Review of Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (2005) by Thomas W — 14 Mar 2011

Let's face facts here, documentaries are typically slow-paced, boring, and dull. Metal: A Headbanger's Journey never comes close to a cookie-cutter documentary, but quite the opposite. The film follows anthropologist Sam Dunn, as he studies the culture of heavy metal around the world, specifically, the dismissal, stereotyping, and lampooning of it.

Filled to the brim with captivating interviews, and of course, heavy metal music to the extreme, A Headbanger's Journey is an excellently made documentary. Although it will most likely not convert your hipster friends into massive metalheads, it will certainly enlighten any outsiders to understand the culture surrounding the music, and imbue the older fans with a sense of pride.

If you're a metal fan and you haven't seen this film, I highly recommend taking 90 minutes out of your day to see it. Even as a non-metal head, I would still recommend you see it, as it is very entertaining as a film and quite educational, as well.