This was to have been the year we would have seen the beginning of a “Star Wars” film trilogy from “Game of Thrones” showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
The tandem left behind their plans for a galaxy far, far away in 2019, a year before another high-profile planned endeavor — alternate-history drama series “Confederate” for HBO — was scrapped due to all the controversy its announcement had generated.
Don’t cry too many tears for Benioff and Weiss, who in 2019 signed a five-year, $250 million writing-producing-directing deal with Netflix. The pact already has given us “The Chair,” a generally well-received series co-created, written and produced by Benioff‘s wife, Amanda Peet.
And now comes “Metal Lords,” an uneven, rock-fueled teen comedy written by Weiss that is about as far from “Game of Thrones” as you can get. It’s charming at times — and always appropriately heavy metal-worshiping — but it’s more clunky than head-banging.
Weiss, who played in rock bands growing up, conceived of this tale years ago, well before poor Ned lost his head in Winterfell. (Oh, um, spoiler alert if you STILL haven’t watched “Game of Thrones.”)
“Metal Lords” tells the tale of the new band formed by best pals and social outcasts Hunter (Adrian Greensmith) and Kevin (Jaeden Martell). The “post-death-metal act,” whose name we can’t repeat (trust us), is the brainchild of Hunter, a talented guitarist who also sings … you know, sort of. He has convinced Kevin, who bangs on a single drum in the high school marching band to get out of gym class, that there’s no reason he can’t be a metal god surrounded by drums and cymbals.
Hunter also believes they need a bassist, and Kevin wants to audition Emily (Isis Hainsworth), a clarinet player whom he notices when she unloads on the poor band director (pop culture writer Chuck Klosterman in a cameo). Like Kevin, she marches only to get out of Phys Ed., and her true love is the cello, at which she is very skilled.
Well, with apologies to the Joan Jetts and Lita Fords of the world, a female player is NOT what Hunter had in mind — to say nothing of a cellist — and he won’t give Emily a chance.
As Kevin enters into a romance with Emily, who isn’t great about sticking to the meds that help her cope with anxiety and depression, Hunter deals with a bully and his single plastic-surgeon father (Brett Gelman) whom he doesn’t respect.
Here’s the problem with “Metal Lords”: It’s REALLY hard to respect — or even like — Hunter. Constantly declaring that this or that is or isn’t “metal” or that Thing X is “going to be huge for us” as he focuses solely on the future of the band, he is completely inflexible and wholly uninterested in others’ wishes, including those of the timid Kevin.
That is not to criticize Greensmith, who is completely believable in the role. And for someone whose guitar experience previously was centered around jazz and classical, the actor is quite convincing as a metal-loving shredder.
Likewise, Martell (“It,” “Knives Out”) is impressive on the skins. According to the movie’s production notes, he had extra time to learn to play during a pandemic-related shutdown and seemingly made the most of it.
Meanwhile, Hainsworth (“Misbehaviour”) handles her character’s mental health issues in a way that makes her character sympathetic and possibly one to whom teens with similar issues will relate.
Another area where “Metal Lords” succeeds is in its reverence for the music. It boasts a few fun cameos by hard-rock legends, one of whom, Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave), serves as the movie’s executive music producer. Regardless of whether he’s most responsible for the well-known tunes used throughout the movie — Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” gets the most play — it’s a job well done. We do know Morello wrote music for the band’s original anthem, “Machinery of Torment,” with Weiss taking credit for its “moronic” lyrics.
Also, original music was contributed by Ramin Djawadi, the composer probably best known for his work on “Game of Thrones.”
And the movie gets decent direction from Peter Sollett, whose filmography includes another music-powered flick in 2008’s “Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist.”
Disappointingly, it’s mainly the work of Weiss where “Metal Lords” feels off-key. The story is clumsily shaped, and it’s all but impossible to be invested in Hunter’s obligatory turning, which feels unearned, and the band’s inevitable late-game, against-all-odds triumphant performance.
At times, “Metal Lords” rocks, and we thank it for that, but it infrequently rolls.
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‘METAL LORDS’
2 stars (out of 4)
MPAA rating: R (for language throughout, sexual references, nudity, and drug/alcohol use — all involving teens)
Running time: 1:38
Where to watch: On Netflix Friday
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