The high school rock band is something that I would swear was an invention of movies if I wasn’t married to someone who played in one. He assures me that battles of the bands actually exist and that they really can change the trajectory of the band’s success. So I approached Peter Sollett’s new Netflix film “Metal Lords” with an open mind.
Hunter (Adrian Greensmith) and Kevin (Jaeden Martell) have formed a “post-death metal” band with a name too profane to share here. Hunter is the true visionary as the songwriter and lead guitarist, and Kevin is a guy who plays snare in the high school marching band. Hunter is convinced that participating in the school’s battle of the bands is the way to become legends and find success in their lives beyond high school. Unfortunately, their band doesn’t have a bassist, so much of the movie is spent searching for the third member of the band. Or rather, Kevin trying to convince Hunter that Emily (Isis Hainsworth) should be the third member of the band and Hunter trying to convince us that a cellist isn’t metal enough to be in his band.
I had mixed feelings about this movie. On one hand, all three of the young actors did an amazing job. I had to look up whether or not they played because it certainly looked to me like they were actually playing their instruments. They all were able to lean into the angst of being in high school and being outcasts among their peers. Greensmith is pitch perfect as a disaffected teen who channels his insecurities into tearing down everyone else, including his friend. Hainsworth has a lovely scene where she talks about how her anger isn’t justified because she has a loving family and a relatively good life, but she feels terrible anyway.
In one really powerful moment, Martell is at a party and he asks, “How do they do it?” Greensmith says that the band isn’t that good and besides, they’re playing Ed Sheeran, so how hard is it anyway, but Martell goes on to say that he’s really asking how everyone is able to just be normal and fit in. And truly, if the movie had really examined that question, I think it could have been really effective.
Unfortunately, the movie shifts tones radically between some genuinely heartfelt, important discussions into zany teen comedy, and in doing so, it misses the mark on both. D.B. Weiss (of Game of Thrones fame) is the screenwriter for this, and you can see his talent for authentic dialogue, but his indecisiveness about how to follow through on lines is also clear.
At the end of the day, I’m not sure who the target audience is for this movie. It’s part “Euphoria” and part “School of Rock,” and in that battle, I didn’t feel like there were any winners.
ALISE CHAFFINS is a Morgantown writer who loves movies and sharing her opinions. She reviews a movie from a streaming service every Saturday and one from a theater every Sunday. Find more at MacGuffin or Meaning on Substack.
