Customer Reviews

It Might Get Loud

5 star:		(103)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Caught this film yesterday and all I can say is wow. If you like music, guitars or any combination of the two catch this one on the big screen. Then you can easily decide if you need to add this dvd to your music archives. The progression of stories and how they are told is excellent, as well as the music presented. [...]

I came here yesterday after getting home from the matinee to see if there might be a "soundtrack" available to accompany this movie. There's probably enough material here (Link Wray, Son House etc.) to make a sweet multi-disc collection. It may seem like an odd combination of guitar players, but all three are well represented and there are too many highlights to mention. Seeing these guys playing bottleneck slide guitar together on "In My Time Of Dying" is worth the price of admission by itself. Seeing this film was a joyful experience for me and my heart does a little happy dance just thinking about it.

I also saw this in a theater and when it was over, it was clear no one wanted to leave the room, we all would have been content to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening with these 3 guys. One of my fav moments is when Jimmy Page starts the opening notes of Whole Lotta Love - the looks on the Edge's face, and Jack White's face in particular are priceless: they are trying to maintain you know, professional demeanor, but inside they're going "OMG it's Jimmy Page playing Whole Lotta Love!!!!" I am buying this for a bunch of people on my list, and a copy for me too, to watch all over again.

It's hard to put into words just how riveting this documentary is. If you are a fan of Led Zeppelin, U2, or Jack White (who I had never heard of before this film) you will want to watch this over and over. Some of the coolest parts: watching the Edge as he listens to old tape of U2 giving birth to a song, complete with Bono faintly counting time in the background; watching Jimmy Page put a 45 on a turntable and play air guitar in his home to one of his early influences - the 1958 hit The Rumble; watching Jack White build an electric guitar in the opening scene, and just being delighted overall at this "young" guy's appreciation for the blues and his talent as a musician.

My favorite band is Led Zeppelin, my wife's is U2, so this film would have had to absolutely fall on its face for us to not like it. But even as excited as we were, as high as our expectations were, and as much as this film had to live up to in our eyes, it did, and more!

For someone who has long loved guitars and classic rock, few documentary premises have intrigued me more than It Might Get Loud's - filming three generations of famous guitarists spontaneously chatting/jamming and interspersing their personal stories. Unfortunately, execution does not live up to promise. For starters, many may quibble with the guitarists - Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White -, but they essentially exemplify their generations and have a nice rapport. I would have of course loved to see other favorites included, and it would have been nice to see a pre-Page player, but the choices are hard to fault. The fact that they have very different styles is certainly a plus. I am a major, long-time Page fan and a minor Edge fan, so I was mostly excited on their part. They of course need no introduction; the mere fact that they are here makes it worth watching for fans. I had very little previous exposure to White, and what I knew - the most popular White Stripes singles - left me rather unimpressed. However, this gave me newfound respect for him. I still dislike his vocals and lyrics, but he truly deserves to be in the film not only because he is a noticeably talented guitarist but also because he has great knowledge of and respect for tradition. In addition, he is very humble and clearly grateful to be around the veterans, even if his reserve seems a bit studied and his traditionalism somewhat self-conscious. As for those who still doubt, it is after all very hard to think of another qualifying popular player from the 2000s.

How much one likes the movie depends on expectations. I hoped the majority of it would be the guitarists talking and jamming, but this is far from true. Opening sequences create suspense about their meeting, with each wondering what will happen, but the meeting is a pathetic anticlimax; there is no excitement and hardly even a meeting scene at all. The interactions are undoubtedly absorbing, especially the players' interest in each other's work and the younger guitarists clearly being in awe of Page. However, the interaction is disappointingly low-key; there is almost no fire or magic. Many have mentioned the pivotal scene where The Edge and White watch Page play "Whole Lotta Love" like awe-stricken schoolboys, and the film is indeed almost worth watching for it alone, but it is the only such moment. The paucity of their playing together is particularly annoying; not even one full song is shown, and many are cut off far too early. These could have at least been given as extras, but that is sadly not the case. Segments of the individual players describing their techniques are more revealing, especially The Edge's.

Viewers wanting other performance footage will also be disappointed, though this does not pretend to be a concert film. The archival footage will be familiar to fans but is generally used well, while footage of the individual musicians is among the highlights. Page fans will be especially thrilled to hear - and in one case see - the master play two new songs.

The real problem is that, since only hard-cores will watch this, the documentary footage taking up such a large part of the film has little or nothing that viewers will not already know. I say this as a Page fan; the case may be otherwise for Edge/White fans, but I doubt it. Director Davis Guggenheim points out in an interview that it is interesting to see the guitarists tell their own story, but the lack of real insights is still highly detrimental. Even so, there are a few charming scenes, notably Page smiling like a star struck teenager and playing air guitar to Link Wray's "Rumble."

