MovieChat Forums > Until the Light Takes Us (2010) Discussion > A Warning For Fans!

A Warning For Fans!

posted 14 years ago by lordinfernus_2001
18 replies | jump to latest

I am a die-hard Black Metal fan, and have been since it's beginnings. I have wanted to see this film since I first heard about it. I have been scouring the internet like others hoping to finally see it. I found it on a torrent yesterday, and finally got to see it last night. I know my words will not deter you from seeing this, because they wouldn't on me either. But be warned, this film sucks!! There is no narrative, no musical performances, and half of the music played is techno/ambient. The film feels like it is 9 hours long! Just endless blabbering from Fenriz and Varg, and it's nothing that a fan doesn't already know. This could have been so much better, I would give 3/10 for content alone!

Meat's meat, and man's gotta eat!!

[–] gRungeddd-maxx 14 years ago

Yeah man this film sucks. I too am a huge black metal fan. it has been over 7 years now and the sound of pure,raw,unadulterated, black metal especially Darkthrone, Endstille or Graveland still gives me that same pleasure. But truly this movie sucks ass. Varg himself said that he doesn't give a *beep* to media. But this stupid *beep* media just won't stop pulling his legs and making him guilty for every sin on this planet. Even the small section on black metal in Metal a Headbangers Journey was way way better than this boring piece o' *beep* Why would they even care to put a film like this none of us black metal fans don't give a *beep* about media and we prefer less exposure, but why would they waste money on things like this.

[–] nicman-2 13 years ago

Well I don't give a *beep* about black metal, but I found this documentary to be very interesting. Just because it's a film about black metal, doesn't mean only black metal fans are going to enjoy it. It was a character study of the people who were involved in this culture at that time.

"Chronicles the history, ideology and aesthetic of Norwegian black metal - a musical subculture infamous as much for a series of murders and church arsons as it is for its unique musical and visual aesthetics. This is the first (and only) film to truly shed light on a movement that has heretofore been shrouded in darkness and rumor and obscured by inaccurate and shallow depictions" - Pulled directly from the synopsis.

They told you what the film was going to be about, so stop crying. Just because YOU misinterpreted what this was going to be doesn't mean it "sucks ass".
Like I said, I found this documentary very intriguing and I hate black metal, so maybe they weren't aiming to please black metal fans, maybe they were just trying to make a good documentary. I went into watching this assuming I'd hate because I loathe this kind of "music", but it turned out to be really good.

[–] SOiL-2 13 years ago

I thought the soundtrack was perfect, personally. And anyone who was disappointed by the soundtrack is exactly the type of idiot that Fenriz was talking 'bout when he was confronted with the fact that he listened to electronic music.

But yeah, it could've been more fleshed out and complete, they really needed more viewpoints other than Fenriz's and Varg's.

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[–] Flakey Foont 13 years ago

you're missing the point, and you're missing it completely: this film isn't supposed to please die-hard fans to begin with - it is a documentary and not a gift to fans. it is there for people to see what the key figures of the genre have to say and want to say. it's not a celebration of idols. how can you accuse a film of not fulfilling YOUR expectations when it never promised to do so? you have to judge it as what it is, not what it isn't. you don't have to play black metal in a film to make a good film about black metal anyway - you have to get down to the essence of things and visualize the dynamics of the genre and the people involved. and that's what the film is ACTUALLY about. when i want to hear music, i don't watch a film. i just put on some music. you see?

[–] Lonewolfsanscub 13 years ago

The movie was summed up when Fenriz was in the Stockholm gallery and asked the filmmakers "What, no more questions? I feel like I need a cigarette". The filmmakers had too many targets that they were trying to hit that they seemed to skim some pretty important topics. ambot69 has the right idea; I would have liked to see something on the overall effect on Norwegian society. Overall, I liked the film but there was definitely something missing.

