It Might Get Loud

I’ve been excited about this film for a long time. First off, as an avid guitar player myself, Jimmy Page has long been one of my guitar idols if you will. Ever since I learned the little E riff from Whole Lotta Love I’ve been a stone cold Led Zeppelin fan. They revolutionized Rock’n’Roll from the ground up and created hybrid genres along the way. Anyways that’s enough of musical talk in a film blog, right? Whatever, I really don’t care what you think. This is my stage. I do like the White Stripes and appreciate Jack White’s diversity and musical abilities. I mean the guy went from lead singing and playing guitar for White Stripes, to lead singing and playing guitar in The Raconteurs, and now playing drums in The Dead Weather. He’s definitely a talented dude. He actually reminds me of Dave Grohl’s musical progression. Nirvana (drums), The Foo Fighters (drums, bass, guitar, singer), Them Crooked Vultures (drums). And actually Paul Jones, bassist player for Led Zeppelin is now playing bass in TCV. Funny how things cross-reference sometimes… And then we have U2’s guitar player, The Edge, who has been a tour-de-force behind U2 songs and their sound. Put these guys together in a room for a few hours and magic is bound to come from it, right? Right??

It Might Get Loud - Watch Trailer Here

The film revolves around these 3 guitar virtuosos and their get-together jam session. So far, I’m in! Sounds like a good premise to me. Each of them have their own playing style, and throughout the film we become more aware of what life experiences helped craft their styles and hone them as musicians. And for me this was the most rewarding part of the film. Peeking behind the curtains to see what made them tick. I love documentaries – could you tell?

Jack is the edgy, raspy, rough cut guitar player. One who’d rather make a guitar out of an old piece of wood and a glass pop bottle than buy a new one. (A great start to the film by the way. We know exactly what we are in for afterwards). The Edge is the guitar player that meticulously hones his sound through hundreds of effects pedals, equalizers, and amps. Making sure each chord progression and note falls perfectly into the song. And of course, Jimmy Page is the classic rocker with the chops to make little boys cry and piss their pants simultaneously. I’ve seen this happen.

The actual moments when they are all together are sadly kind of a letdown. There was so much build-up and for me the actual jam sessions were anti-climatic. But maybe that was the point. Each one of them takes a turn and throws down a little guitar riff from one of their classic tunes, while the rest watch and occasionally join in too. Watch for the part where Jack tries to coax Jimmy into singing along. And Jimmy resists saying he can’t sing. I think Jack continues to pester him to sing along. Kind of an awkward moment I thought. The end jamming to The Band’s – The Weight, a classic rock song that seemed appropriate. I wish they would’ve chose a song where there could be a little more lead work during it, but Jimmy still delivered in The Weight, but he was the only one soloing there.

If you love any of these musicians, or appreciate a good documentary that deals with the road that led to their virtuoso statuses, you will enjoy this film immensely. For me, 90 minutes wasn’t enough. I wanted more and more. I like what they did with the credits, because it kept me tuned in until the screen faded black.

Rating: 9/10