Review of Metallica: Through the Never (2013) by Ben S — 13 Feb 2014

I'm pretty far from being a diehard Metallica fan, and although their particular brand of heavy metal has its grandiose charms they've never really done much for me. But I have listened to the Black album a healthy amount, and on the occasion I've caught them live they've been more than capable of filling the biggest spaces with a magnetic presence and pounding riffs. I've never really got the point of concert movies, though. Witnessing live music can be an electric experience, sharing an atmosphere with thousands of strangers, but somehow capturing that in HD and packaging it up in a fancy box just seems a little soulless - like watching the BBC's festival coverage sitting alone in your flat, trying to participate in someone else's moment.

So my heart doesn't immediately soar at the prospect of Metallica: Through The Never. However, here is a concert movie that has more ambition than simply to present a flawless show. Instead, a loose narrative structure is woven around it involving a young roadie and Metallica super-fan (Dane DeHaan) tasked with collecting a special piece of equipment the band need. As the concert powers on with the greatest hits, pyrotechnics and ludicrous (almost Spinal Tap-esque) stage props, DeHaan finds the deserted city has descended into fiery feral chaos, with riots on every corner and people hanging from bridges. But willing to go through hell and back for the band he loves he resolutely soldiers on in silence, as all the while the stage itself begins to suffer unexplained freak malfunctions.

Now, despite the producer's claims to the contrary this is plainly a concert movie with added narrative elements and not a full-blown feature film, but it gets a nice balance between the two, keeping interest levels up as they play through - to my ears at least - a collection of samey hard rock bangers. The vast scale is also impressive. With a specially built central stage overflowing with fire and special effects the heaving audience wholly surrounds the band and, as the cameras gracefully swoop and zoom around, you do get a genuine sensation of being part of something. This is enhanced by witnessing the malfunctions and behind-the-scenes crew, making it feel more real and somehow less immaculate and polished.

Although pretty much all style, the story element is brilliantly handled and just basically, very cool. Even with next to no dialogue Dane DeHaan has enough presence and mystery about him to draw you into his nightmarish journey. It has all the depth of a pop video but, woven into the real life concert, it's so much unabashed fun this is barely a criticism. For Metallica fans you get to see the band tear it up in an immersive super-sharp concert movie where you can spot what pick-ups Kirk uses and hear every big crowd-pleasing singalong. And for us mere mortals there's an accessibility that allowed me to rediscover a band I've often disregarded. A dark head-banging treat of proper originality and pure entertainment.