Two friends try to form a heavy metal band with a cellist for the Battle of the Bands.
Chuck says:
Netflix promised viewers that a new movie would premiere on the streaming channel each week over the course of 2022. With what I’ve seen so far of their new batch of movies, they’re obviously concentrating on quantity over quality. Their latest offering, “Metal Lords” is the best of a bad bunch, a movie that flirts with quality but settles for mediocrity. As written by D.B. Weiss, the film contains far too many teen movie tropes and not nearly enough background where its three principal characters are concerned. The result is a film that reels the viewer in but ultimately keeps us at arm’s length, relying far too often on cliches rather than upending our expectations with an inventive plot twist or a bit of intriguing character development.
The setting is a Portland high school where proud outsider Hunter (Adrian Greensmith) wants to form a heavy metal band and win the local Battle of the Bands contest. His abrasive manner it is proving an impediment in doing so, but he’s able to recruit fellow loner Kevin (Jaeden Martell) to be his drummer, though he’s only used to banging on one of them as part of the marching band. However, two players do not a band make – whenever The White Stripes is mentioned, Hunter does nothing but sneer – so the search is on for a bass player. Enter Emily (Isis Hainsworth), a withdrawn cellist from England who Kevin falls for and insists she’s the missing piece to their shredding trio. Hunter’s not so sure…
This trio is quite interesting, made likable due to the fine work of the three young actors who portray them. However, their efforts are undercut by Weiss’ script which provides thumbnail sketches of each, rather than fully drawn characters. So much of what makes teens tick concerns what’s going on at home and this fertile narrative ground is barely scratched. Emily’s parents seemingly don’t exist, as we don’t see them, while I assume Kevin’s mom and dad are having financial problems and have been forced to move to an apartment, which embarrasses him. Again, I’m only assuming. Hunter’s situation is a bit more obvious but done in such broad, quick strokes – his mother left after his father cheated on him – you can tell Weiss felt he had better things to do.
To be sure, there are moments that initially pique our interest and keep us engaged. Thanks to Martell’s enthusiasm, Kevin’s learning how to play a full set of drums is a hoot, Hunter’s drawing connections with Jason and the Argonauts with Heavy Metal players is a high point and Emily’s emergence as a fierce metal cellist to be reckoned with goes some way towards rewarding our patience. However, these moments are a bit too few and far between.
Had there been more scenes where these three discussed their concerns and hopes with their parents, our emotional investment in them would have been deeper and their ultimate triumph more rewarding. Unfortunately, the holes in Weiss’ script, his dependence on cliches (Can I please see one high school-based movie where an elitist suburban boy isn’t a bully?) and director Peter Sollett’s failure to address these issues make for half a movie.
Much like its three protagonists, “Lords” has potential to spare. The bare bones of a solid, subversive film are present but instead of following the mantra of his own movie, Sollett refuses to upend the establishment with a metal attitude. The intensity that’s the genre’s trademark is missing. The result is a movie that resembles Taylor Swift more than AC/DC.
