Concert films are always an iffy proposition – no matter how large in stature the band. Led Zeppelin’s The Song Remains the Same? Absolute garbage. Even stoned-out-of-their-minds-on-’70s-weed audiences found the fantasy sequences intolerable. And when a group tries to include a plot? Forget it; Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park is one of the more embarrassing attempts in cinematic history.
So when Metallica announced plans to dip their toes into the big screen in a manner that didn’t involve group therapy sessions, a shrink, and the search for a new bass player, it was hard not to be suspicious.
By all accounts though, Through the Never is a pretty remarkable foray into IMAX 3D, focusing not just on the Bay Area bashers, but also a loose storyline involving a roadie sent on an urgent mission during the show. What sold Vanyaland on checking it out though was an e-mail sent by a publicist raving about how mind-blowing of an experience it is. Sure, publicists do that all the time, but this one had nothing to do with the film or the band. So impressed with the movie, she composed a lengthy “personal note” to encourage members of the media to check it out. That’s beyond a rarity in this industry.
RELATED: Listen to 10 minutes of Cliff Burton solos on the 27th anniversary of the original Metallica bassist’s death, September 27, 2013
Through the Never was released today, and Boston gets a special treat for the midnight showing at the AMC Boston Common.
Metallica’s newest bassist, Robert Trujillo, will be attendance to intro the 12:10am showing of the film. We’ll have a full report next week and will be sure to ask Trujillo when his former outfit Suicidal Tendencies will some IMAX action.
Check the trailer below.