Sorry for the late update! It’s completely my fault. While I’m In the middle of finals and marking for grad school, I totally forgot what day it was, and to copy over the new review! Regardless, better late than never!
While I wait for the new Game of Thrones season to come out (I wrote this a week ago as you can tell) I had heard rumors through my various metal and hard rock connections that Motley Crüe had come out with a new documentary/movie of sorts on Netflix. It is called The Dirt. And me, being me, who absolutely adored Nikki Sixx’s The Heroin Diaries/ This is Gonna Hurt (books I will one day review in the future), absolutely wanted to see this. I love Motley Crüe, something you may not know about me, so whenever a new project comes out about them, I’ll line my ass up to see it.
That said, this is my review of Motley Crüe’s “The Dirt”.
The Story
So the story is based on the 2001 (I believe) book “The Dirt” which reveals exactly how Motley Crüe became the rock band they did, including, how they set the reputation and precedent for rock bands for the next 30 years. It reveals the literal “dirt” of how this happened, the things they did, and leaves no detail out. The documentary, slash movie, is no exception. It is graphic, uncensored, and supposedly gives you a somewhat accurate depiction of the band’s past. Fair warning though. Do not watch it with young children in the room. It is not exactly family friendly.
Given the popularity of band bio-pics with Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman coming out, or having a smashing success this year, this one needs a lot more love! It’s completely worth the watch!
I’ve linked the trailer here before you go any further!
My Thoughts
If it wasn’t immediately clear, I loved this movie. And particularly what stood out to me was the casting choices. I don’t think I’ve seen a movie more well-casted than this one. You got Machine Gun Kelly, who honestly I didn’t think could act, who plays Tommy Lee to a T. He’s amazing, and probably should get more acting gigs. Same with the guy who plays Mick Mars—Iwan Rheon, or for you game of the thrones fans, Ramsay Bolton. These two were a fantastic choice, among the others.
Another great point was the story itself. Although a true story and documentary, this film combines medium of documentary and film, allowing the viewer to watch the film and story in a narrative way, while the characters each pause parts of the story to give snippets or explain things more. While an unusual choice, it works fittingly for this story.
The music is just...wow. I mean it’s a remastered album of Motley Crüe hits, but goddamn if they aren’t perfectly placed and timed throughout the duration of the film. The songs selected, I think, are a good intro to those who maybe don’t know Motley Crüe and want to hear some of their best work. I just couldn’t believe how great some of these songs were. I know Motley Crüe and I’ve listened to some of their stuff before, but I’ve not loved anything until hearing “The Dirt”.
It is, as I said, uncensored and quite shocking at times. I think the movie downplays a lot of it for the sake of the viewership, but even the stuff that gets on still manages to be shocking in itself. This band was hardcore, and as you’d expect there are a few storylines with drug and substance abuse (for anyone who’s read anything with Nikki Sixx, you knew that was coming), and it’s done in a very show-all way. Viewers are given the “dirt” on the band. Now, do I think everything happened like that? No. Already some things in the movie aren’t exactly word for word what happened—you can’t do much about that, some of it is for the narrative of the story, others for the sake of the medium itself. It’s only a 2-hour movie, and there’s a lot to cram in. Regardless, it’s still a great flick to watch.
My Rating
Again, if you like rock (as I do) and 80s bands (as I also do) you’ll probably like this, even more, if you actually are a Motley Crüe fan. It’s got a good pace, fantastic casting, and some shock value based on a true story
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐4 stars
It’s a Yay! Give it a watch on Netflix if you can!
Back to studying for me!
~Meghan
Comments
Post a Comment