So most of you will know hardcore as Atreyu and Hatebreed (if you have heard of it). This documentary, released before these bands became worldwide metal giants with ridiculously frequent MTV coverage, gives an entertaining and informative look at punk rock and hardcore's roots, development, musical evolution and love-hate relationship with mainstream success. It also attempts to address the issue of violence within the punk and hardcore scene, as well as taking a range of viewpoints on the ever-contentious "straight edge" lifestyle.
The opening scenes sum up what punk and hardcore are (or at least, used to be) about. The live footage, which features Earth Crisis, Less Than Jake, MxPx, Agent Orange, Hatebreed, Bouncing Souls, Vision Of Disorder, Good Riddance, Homegrown, Sick Of It All, and more, is very good - it gives an insight into what a hardcore show looks like, and the sound quality is about as good as that at a hardcore show gets. Some of the interviews with the above bands are a tad repetitive, but most are informative and amusing - check out Blink 182's Mark Hoppus rabbiting on for close to 60 seconds without taking a breath, while Tom DeLonge sits by staring at him (possibly waiting to squeeze a word in).
Some of the footage and opinions voiced seem a bit dated now, with the increasing prevalence of watered-down hardcore bands (e.g. Atreyu, The Used, etc) in mainstream media, and the apparent decline in punk rock's fanbase (siphoned off by hardcore, metalcore or emo). If you don't like punk, metal or hardcore, then chances are you won't enjoy this documentary as much as people who do, but for those just discovering this musical culture, introductions don't come much better.
