Recommended: Metal Lords on Netflix
What's Metal Lords About?
There's a battle of the bands in a just a few weeks, and an outcast kid is convinced he'll rule his high school if he can just convince his timid best friend to get on stage with him and play some righteous heavy metal.
Who's involved?
Why (and to whom) do we recommend it?
You know this isn't your typical teen comedy when Clay Moss (Noah Urrea), the lead singer of a pop-rock high school band called Mollycoddle, turns out to be a really nice guy. There's still a jock bully who causes trouble for our heroes, but in your standard coming-of-age flick, Clay would be a villian, too. Instead, he's a popular kid who compliments Hunter's guitar skills and asks Kevin if he wants to hang out.
That surprising kindness suffuses the film. Like the recent classic Booksmart, Metal Lords knows that underneath their rebellious posturing, its young characters are innocent, and it loves them for it. We're encouraged to root for Hunter and Kevin's friendship, even while we're laughing at their dumb teenage choices. (Naming their band Skullfu**er is at the top of the list.)
Yet for all the idiosyncracies on display, Weiss and director Peter Sollett (Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist) clearly understand the teen comedy basics. We get an awkward-sweet sex scene, a loony chase sequence, an uplifting emotional breakthrough, and even a surreal comedy bit in a hot tub. These tropes help the movie go down smooth, even when the kids are trying to melt our faces with their music.
Pairs well with
TOPICS: Metal Lords, Netflix, Adrian Greensmith, Brett Gelman, D.B. Weiss, Isis Hainsworth, Jaeden Martell, Joe Manganiello, Noah Urrea, Peter Sollett, Sufe Bradshaw