It’s positively mindboggling that hard rock artists Metallica have created a film whose existence is even more indecipherable than the feature-length therapy session that was Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, but Metallica Through the Never is indeed that film. The film’s first theatrical trailer seen above that they premiered at Comic-Con, via iTunes Movie Trailers, looks like the kind of lucid dream one would have after passing out on a needle filled with testosterone and fireworks. It isn’t entirely a concert film, it isn’t entirely a narrative film, and it damned sure isn’t entirely in two dimensions. I think this may be the film that whiskey was invented for.
Here are the pieces of Through the Never that I understand. Metallica is holding a concert on a huge ass stage for thousands of adoring fans that love screaming the chorus of “Enter Sandman” probably more than lead singer James Hetfield at this point. Meanwhile, on the fictional front, Dane DeHaan (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) plays a roadie for the band who is tasked with going find an out-of-gas truck in the middle of the city. Because he does what they tell him. He gets into an awful car accident, and then he wakes up in the middle of a riot or something. Hundreds of guys with bandanas over their faces take on a slew of cops in riot gear. There are bloody handprints. Metallica’s stage show gets insanely over the top and destructive.
And then this guy shows up.
Then they start playing “One,” and I kind of started rocking out, not bothering to make sense of the cop cars on fire and DeHaan shaking the Earth when he smashes a guitar into the ground. Unless they’re really hiding where the rest of the story goes, it doesn’t look like the narrative is much more than a few sequences of surreal anarchy.
This movie exists for two reasons (besides making Metallica money, that is): to give fans around the world that can’t make it to their concerts a chance to see the band play a stage show unlike any other, and to make lasers look cool in 3D. I’m not a big 3D fan outside of animation, and I don’t think a concert film in 3D is all that enticing, but I have to admit that would be the way I’d go if I’d ever watch it. I mean, somebody lassos a guy in 3D. In a Metallica movie. I’m getting goosebumps, people.
Metallica Through the Never, which has yet to actually feature the song “Through the Never,” will hit IMAX 3D theaters exclusively on September 27, eventually branching out to all theaters on October 4.
Take a look at the film’s new poster, which was unveiled along with the trailer. Notice the band playing in DeHaan’s bandana. It’s kind of cool, right?
