Review of It Might Get Loud (2008) by Chris G — 09 Jan 2010

It Might Get Loud follows the progression of three generations of guitar players and locks them in a room together so that they can discuss their craft and play. The trio features Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, The Edge of U2, and Jack White of the White Stripes. Each goes over their stories of coming of age with the electric guitar.

The thing about It Might Get Loud is that it not show how each player progressed with the electric guitar, but it also gives the audience insights into each mans personality. Jack White is obviously trying to create a legend for himself, but this pseudo marketing campaign he's on reads as almost pathetic at times. Yeah, he may be a great guitar player, but the story he wraps himself with seems almost convoluted and cliched. Sure, you like vinyl. You're trying to be old school. You failed. Sorry. Good luck on the next shitty Bond theme.

The Edge plays just as you expect the Edge to play in this film. He spends a lot of his time traveling back to the school where U2 was formed and basically reminisces about the good old days of Irish bombings and Top of the Pops. He also shows us a rig that would make anyone except David Gilmour shudder with delight.

Finally, you get Jimmy Page, who has a tone of history to go through and presents as the most down to earth of the three. This is surprising since Jimmy supposedly worshipped Satan and was the guardian of a 14 years old love slave in the 1970's. To say that Page has mellowed is a mild way of putting it. He sure as hell can play a guitar, even with powers bequeathed by the dark lord himself. He discusses being a session musician and Led Zeppelin (sadly, not much Yardbirds stuff). The most interesting part of the film is Page standing in the foyer of Hedley Grange, discussing how they recorded the DRUMS for When The Levee Breaks. Bonzo even gets a mention in a guitar doc.

When the film ends, you will wonder one thing: Why couldn't this whole thing have been about Jimmy Page. He's the most down to earth guy in the room, probably because he's Jimmy Page. The legends that both of these guys are trying to build (particularly White) he's had for almost thirty years. Seeing Page play makes me even more pissed off at Robert Plant for choosing an Allison Krauss tour over Led Zeppelin. Of course, he could always use David Coverdale...