Metallica movie Through the Never in 3D is the one concert film to see

WHILE there are a stack of Metallica concert films, Through the Never in 3D might just go down in history as the one to see.

Director:

Nimrod Antal (Predators)

Starring: Dane DeHaan, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Robert Trujillo.

3.5 stars

THERE has been a stack of Metallica concert films in the past, and no doubt there's a pile yet to be made.

The latest, however, just might go down in history as the one to see above all others.

Spectacularly filmed in 3D, Through the Never plugs into Metallica at the peak of their powers during their 2012 world tour.

From the moment the quarrelsome quartet (remember their hilarious 2004 group-therapy doco Some Kind Of Monster?) take the stage, it is clear Metallica mean business.

The playing is beyond tight, the set list showcases the best of their repertoire, and frontman James Hetfield is in his best vocal form heard from him in years.

I'm only a low-level fan of the band, so I can only imagine how seriously impressed diehard devotees of these veteran heavy metal iconswill be.

live performance

The stage set on which Metallica performs was designed by the late Mark Fisher, a legendary concert production architect who handled mammoth shows for The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and U2 when not working on large-scale live events such as the Olympics.

As the perfect pulsating platforms for the band's songs, Fisher's set designs (which blend lights, video, computer graphics and hydraulic props
in ways that boggle the mind) look nothing short of amazing in 3D.

live performance

Are there any drawbacks to Through the Never? Arguably just the one. There's a fictional feature woven throughout the movie, which rusts away at the metallic magic conjuredon stage.

On a recurring basis we have to check in on the welfare of a young, near-mute Metallica roadie (played by Dane DeHaan), who has been sent on a mid-show mission to retrieve a package on behalf of the band.

Through the Never is rated M.