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Movies / On DVD / Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey

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Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (2005)

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Reviews Counted:29

Fresh:26

Rotten:3

Average Rating:6.9/10

Consensus: Made by a metalhead, this documentary of the musical genre both informs and entertains with its range of interviewees.

Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

Genre: Musical & Performing Arts

Synopsis: Professional anthropologist and rabid heavy-metal fan Sam Dunn devoted himself to making the most complete portrait of the heavy metal scene every created; the result, METAL, A HEADBANGER'S... Professional anthropologist and rabid heavy-metal fan Sam Dunn devoted himself to making the most complete portrait of the heavy metal scene every created; the result, METAL, A HEADBANGER'S JOURNEY, is a resounding success. Mixing his academic eye with his personal love for the genre, Dunn travels from the clubs of Sunset Boulevard to the dark forests of Norway in an attempt to understand the ongoing phenomenon of metal music. He tackles subjects of sexuality, religion, violence, and death, and talks to some of the superstars of the metal world, including Tony Iomii of Black Sabbath, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, Lemmy of Motorhead, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, and the members of Slipknot and Cannibal Corpse (whose albums have been banned in Australia). The highly engaging film provides fascinating history and insight for viewers unfamiliar with metal music while simultaneously offering up essential viewing for metalhead fanatics. [More]

Starring: Tony Iommi, Bruce Dickinson, Dee Snider, Alice Cooper

Starring: Tony Iommi, Bruce Dickinson, Dee Snider, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, Vince Neil, Lemmy

Director: Sam Dunn, Scott McFayden, Jessica Joy Wise

Director: Sam Dunn, Scott McFayden, Jessica Joy Wise

[See More Credits]

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Release:

May 23, 2006

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
  • Sam Dunn, a 30-year old anthropologist, decided to study the plight of a different culture, one he has been a part of since he was a 12-year-old: the culture of heavy metal. Sam sets out on a global journey to find out why this music has been consistently stereotyped, dismissed and condemned and yet is loved so passionately by its millions of fans. Along the way, Sam explores metals obsession with some of life's most provocative subjects - sexuality, religion, violence and death - and discovers some things about the culture that even he can't defend. Shot on location in the UK, Germany, Norway, Canada and the US, this documentary is the first of its kind. It is both a defense of a long-misunderstood art form and a window for the outsider into the spectacle that is heavy metal.
  • Source: Warner Home Video
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Metal: A Headbanger's Journey

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    21 - 34 (sorted by date)
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    The film is packed with hilarious, often poignant interviews with metal luminaries.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
    04/13/06
    Allison Benedikt
    Allison Benedikt
    Chicago Tribune

    At once playful and thorough, the documentary is also stacked teased-hair high with wicked performance footage.

    Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
    04/13/06
    Scott Foundas
    Scott Foundas
    L.A. Weekly
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
    04/08/06
    Atlanta Journal-Constitution

    Unlikely to win many new converts, but its core audience should have a rockin' good time.

    Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
    04/07/06
    Chris Vognar
    Chris Vognar
    Dallas Morning News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    There's so much information and so many finely honed arguments in this ultimately joyous film that it’s liable to send audiences scurrying home to their computers to download the bands they've just heard.

    Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
    04/01/06
    Marc Savlov
    Marc Savlov
    Austin Chronicle

    Those who only remember metal as an MTV aberration from the 1980s will learn a lot from Dunn's film, and metal heads will find vindication for their dedication to a music that has been condemned and dismissed as infantile and depraved.

    Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
    03/21/06
    Bill White
    Bill White
    Seattle Post-Intelligencer

    It's all jolly good fun captured with proficiency, professionalism and the keen sense of someone who truly wants outsiders to understand what makes a dyed-in-the-wool headbanger so passionate about his music of choice.

    Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
    03/17/06
    Ted Fry
    Ted Fry
    Seattle Times

    Dunn effortlessly smashes the cliché of metal-bands-as-Neanderthal-lunkheads.

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    03/13/06
    KJ Doughton
    KJ Doughton
    Film Threat

    The idea of looking at the music from the perspective of a fan, and plugging it full of interviews with rock idols, is clearly a winner.

    Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
    02/24/06
    Liam Lacey
    Liam Lacey
    Globe and Mail
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Strong enough to make believers out of non-metalheads, and inside enough to get the devil's-horns salute from the most diehard followers.

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    02/24/06
    Ken Eisner
    Ken Eisner
    Variety

    Much-maligned heavy metal gets a much-needed boost in Canadian filmmaker/longtime headbanger Sam Dunn's entertaining and informative documentary.

    Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
    02/24/06
    Jane Stevenson
    Jane Stevenson
    Jam! Movies

    ...an engaging, entertaining little documentary...

    Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
    09/18/05
    David Nusair
    David Nusair
    Reel Film Reviews

    It's a fascinating and anecdotally rich journey.

    Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
    09/18/05
    Geoff Pevere
    Geoff Pevere
    Toronto Star
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Totally drops the ball.

    Full Review Source: Planet Sick-Boy | comment 1 Comment
    09/17/05
    Jon Popick
    Jon Popick
    Planet Sick-Boy
     
     
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