Review of Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet (2012) by Greg T — 26 Sep 2013

Jason Becker was on the fast-track to rock 'n' roll mega-stardom. A prodigy on the guitar from his early years, nurtured by parents and friends, he accelerated from high school musical giant to internationally-touring speed-metal kings Cacophony to confirmation, at the age of 20, as the lead guitarist in Van Halen legend David Lee Roth's new band.

An unbelievable rise, the heavy metal American dream, and it couldn't have happened to a nicer, more humble and family-centred fellow. But then he started limping. He ignored it at first, but when the pain became too much to ignore he got himself checked and was eventually diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and given 5 years to live.

This documentary charts his dizzying rise to the cusp of fame, and then what happened next. The rise is fun, the bit after is amazing. The title is a spoiler, but the beauty is in how Jason is maintaining his rock 'n' roll dream in the face of odds most people can't even imagine.

Mixing archive footage with talking heads, this is documentary film-making at its most basic level, but why let flash stand in the way of a good story? And this is one fantastic, moving, heavy metal tale about love, family and music that you really need to see.