It Might Get Loud is an admirable and highly entertaining documentary. Fans of these three musicians will undoubtedly love this film, but there’s also plenty of aspects for non-fans to enjoy too. Its a film that is easy to invest in not just because of it’s outlook on music, but also due to the fact that these musicians are actually interesting.
The film revolves around rock legends Jack White, The Edge, and Jimmy Page. It gives insight into their lives and why music is so important to them. As the three of them conduct a jam session together focus goes deeper into their backgrounds and unveils their passion for electric guitars. Jack White, the lead singer of The White Stripes, is inspired by blues and doesn’t care for expensive guitars. The Edge, the lead guitarist of U2, is a quiet man who takes influence from the events around him. Jimmy Page is a classic rocker who seems to love nothing more then music.
The most engaging guitarist here is The Edge. He also is the easiest one to connect to. He’s the most down-to-earth out of the three and the way he is inspired by the events around him is the most intriguing aspect of his persona. Its understandable to wish that the film was more focused on The Edge. The most eccentric out of the three is Jack White whose passion for music is consistently felt throughout. The opening sequence with him conveys how creative and invested he truly is in his music. While some may feel distance from White its only due to his reclusiveness. The film paints him in an understandable fashion that leaves the audience able to grasp his passion. Led Zeppelin veteran Jimmy Page features an impressive long career and he quietly unveils the inspirations that came about to him throughout his life. He is the most reclusive of the three, but he has an understandable persona.
The film is filled with many themes that all strike a connection to these people. Not all of them come to fruition, but most of them are developed. The main one is passion and all these people have that for their careers. That theme is the heart of this documentary and it will bridge that connection for non-fans. For example, The Edge brings up the film This is Spinal Tap and stated that the film is more sad since its so true. This comment is never capitalized upon — never showing the possible self-indulgence of rock stars. Although this aspect may have thrown off the film’s main focus considering these three characters are far from self-indulgent.
Oscar winning director Davis Guggenheim paints an engaging examination of these three legends. He primarily focuses on their long careers, inspirations and of course their love for the electric guitar. When the narrative shifts from each one of these musicians it never feels abrupt or jarring. He gives each one of them a fair amount of screen time and development. One admirable aspect on Guggenheim’s part is that he makes the film accessible for non-music fans. It will be easy for them to connect to the film since Guggenheim strikes on themes that everyone can connect to.
All three of these guitarists are consistently engaging throughout the film. Each one of them gets plenty of screen time for the audience to be able to feel their love for music and its fully understood why they do. This film is being advertised as a documentary on the electric guitar while it is actually more of a character study. There are a few flaws, but in the end this is a briskly paced and engaging documentary.
8 out of 10
What did you think of It Might Get Loud?
