Review of Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004) by Alex R — 23 Aug 2011

When I was in my early teens, I was a diehard Metallica fan. In fact their 1984 album 'Ride The Lightning" is responsible for my love of Heavy Metal music. Unfortunately came many events such as the infamous Napster lawsuit and the like.

For years we Metallica fans wanted a new record, and we got "St Anger" a raw, gritty stripped album of Metallica's famous sound, this film shows how that album came to be. The film takes a rather unorthodox look at how a Metal band is trying to pull through by having a group therapist session so they can discuss their issues as a band.

This is a stunning portrait of one of Heavy Metal's most beloved bands as they hit rock bottom. For us, the fans, it's interesting, but it's also painful to watch. Seeing Lars Ulrich whine like a baby constantly was a joke and all.

I thought the documentary was good, but it was just two guys not Seeing Eye to eye for two hours. I mean you'd never see this type of crap from Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and other Metal Icons. It's sad to see one of Metal's toughest bands go into this downward spiral, but at the same it's cool.

However, I would've loved to see a documentary on the band sort of like Sam Dunn's Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. Maybe one day Metallica fans will get that. Until then, we have a brutally honest documentary that has its great moments, but it's definitely not an iconic documentary.