Anyone who knows me knows I am a HUGE fan of Metallica. I became a fan of theirs when they released their Black album, their largest selling album to date (sixteen million copies). After that I bought any new stuff they released and I went back and bought their older stuff as well. I was upset when they lost out on getting the first heavy metal Grammy to Jethro Tull, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one. Sadly though, I never got to see Metallica in concert. Life happens when you attempt to make plans and sometimes life loves throwing a monkey wrench in said plans. So when I heard about this movie Metallica: Through The Never, there was no way I was going to miss it.
I saw it in IMAX 3D, and while I am no fan of 3D (having to wear those stupid glasses over my own glasses is maddening), watching James, Lars, Kirk, and Robert rock out on stage in IMAX was absolutely amazing. I highly recommend it in IMAX format because if you enjoy Metallica's music and like me you never got to see them live, then you must check out this movie while it's still in IMAX, you will not be disappointed. Well you may be slightly disappointed, but it won't last long. The disappointment will be due to the weak roadie story. The talented Dane DeHaan stars as the roadie Trip and he is tasked to refuel a tour truck that's run out of gas somewhere in the city. The truck is carrying something very important to the band which made me laugh. If something was that important to the band, wouldn't the truck have a sufficient amount of gas? Just sayin'. Anyway, Trip runs out to get the truck and runs into a full fledged riot in the streets, we the viewer is never told what the riot is all about and the whole thing goes from stupid to dumb. Thankfully though, there's Metallica.
The look of the film is impressive, the camera work was stellar, and while the 3D didn't really alter the of the film, it did keep it from looking like every other concert film ever made. Cinematographer Gyula Pados who has worked with Nimrod before does a great job of capturing the energy of Metallica on the stage. And the stage the band stomps around on is one of the most impressive set ups I have ever seen. I sat in my seat, pumping my fist, singing along, and I almost broke out the old air guitar a few times. I walked out of Metallica: Through The Never I felt rewarded. Rewarded by the band for being a fan who has never had the chance to catch them in concert. It felt like, for me and millions of other fans of theirs, this film was made for us. It was like the band said, "We know you're out there, those who've never made it to one of our gigs but has brought our music through the years. Because of the love you've shown us, we are presenting to you a concert film in the grandest way possible, in IMAX 3D, enjoy". Thanks guys, I had a blast.
I can just see you with your air guitar! ;-P ~hugs~
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