Metallica Through the Never is one of the greatest, most original movies I have seen in my lifetime. There, I said it.
Starring James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo and emerging actor Dane DeHaan (A Place Beyond the Pines, Kill Your Darlings, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 & 3) as Trip, this intense IMAX 3D journey weaves a cryptic narrative through a live Metallica concert.
We’re talking Me-fuckin-tallica here. One of the most influential rock bands in the history of the universe shot with 24 cameras simultaneously and edited masterfully in IMAX 3D. At some points during the film you realize what it would feel like to be on stage playing alongside James and the boys. There are no cheesy 3D gags — just live heavy metal with great action running in parallel.
On to the action.
DeHaan’s character Trip works for the band. It’s clear that Trip can’t believe he is living this dream — even if he’s just a heavy metal gofer. Early in the concert, Trip is ordered to leave and go take gas to a stranded production truck. Inside the truck is something that “the band really needs.” On his way, Trip runs into some trouble — it’s apocalyptic trouble to say the least. Trip’s action sequences never seem to take you away from the concert and the concert never takes you far from the action. This was brilliant. The ‘tallica tunes, at times, narrate the story and the imagery takes unexpected surrealist turns.
“You need to go see this mother-fucking movie like you need oxygen”
And speaking of music, this is by far the best sounding live Metallica concert ever released. The music is actually live too. This isn’t some terrible pantomime of a studio recording; it is an artfully mixed, surround-sound live experience. What you see is what you get. The live concert doesn’t show Metallica doing anything live that they don’t normally do. The band isn’t wearing stage clothes picked out for the big screen, and they aren’t playing different instruments, but there are a few fanboy nods to stage props that have been used throughout Metallica’s history.
I highly recommend this movie. If you are a Metallica fan, “highly recommend” is a gross understatement. You need to go see this mother-fucking movie like you need oxygen and beer… err water.
Have you seen Metallica Through the Never, or do you plan to see it?
Tell me what you think below the trailer.
