Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage

It is about bloody time someone turned the microscope on this band, and this documentary ably rides the line between investigation and glowing tribute. In an attempt to examine what makes Rush a noteworthy band (and why it took 40 flippin' years to gain mainstream acceptance), the filmmakers line up interviews from all walks of music; from Jack Black and Gene Simmons, to Billy Corgan and Trent Reznor.

And every phase of the group's evolution is paid attention, be it the humble beginnings in a Toronto suburb or the prog and synth eras of the late '70s and '80s. The many celebrities interviewed shed light on what captivated them when they became fans and what it is that makes Rush so hard to define and properly market.

It's a highly watchable documentary and as polished as the power trio is musically proficient. Just incredibly engaging and, most importantly, as comprehensive as they come.

9/10

Just to get it out of the way, if you have zero interest in Rush, proceed with caution. I am a casual fan and thought this was great. The best thing is it explores the relationships between the band, from the beginning. Also, along with insightful commentary from various musicians, the guys tell their own story. Always maligned by critics, this is an exploration into why they are still so popular. Even better, all three guys, especially Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, are just good people. Neil Peart is a bit more difficult to warm up to, but you'll like him also by the end (actually, way before that). You get concert clips and the aforementioned commentary and what basically comes through is that these guys deserved every bit of fame that came their way. They are all superb musicians, actually all three amongst the best in rock. While Geddy Lee's singing voice takes a bit of getting used to (there is a funny part where various people quote critics on what they thought his voice sounded like), by the end you realize that its also part of what makes the band unique. That over 30 years on they can still sell out tours is amazing, and it really is about time they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. The only reason I didn't give it a ten was that if you have little knowledge of the band you may feel its a bit much to go through the records one by one. However, as I am a casual fan only (to date, I have "Permanent Waves" and the two disc compilation "Chronicles" only), this documentary makes me want to go out and buy more Rush music. If that isn't an endorsement for this film, then there just isn't one. Congratulations on their well earned success and bravo to this career spanning, insightful and thoroughly entertaining documentary.

RUSH. You're going to have one of three reactions to that title. One: Who are they? Two: Oh yeah, some group that recorded Tom Sawyer back in the day. Three: Awesome kings of Rock 'n' Roll! I used to be a massive Rush fan up until around their Test For Echo album. Major life changes and having gotten too frustrated with their 80's synthesizer work put them on the back burner for awhile. I had, however, been to the Counterparts concert and was exhilarated by their fun performing. I was so excited to see the boys in this documentary though. The documentary is fairly simple: some concert footage, talking heads from Rush themselves or people who worked with them/admired them, a little footage of the band just goofing off together, and you've got your film. So don't go to this documentary expecting a breakthrough in the film genre. It is a solidly produced and edited movie that has an undercurrent of positivity, fun, and honesty. You feel like you get to know the band, and they come across as good friends, good husbands, and good guys. It's something awesome to see hard rockers getting hit with success but never giving in to the usual temptations of infidelity, casual sex, and heavy drug usage (except for pot). There's a sense of righteousness about this band, in a weird way.

Much is focused on the band getting little critical respect, but winning devoted fans worldwide. I remember growing up I actually got teased for having them as my favorite band. As I watched the film, I had a big smile on my face as memories flooded back from how I tried to cop Neil Peart by taking pots and pans and drumming on them. Their epic song story concepts always fascinated me. But they were always on the edge of mainstream. Now Rush seems to be cool again. Rush fans, we can come out of the closet and enjoy them once again publicly. This movie is not for someone who is not a Rush fan, but it is very endearing for those who enjoy them. I have been listening to my old Rush music since seeing this documentary and marveling once again at their craftsmanship.

This film does a good job of presenting and explaining what Rush is all about, and how the group has earned respect from fans, producers, DJs and other musicians (just not critics). Not quite hagiography, as it quotes some of the negative reviews and the band's own dissatisfaction with some of their albums or directions or even wardrobe choices.

Unlike the filmmakers' heavy metal survey films (Headbanger's Journey and Global Metal), in this film Dunn is never on screen and is only heard once or twice asking questions of interview subjects. The spotlight (or limelight) is clearly placed on the band - this is a straight-up documentary, without dwelling on a fan's relationship to a band or genre. As in previous films by this team, the interviews with a surprisingly wide variety of subjects provide much of the meat of this film, giving a broad perspective and keeping it from having too much of a narrow viewpoint. Of course at least half the interviews are with Rush members themselves. You get a real sense of the men behind the music, including their relationships to each other, family, other musicians, and fans.

A special aspect is some great earlier footage, even from family discussions while they were still in high school. There are also some powerful landscape shots while exploring Peart's response to deaths in his immediate family. And the examination of the song-writing process, including shots of original hand-written lyrics drafts, provides good value for viewers.

Overall, a well-made film that does justice to the topic. Not as poignant or story-arced as Anvil: the Story of Anvil, this film has a more successful subject and didn't need to become a real-life Spinal Tap to make a interesting watch.

Firstly, I am not a hardcore Rush fan.They are a great band and I always marveled at their sheer musicianship.

This doc covers the early years with their struggles on the club circuit, getting signed, early tours etc. The things you would expect from a Rock Doc that is covered in other reviews here.

What I liked so much about this were the people. Geddy is interesting and articulate and has that nice ability to tell a story ( a bit like Alice Cooper can.) Alex who is funny and well, pretty normal. And of course the intensely private Neal who has been a Demigod in drumming circles for decades who is intelligent, and surprisingly engaging for a guy with a surly reputation.

In addition to that, you could feel on the screen what great friends these guys were and was especially punctuated towards the end of the film when they were discussing Neils tragedies. To me personally this had two stories, one about a band called Rush and the other story about three great friends overcoming the odds over the years. The other interesting thing is their manager seems to have been with them the whole time which says a lot.

Billy Corgen offered the most celebrity insight, and I found his observations really good.

I liked some of commentary by Geddy about bands they had toured with like Kiss, they are not the type to put people down because they are superior musicians.

I have never given anything a 10, but this was really good. My wife even liked it and she was not familiar with them at all.

I just wish it was a bit longer.