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[–] bccurtiss 13 years ago

I think people who claim to be fans of black metal, but didn't like this film because there weren't enough performances and whatnot, were expecting a "Rockumentary" not a documentary. If you want some masturbation idol worship for an hour and a half, there's plenty of mtv jerkoff sessions for you to get off on. I'm pretty sure the people who don't like the movie are just the "same old brain dead metal heads" that Varg talks about who used to walk into Helvete who were clueless as to what the 2nd wave black metal movement was about amongst other things.

[–] Joseph_J_Wood 12 years ago

'I went into watching this assuming I'd hate because I loathe this kind of "music"'

Just out of interest, what made you decide to watch it?

- - - -
"Don't you ever use 'party' as a verb in my shop!"

[–] Andstric23 12 years ago

I think this film works precisely because it decides to not engage in the "fan content" like stuff of playing black metal music every minute to remind us what the film is about. The electronic soundtrack was perfect, it reflected the disjointed, eerie and confused nature of many of these interviewees. I would have liked to have seen maybe a stronger narrative connecting all of this together, but for me, the documentary succeeds in expressing a really dark and foreboding mood. I love black metal but the film definitely shows how both fans and the major bands in the Inner Circle represent vile ideologies. I honestly think where the film failed was that it didn't go far enough in exposing the ideologies of the characters, we get glimpses throughout when Hellhammer recounts a story quite gleefully, "of his friend that killed that *beep* And the story by Varg mentioning culture being corrupted by "Jewish influenced Christianity." They needed to go deeper with this especially because Varg is a neo-Nazi, hate mongering, murderer. They lure you in with Varg's wonderful storytelling but instead of revealing how awful he is, warts and all, beyond the I murdered this guy in self-defense, they kind of drop the ball and it's a little disingenuous to the audiences.... Still, it was compelling for revealing just how little remorse or growing up the main actors went through even though it's been almost 20 years since the events. The drummer from Darkthrone was a really interesting juxtaposition to all of this, he mentions how he and Varg kind of went separate paths, he went to discover more music and Varg wanted to be more political and you can tell how that diversion has sort of created a real tension in his life. He wants to support his friend who's in jail but I never got the feeling he was completely comfortable with the church burnings and especially the murders and he seemed to not fit into the Inner Circle, especially their more political side of things.

[–] EarlGreyWhore32 12 years ago

I thought the same thing when I was watching it. It was clear to me that Varg was a psychopath (or maybe a sociopath, I'm not that familiar with his psych history, but there's definitely a little anti-social personality disorder going on up in there) just from the way he talked. A friend of mine who was watching it with me seemed to really appreciate what Varg was saying because he spoke to intelligently (and he is a smart guy). Afterwards, I read a little about the crap Varg got up to when he was released on parole, and promptly thrown back in jail, and I was convinced that he just isn't a very reliable narrator. Anyway, what worried me was the way my buddy reacted, and the way any other little fanboys out there might react. My buddy has since adjusted his opinion, but there are a lot of idiots out there who probably won't. I appreciated Fenriz's commentary, he seems a lot more balanced, which is probably why he isn't in jail.

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[–] JoshuaDysart 12 years ago

First of all, and I'm sorry, but you're an idiot. This film is an act of journalism. Not a concert film. However, having said that, it's a pretty muddled act of journalism. If they had focused more sharply on the movement's role in the early 90's mayhem, then used that to explore much more closely the way the media essentially misrepresented the movement and caused far, far more harm than the movement itself ever did and then ended on punching the idea that a whole slew of "satanic" posers exploded on to the scene that still mischaracterize its roots to this day, then we would have had a taught examination of how culture erupts into unique movements that are then co-opted by the media. The thing is, all of that was in the movie. But it was so softened by a far-reaching need to look outside the fascinating brew of suicide, murder and church burning. I understand that they didn't want to suggest that's all there was to the movement, but the intelligence in the interviews do a fine job of proper representation. I would've liked it better had they cut down on all the fluff around the edges and really explored that tumultuous time in the movement.

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