For a band that formed more than 30 years ago, the proof that Metallica is still amazing is found in “Metallica: Through the Never.”
“Through the Never” is an Imax concert movie, but it’s more than just a concert. The film follows a roadie trying to find a broken down truck somewhere in town, but it has something the band crucially needs to finish performing.
The backstory of young Trip follows him through city while a riot breaks out, and acts as one giant music video for the concert that Metallica is putting on for a sold-out crowd.
Trip is played by 27-year-old Dane DeHaan. The actor, who does not have a huge speaking part in this film, does an excellent job with the look and feel of what you would expect a roadie to be. It’s also worth noting that DeHaan, who up until now has only done a few things in the acting world, is playing Harry Osborn in the new film “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.”
The production value for both the concert and Trip’s backstory are superb, and are benefitted by the 3-D element. The visuals of the backstory and the concert itself are breathtaking.
The 3-D is so immersive that, by the third song, you have remember you’re in a movie theater and resist the urge to clap and cheer.
If the film weren’t amazing enough, Metallica puts on an amazing show playing a great set list spanning their entire career from 1983’s “Kill ‘Em All” to 2008’s “Death Magnetic.”
The stage effects are just equally brilliant: A construction crew assembled Lady Justice during “And Justice for All,” and crosses rose from the stage during “Master of Puppets.”
The effects are relevant because, as the title songs for those respective albums, Lady Justice was the theme of the “Damaged Justice” tour for “And Justice for All,” and the crosses are from the “Damage Inc.” tour that was for the “Master of Puppets” album.
The show pulled out all the stops and was set up as one megatour with effects for every song.
There are only a couple of negatives about the experience. Metallica’s library is so vast that they cannot play every song; there are many gems that they should have played but didn’t, including a complete absence of songs from “St. Anger.”
A huge downfall is that the tickets cost $18.25. Even though you leave the experience feeling as if you had just been at a concert, that fact is that you aren’t.
If you are a Metallica fan, this is a must see. If you don’t know much about Metallica, it is still an experience worth having, and it is a great way to be introduced to the band.
A-
