3. Heavy Metal Art Come To Life
Burning cities, axe-wielding horsemen, bodies hanging from bridges, citizens in grubby clothes and flaming police cars. All mainstays of the macabre, all symbols of the alternatively disturbed, and all featured in Through The Never. Even outside the stage props and other striking visual elements that are contained within the arena throughout the show, Metallica's standard-issue black wardrobe compliments the leather-jacket-hoody-bandana combo that Trip has going for him. This feeds into the notion that the movie's entire aesthetic is a metal fan's deepest visual desires come to life, and if you're anything like myself, that concept is a righteously fun and entertainingly rewarding one. Metallica have never been one to dabble strongly in mythical creatures for their artwork, or pen swords 'n' sorcery lyricisms, yet that ever-present playful side of the genre is in full force during the intercut narrative elements. In reference to the previous point, the way Dehaan's Trip is shot exploring the increasingly-barren streets evokes almost a comicbook effect, yet also calls back to the likes of Metallica's videos for 'One' and 'The Unforgiven', cutting to disturbing imagery or the small-fish-in-a-big-pond archetype respectively.