" he called it the worst "film" he'd ever see. I use my real name on this site, but I've got a feeling his real name might be Dave Mustaine? Ego's..............don't make me laugh, it's METALLICA BABY!!!