Sunday, June 19, 2022

Metal Lords (2022)

IMDb plot summary: Two friends try to form a heavy metal band with a cellist for a Battle of the Bands.
Directed by Peter Sollett. Starring Jaeden Martell, Adrian Greensmith, and Isis Hainsworth.

Metal Lords is a coming-of-age movie about two high school outcast best friends who are in a metal band together. One of them is really, really serious about the music, while the other is mostly just trying to survive high school. Things ramp up when the group decides to compete in the Battle of the Bands and have to double down to be good enough to win. One of the things I appreciated about this movie is that even when the situations they're in are a little outlandish, these kids do feel fairly realistic. Their concerns and reactions are grounded and feel like something kids might actually think and feel and worry about. I also enjoy how this movie brings its love of metal music to the foreground. Is it pretty cheesy, maybe even to the point of feeling written BY an actual teenager? Sure, but it feels like it's having so much fun I can't mind too much. It's cute and sweet and does what it's supposed to do, and even though I can't imagine wanting to rewatch it any time soon, it was a fun enough one to see.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Metal Lords > Les Miserables (2012)
Metal Lords < Woman in the Dunes
Metal Lords > The Mauritanian
Metal Lords < L'atalante
Metal Lords < Mean Girls
Metal Lords > Bottle Rocket (1996)
Metal Lords < Oh Darling Yeh Hai India
Metal Lords > The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Metal Lords < The Miracle Worker
Metal Lords < Marooned
Metal Lords < The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Metal Lords > Lady Bird
Final spot: #1283 out of 3614, or 64%.

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