It Might Get Loud (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

( Max score: 100 )

92

Film Synopsis:

It Might Get Loud tells the personal stories, in their own words, of three generations of electric guitar virtuosos – The Edge (U2), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), and Jack White (The White Stripes). It reveals how each developed his unique sound and style of playing favorite instruments, guitars both found and invented. Concentrating on the artist’s musical rebellion, traveling with him to influential locations, provoking rare discussion as to how and why he writes and plays, this film lets you witness intimate moments and hear new music from each artist. The movie revolves around a day when Jimmy Page, Jack White, and The Edge first met and sat down together to share their stories, teach and play.

My Take:

Imagine throwing Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White onto a sound stage, giving them guitars and letting them have at it?? Miraculously, ‘It Might Get Loud' does just that. From the stage to their homes to an intimate sit down, it was a detailed view inside these ultra-influential and polar opposite musicians. The Edge is the deep, mellow, calculated player who is really into his toys and technology. Jack White is about feeling, noise, the blues and broken down vintage gear. Then we have Jimmy Page, the Yoda of the group. When he talks or plays, the other two pay attention and know their place. I wished there was more footage of these guys playing and talking together rather than their separate story arcs, as those are this films most engaging scenes. Thankfully this Blu-ray has more scenes of the guys together in the special features. When the three of them jam on Led Zeppelin's 'In My Time of Dying', ‘It Might Get Loud’ has its best and most pure moment. Seeing The Edge and Jack White’s schoolboy reaction to playing Zeppelin with Page was priceless. This documentary is about their passion for the guitar and the art behind it. It is not just for die-hards, fans of guitar or music in general- it's much more accessible than that. It is a well-paced and interesting look at 3 generations, 3 points of view and 3 distinct voices in Rock n' Roll history.

Parental Guide:

Rated PG for mild thematic elements, brief language and smoking

Audio: 94

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Video: 90

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It Might Get Loud comes to Blu-ray Disc from Sony featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 22.8 mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 3.2 mbps.

For a documentary with many sources, 'It Might Get Loud' has a well-balanced and beautiful transfer. Even the interlaced archive footage is as good is it can be while leaving it untouched. The footage of the guys on the sound stage is sharp with great dark details and amazingly natural flesh-tones. I wouldn't be surprised it was filmed digitally in hi-def. The footage filmed on location in Tennessee, Dublin and England look like film and are not as perfect as its counterpart. It is a bit softer and has a little more grain pop out than I like. Overall this gets close to reference marks but just misses by the skin of its teeth. The audio doesn't miss and is reference. From the upfront and crystal clear dialogue to the subtle distinction of a finger sliding over a guitar string, you will find yourself silent, as you just want to keep listing. When the guys were jamming ‘In My Time of Dying’, it felt like they were in the room with me. When The Edge is playing ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’, my room became the sound stage. Everything was detailed and resonant. The low end was deep, controlled and used just as needed to compliment the kick drum and bass guitars. I gotta tell ya, I really enjoyed my system while watching 'It Might Get Loud'.

Bonus Features:

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• Audio Commentary Track with Director Davis Guggenheim, Producer Lesley Chilcott and Producer Thomas Tull
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• (HD) Toronto Film Festival Press Conference
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• (HD) Deleted Scenes
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• (HD) It Might Get Loud Theatrical Trailer
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• BD Live Enabled
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• MovieIQ

Final Thoughts:

There is a great moment when Jimmy Page starts riffing on Whole Lotta Love. The Edge and Jack White both look like little boys with awestruck frozen grins. I felt like that many times while watching 'It Might Get Loud". To any fans, music lovers or audiophiles this is a must have. To anyone remotely interested, it is a great watch. Besides having a slightly lackluster set of supplemental material, 'It Might Get Loud' is a great example of what good documentary filmmaking and Blu-ray can be. This will be re-watched and is a welcome addition to my collection.

Lee Weber
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews




Reference Review System:


Anthem LTX 500 1080p High Definition Front Projector
Prismasonic HE1500R Anamorphic Lens
Custom 1.3 Gain 128" 2.37:1 CinemaScope Screen
Pioneer SC07 Receiver
Pioneer BDP-320 Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Triangle Zerius Speakers (7.1)
SVS PC13-Ultra Subwoofer