Fearless Writer ... Reviews

Starring: James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Bob Rock
Directors: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky

Few bands have had a love-hate relationship with their fans the way Metallica has. Refusing to be caged by tradition, the core of the group – Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield – all but left their thrash-metal roots behind with the self-titled or “black album” and took it even further with their follow-up records Load and Reload. They encountered an incredible backlash from both critics and older fans but that didn’t stop the albums from selling in their millions. And Metallica have never apologised or capitulated to pressure. They are something fairly unique in a whorish industry.

So when, in 2001, things started to turn to shit, it made sense for a couple of smart filmmakers to make a documentary about the process.

The heart of the problem – even though it’s never really articulated – is that these guys have had enough. They’ve been Metallica for 20 years, they’re approaching middle age, and they want to have a life. This nurtures creative tension, and because everyone is at each other’s throats, the joy that fuels good music is being burned up elsewhere. When Hetfield eventually goes into rehab for his alcohol addiction and discovers the delights of home life in the process, Metallica’s future really does hang in the balance. It’s the sort of unscripted drama – with no bias or agenda – that has been sadly absent from documentaries in recent years.

Certain circles of people – mostly fans – dislike Some Kind of Monster, suggesting it depicts a bunch of rich, past-it rockers who should have quit ten years ago and now have nothing better to do than whine about how bad their swanky lifestyles are. This attitude completely misses the point. The bloke with a park bench for a bed and a few sheets of newspaper for a blanket would probably find your concerns about mortgage payments and electricity bills a touch whiny as well. Wealth and happiness are relative, and just because someone has more money than you, it doesn’t make their emotional anguish any less sincere or legitimate.

Don’t forget, too, that if every emotional outburst during two years of your life was condensed into a two-hour documentary, you’d probably look like a neurotic whinger as well.

Maybe Metallica should have just chucked in the towel after they put the finishing touches on Reload, but their decision not to has resulted in one of the most frank and interesting music documentaries in years. Even if you have no interest in the music or the band, watch Some Kind of Monster to see the highs and lows of human interaction stripped bare and laid out for all to see.

VERDICT: 4.5/5 stars

ON THE DVD

METALLICA COMMENTARY Good luck getting through more than 20 minutes, even if you’re a devoted fan. The boys don’t have much to say, and even when they do, you won’t be scrambling for a pen and paper to write it down.

FLIMMAKERS’ COMMENTARY The directors open the hood and explain the mechanics of making such an unusual documentary. There’s also plenty of trivia along the way to keep the less technically minded awake. Not a bad effort at all.

ADDITIONAL SCENES These aren’t your usual bits of lame exposition that were cut for good reason. If you add all 28 of them together you almost get a second documentary, much of it as interesting as the finished product itself. Highlights include Kirk and Lars surprising some people in a chat room, a collaboration with Ja Rule and some other rap stars and Kirk sweating while trying to nail a tricky riff. Plenty of extra angst, too.

FESTIVALS AND PREMIERES Everything from a Sundance press conference to an interview via satellite from Australia. Hear from Lars regarding the controversial Napster issue.

THIS MONSTER LIVES Another dozen scenes, with lots more psychobabble from Metallica’s quack of a therapist, extended whining, and Jason Newstead having a sook.

MUSIC VIDEO For the title track “Some Kind of Monster”.