disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

METAL LORDS -- A Clever Comedy or a Parody of Metal Fans?

4/7/2022

0 Comments

 
Review by Tatiana Miranda
Picture
​Netflix’s new original film Metal Lords follows the trials that metalheads Hunter and Kevin face as they navigate high school. In the vein of many popular music-based teen movies, the conflict centers around the upcoming Battle of the Bands competition that the two protagonists long to conquer. There’s just one problem: their band doesn’t have a bass player. In comes Kevin’s love interest and resident cello player with anger issues, Emily. The three interact throughout the film in an attempt to truly understand what it means to be metal.
 
Similar to Netflix’s 2021 original Moxie, which explores the punk sub-genre riot grrrl, Metal Lords strips any nuance of metal music and its fanbase and instead turns it into a stereotyped look at the genre. The primary metal fan in the group, Hunter, dons Slayer graphic tees and is apparent in his belief that his music taste makes him better than everyone else. He looks down on the popular kids as they play Ed Sheeran at a party, and he especially looks down on Emily with her conservative attire and ability to play the cello. Hunter’s whole personality is that he is edgy and misunderstood, and it’s not clear if the audience is meant to sympathize with him as he is bullied by his peers or poke fun at the incel-like behavior he portrays.
 
Throughout the movie, several great jokes point out the gatekeeping of metal and rock cultures. For instance, there’s a moment where Hunter refers to Emily joining the band as “completely gay,” which is promptly followed by Emily and Kevin’s glances at Hunter’s wall covered with near-naked men and suggestive band names. It is the perfect way to showcase Hunter’s backward thinking in relation to his love of metal music. This visual depiction of his mindset is also paired nicely at the end of the film, where he showcases some female metal icons in an attempt to show his growth.
Picture
While there is a definite change in Hunter’s behavior by the end of the movie, it doesn’t come across as warranted. For nearly the entirety of Metal Lords, he has been strong in his misguided convictions and unwilling to relent to any suggestions his close friend Kevin has. He treats everyone around him poorly, yet the audience is expected to root for him as he endures against all odds. Nothing is endearing about him as he portrays the worst of metalheads, yet he is one of the main protagonists in a movie solely about metalheads.
 
There are some notable moments in Metal Lords, such as the visual and auditory blend of classical music from Emily’s cello and Kevin’s metal drumming. Yet, it’s overpowered by the movie’s indecisiveness on which storyline it wants to follow. The relationship between Emily and Kevin is sweet. It creates a nice blend of rock and classical music that represents their personalities well, with Kevin being quiet yet a fan of metal music, and Emily’s classical music skills contrast with her more metal tendencies in her erratic behavior. The friendship between Kevin and Hunter can also be compelling at times, as the movie explores the rift between them as Kevin gets into a relationship with Emily. Still, Metal Lords has too much happening with not enough development to make the movie interesting as a whole.
 
Metal Lords begins streaming on Netflix on April 8th.
 
Rating: 2/5
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Allison Brown
    Borja Izuzquiz
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Daniel Lima
    Dan Skip Allen
    Erin M. Brady
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About