Some miscellaneous points remain. The sound is strong throughout, which is of course key, and the cinematography is generally good, but many editing decisions are highly questionable. For example, a short perusal of deleted scenes - especially Page demonstrating "Kashmir" - shows that they are often better than much of what is used. Written or spoken narration would also have been very useful. Lack of a plot is inherent to the film and basically an asset - at least in theory -, but the way the movie jumps from one guitarist to the other without transitions or any real plan is sometimes confusing. Certain things that are unclear to non-hard-cores - e.g., the significance of the White Stripes playing in an old-fashioned hall to an audience of stuck-up, older men and The Edge's reference to a letter that led to U2's formation - would also have been cleared up. As for the animation, some may question it, but I found it mostly effective and notably funny. In contrast, the "young Jack" gag quickly grows old and has no redeeming worth.

All told, fans of the guitarists must of course watch this, as perhaps should the guitar-obsessed generally, but it is not strong enough to attract others.

I caught this limited release documentary in the theater and cannot wait to see it again and to gift it to every guitar-loving friend I know.

"It Might Get Loud" is ridiculously, thunderously, deliciously good. If you love music, if you love guitars, if you love the creative process, you'll love watching while the boys pull back the curtain on their first guitars, on falling in love with music and on how it all comes together.

Some of the highlights; the Edge at the bulletin board where he first spotted 'Larry's' ad for musicians, the grown-up Jack White talking to little Jack White and getting to see Jimmy's face light up when he starts talking about the music. It's all just fabulous.

And when it was all over, I was just so glad that I play the guitar-- until I remembered, uh... I don't. But they do. And their enthusiasm and appreciation is just so infectious, you'll be running home to grab your imaginary Fender.

You know the one I mean. Edge and White are sitting there -- one a bonafide superstar guitar hero in his own right, and the other a new kid on the rise, representing the newest wave. But both, regardless of their obvious age differences, are once again 15-year-old kids, listening to music way past their bedtime, sitting in mesmerized awe, thinking "I never thought I'd ever get to see THIS, 2 feet in front of my face" -- as Mr. James Page, in whose presence they both suddenly, terrifyingly realize they are MOST unworthy, lets loose with "Whole Lotta Love". At that moment, Edge, White, you, and I are equals -- mere mortals in the presence of a god.

A wonderful rock-u-mentary that allows the viewer seemingly sincere moments with three world-class guitarists as they discuss their early influences, guitars, and performing. They trade licks, stories, and play a sweet tune together. None of those annoying interviews with former managers/girlfriends/historians - just the musicians.

An excellent choice for electric guitarists, Zep/U2/Jack White fans - invite your spouses/friends with care.

Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin, The Yardbirds, and solo career), The Edge (U2), and Jack White (The White Stripes and Raconteurs) get together to talk and play guitar. Does anyone that loves guitar need to know more? These three guitarists are from totally different schools of playing - Page is all about the sound and which guitar he plays; The Edge is all about the technology and sound effects; and White is all about playing with anything that he can get his hands on (he says, I have this guitar with a bent neck and I work to make great sound with it). They are three different generations of guitar players. To have these three play together and make gorgeous music is incredible. The three styles end up working together beautifully.

December 26, 2010 update: I purchased the Blu-Ray disc, what a huge disappointment compared to the DVD. The sound wasn't over the top incredible a million times better than the DVD. The image is not that much better either. Granted the style of this film, high definition isn't necessarily important (after all, do you really need to see every wrinkle on Jimmy Page or The Edge and Jack White's sweat). Honestly, save your money and buy the DVD, it is equally fine. One caveat with my recommendation, I do have an upconverting receiver that takes DVD's to 1080i, and sound is run optically into a fine receiver for decoding there. It is possible I've eeked out every shred of quality possible in the DVD, and the Blu-Ray (PS3) just doesn't do that much better in this case.

The DVD is gorgeous. The sound is incredible. The film style does not get in the way of these three artists. It would be easy to pick on some of the film techniques, but I just couldn't stop pinching myself over the sound these three made. I found myself watching Jimmy Page play and just pinching myself, he is a master. I'm sure that Jack White felt the same way.

I triple loved this film. I grew up with Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin, and The Yardbirds. I'm not a fan of U2 at all, but listening to The Edge play, I appreciated what he does, by far the best part of U2. Jack White has something very special going on with his music, solid blues roots (I love the blues). Layer this over the fact that my youngest son has begun playing the guitar. We spent a lot of time pausing to look at those special guitars in this film. I have a whole special appreciation for guitar players.

The watching - if you have a good surround sound system, this film will make it shine. The dynamic range is huge in this film. Some of the dialog is almost impossible to hear, but the music is always spot on loud and very well recorded. After all, this film is all about guitar playing, not much else.

The DVD is chock full of bonus features. This is one to spend a long time studying.

The film is rated PG. I think there might be one tiny swear word somewhere in here. How in the world the director managed to get these three to talk about music and maintain a PG rating is beyond me. All for the better, anyone that is studying guitar should watch this excellent movie.

