Metallica - Some Kind Of Monster (2004)

 

 

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I hate Metallica, I still loved this movie. I actually reviewed this movie in a previous attempt and Amazon.ca censored my review, so here we go again. I guess serious 'fans' don't understand the irony of this movie. I love this as a documentary film, it is a great piece of music commentary. Watch this movie, not as a fan but as a filmgoer and judge for yourself about the direction of the band and its relevance. In particular, pay attention to the intimate looks into the lives of the band as they spiral out of social reality. Metallica has become nothing but pure rock stars, in the worst sense (e.g.- suing their own fans over Napster) and they have all lost touch with what they once were; i.e. struggling musicians in pursuit of creating something worthwhile. This documentary demonstrates the heights of success and it reveals the brain trust that now run Metallica; namely the drummer and the lead vocalist, and how these personalities have killed the musical vision of the band in order to create more and more capital; yes that is money. Lars and James dominate the movie and they play great roles as the lead antagonist and of course the other lead antagonist; wonderful dialogue takes place between these two. Essentially the documentary is a look behind the scenes at the biggest metal band in the world as they create a flop of an album, and in the end it shows how they cover up their own blindness regarding the content in the said album; actually everyone involved around the band are complicit in the lies. You will be entertained and even slightly angered, perhaps even St. angered (terrible joke, I know), at the Spinal Tap feel of what has now become Metallica. I love the doctor/psychotherapist that they hired, he is comedy gold.

Regardless of your personal opinion of the album St-Anger the 2004 documentary Some Kind of Monster which chronicles the events leading up to the recording of the album and the following tour gives a detailed look at Metallica during this period. Some Kind of Monster begins in the early 2000's with the events following the Load and Reload albums; Jason leaving Metallica, the band's lawsuit against Napster among others. It's really interesting to see all the time, effort, emotions, frustration and just everything that the band went through. It made me understand the album St-Anger much more and it made me understand the band as a whole much more as well. It's clear to me that the band worked hard on the album and was pleased with the result at the time.

Losing Jason Newsted was surprising and a shock to the band as the loss of a longtime member is always hard to deal with. Then having James go through rehab and then being gone for months without knowing if he was ever going to come back to Metallica must have been hard on Lars and Kirk. There's also the element of "who's going to replace Jason?" that arises when the band is confronted with the search of a new bassist which is a great part of this documentary (watching the band jam with different bassists was a nice experience). One of the highlights of Some Kind of Monster is the discussion between Megadeth frontman (and ex-Metallica guitarist) Dave Mustaine and Lars Ulrich. For years Dave has lived with a Metallica sized chip on his shoulder and he finally get to express his frustrations and feelings to Lars and give him his perspective on what he's been through after his departure from the band. The interviews with Jason Newsted aren't too flattering for the band, you really feel sorry for Jason that things could not work out between him and the and the band as he was obviously very proud to be part of Metallica. Jason is the only band member who comes off this documentary as a truly decent guy (oh and Kirk, but he's in the shadow of Lars and James fighting constantly like he's been since seemingly forever!) unfortunately, not that the rest of the band are bad person it's just that the documentary doesn't make them look all that great (although James attending his girl's ballet class was a touching moment). Some Kind of Monster captures what is certainly not the best but nonetheless an important chapter of the band's career and lives.

The display of emotions, good or bad allows the viewers to really connect with the band and those involved because it shows these "Rock Gods" on a more human angle. Some Kind of Monster received praises for its honest portrayal of Metallica, it's also received its fair share of criticism from fans who thought certain aspects like the band getting help from a psychologist, complaining and whining were lame (and they probably were). Seeing the band go through therapy is very un-metal of them, so much for a macho image! Watching Metallica doing therapy and arguing about every little thing is perhaps not what fans want to see of their idols but it makes them seem more human. The recording for St-Anger was a very long and uneasy one and this documentary does a good job of showing just that. There's even a scene where the band questions doing the documentary and are seriously considering stopping the actual filming. One of my favorite parts is when the remaining Metallica member discuss solos with producer Bob Rock. Lars feels that they should do a more current approach and not have any solos on this new alum whereas Kirk feels that this so called "rule" dates the album to that particular period in time. It's fascinating to see the and argue over whether or not to include solos on the album as Metallica are known for their trademark guitar work and solos in their music among other things.

I think Metallica fans owe it to themselves to see Some Kind of Monster, especially those who hated St-Anger because this documentary sheds some light on the whole recording process and the events surrounding that album. That's what I like about Some Kind of Monster, its brutally honest and shows Metallica simply being Metallica and sometimes it's not pretty (James and Lars exchanging harsh words and comments). I'm glad that fans were allowed to see this when the band could've easily said "No, we don't want the fans to see this or that part because it makes us look bad etc." but they didn't, Metallica lets us into their lives and see the recording process for ourselves. I'm not a huge fan of St-Anger I have to admit, but watching this documentary made me understand it much more and even if I wasn't a fan of the album I loved the documentary and watching these guys interact and create music together. Some Kind of Monster is not a flattering documentary on one of the biggest bands of all time; rather it shows the band being themselves and allows the viewers the ultimate experience of being in the studio with Metallica. As a documentary Some Kind of Monster works because its subjects are interesting and there are plenty of conflicts and obstacles for the Metallica to overcome. Yes it's not the band's best era and all but I find this to be interesting as a fan even if it's not perfect by any means. I'll give the movie 4/5 stars, a very good look at Metallica at their lowest point. succesful

I really don't like Metallica, and don't own any of their cd's. I am more into Hard Rock. Having said that, I enjoyed this film very much. It brought us right inside the recording studio, and we could see the various members recording their tracks individually. As a result, it focussed on individual musicianship, as well as their individual personalities. A cool film.

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4.0 out of 5 stars The dynamics of a strangely dysfunctional band...
"Metallica: Some kind of monster" is a peculiar documentary on a famous metal rock band intent on recording a new album, something that ends up taking years, and a lot of pain and... Read more

Published on Jan 8 2007 by M. B. Alcat

4.0 out of 5 stars Money doesn't buy happiness
I am not a Metallica fan. As a matter of fact, I honestly had never seen the band or heard their music (not a headbanger). Read more

Published on Jan 20 2006 by grant

5.0 out of 5 stars The best look at rock legend life and drama ever!
Although grade 7 was a crapy year in my life so far, I owe my thanks to the class metalheads and for them putting on Enter Sandman, Sad But True, Crazy Train and The Number Of The... Read more

Published on Dec 28 2005

4.0 out of 5 stars I liked it.
Not sure what some of the other reviewers saw that made them call this a piece of junk or a disappointment.... Read more

Published on Dec 1 2005 by R. Osborne

4.0 out of 5 stars good
iv watcht it be4 i lik it not the best but good

Published on Sep 21 2005 by guns n roses fan

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME!!!
This was a great dvd, very insightful. It actually helped me understand the album better and appreciate it more.

Published on Aug 18 2005 by Erik S. Heyl

1.0 out of 5 stars Some kind of JUNK is the appropriate title.
Piece of junk!

Published on Aug 16 2005

1.0 out of 5 stars very disappointing
This was the worst documentary I've ever seen! When I heard there was going to be a documentary about Metallica I was thrilled! Couldn't wait to see it. Read more

Published on May 9 2005 by sea-turtle

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Infomerical Gone Wrong
Some Kind of Monster is a really powerful documentary on Metallica's tumultuous period while recording St. Anger. Read more

Published on Jan 30 2005 by Aaron Dawe

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