Review of The Last Waltz (1978) by Jason M — 05 Feb 2016

This is a good rock film, but clearly not the best. It's with a band that was great but nowhere near the top. I've come to realize that any critics who use the "best" word for this film are clearly susceptible to group-think.

I liked the film and it truly highlights how many great songs they wrote. But folks, the truth is they had a 16 year career and other than these songs, they really weren't superstars like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, etc. The fact is, all of The Band's members were good, not just Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson. Rick Danko demonstrates how underrated he is.

Some of their guests are great, but the other half are mediocre. Let's face it. Let's call a spade a spade. Great = Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Van Morrison. Weak = Ronnie Hawkins, Dr. John et al.

The Band's hits can be enjoyed by a much broader scope of an audience than say, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Yes, Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath can, although the latter bands were far better and revolutionary for what they did than The Band.