If you aren't a big fan of any of these three, this will be a painful movie. There isn't much story here. Visually it's done just fine, but it's not really a movie with three acts. If you are a fan of rock music or the guitar, this is a fabulous film. I was riveted for every minute. I will purchase this film on Blu-Ray, the sound will be magnificent.

I like all three guys, and all three bands they are most famously known with. While the obvious climax of a documentary about three guitarists is a jam session, I think it's a mistake to head in that direction. I read here of guys who bemoan more music, less talk. I also read about how this was a poor combination of guitar players. While I may personally prefer a trifecta consisting of John McLaughlin, Lee Rinaldo, and Thor, the combo given in "It May Get Loud" made perfect sense to me. In a way, it's really the story of how Page's legacy splits into two directions generations later.

How do I know this? It's on their faces when they get together, talk shop, and trade riffs. Jimmy Page's roots are in the Delta blues, which were born from Slave songs and prison work chants. Jack White talked about that same raw soul that one hears in Son House, which led to Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf. All Page's heroes as well. The Edge, from a Brian Eno era, seems removed from it all. Not in a bad way, but you can definitely see his blank expression when the other two go into it. But the Edge is basically a logical progression of Page's electronic experimentation with the echoplex, theramin, bowed guitar, leslie speakers and recording studio tricks. Jack White is the raw, soulful, bluesy side of Page's playing in Zeppelin and the Yardbirds. When White is banging away at his guitar, you can definitely see how much more Page digs it.

The documentary tries to make this correlation, but not outwardly. I think it gives enough "scrapbook" moments from each guy and each band to keep everyone happy. For those cantankerous reviewers who grumble that there's not enough Jimmy Page and who in the world are those two other guys....careful....your age may be showing.

Besides, for any true lover of Jimmy Page's playing, I can't see why they won't love the other two blokes.

When I heard this documentary was out, I was itching to see it and then I got delayed. I started getting worried but I checked the theater and they still had it running once a day. HURRAY I wouldn't miss it and was going that day. THE GUITAR GENIUSES WERE PLAYING & I WAS SEEING THEM! And let me tell you, it was everything I expected and MORE!

I am a longtime U2 fan and WHO ISN'T a Led Zeppelin fan?? Jack White is kind of new to me, but the film is going for past, present and future generations of rock guitar expertise and that is exactly what is achieved. As another reviewer expressed, it is quite a thing to see the faces of Edge & White marveling at what Page is talking about, playing etc. He IS the GOD up there in the trio, who can make the guitar do things no one else I've ever heard yet do since Page has run his fingers across guitar strings. NO ONE. There are many, many truly talented guitar players out there who I would include in a list WITH Page, but Page set the bar HIGH ENOUGH for all these other players to try and reach for; he made them want to be THAT GOOD. And a small handful ARE that good. BECAUSE of Page.

Now I've heard people diss Edge, saying he wasn't much a guitar player etc. Well, I'm a HUGE HUGE U2 fan and so I ALREADY know what Edge can do and how he does it. He creates multiple guitar parts for one song; he hears it all in his head, uses several guitars in one song, and blends all the parts together to combine an AMAZINGLY masterful blend of guitar parts to express himself in JUST ONE SONG! He, like a symphony writer, hears all the parts of what he wants to write and with his guitars and MASSIVE pedal board, creates magnificent sounds that are TRULY UNIQUE and unmatchable by anyone else in rock today. AND ONE MORE THING: Edge CAN DO A ROCKIN' MAD GUITAR SOLO ANYTIME HE WANTS TO.......his skills are mad crazy.

Jack White - that opening sequence of him making that scant guitar is something else........truly poetic and his scenes are proof of what is yet to come and of how much he has already done. I wasn't as familiar with his work as I was with the other but I knew who the White Stripes were and WOW are they great. Dude is most righteously talented and for a young man, has a keen interest and understanding of the blues. That usually takes years to possess/acquire. But he already has it. He has proven he can spread his talent across many different bands, but I think it would befit him to settle down and suit up with one and let it rock. He did look truly awe-inspired in watching Page & Edge (not just patronizing - he seemed genuine) and looked to be soaking it all up. These guys have made it to the BIG SHOW!! And I am sure that is where Jack would surely like to be at some point. He has time to experiment now; but to be a master, you have to get your sound and rock it out like there's no tomorrow. I am sure he will.

Like the others, I did not want this to end. Seeing them all play together was LIKE A DREAM. And do it on slide......oh wow, what a moment. Hearing Edge tell them all, "no it's a B Minor" (again to all the Edge nay-sayers, the dude knows music) as they are jamming together, I mean, this is a "never going to happen again" moment and it was a "goose bump" moment watching as they all sit together with instruments in hand, taking turns or playing together, eyes riveted on one another. I can tell they all had fun making this - there was JOY in there eyes and in their music. There was JOY IN ME.

If you love these guys, if you love guitars, if you love rock music - GET THIS!!!