Even if you’ve been a fan of Metalocalypse from the beginning, you might have to go back and watch a few episodes to remember exactly what’s happening in Army of the Doomstar. The movie picks up right where the show ended, with Nathan Explosion recovering from the events of the fourth season and the band reforming and announcing a world tour and a new album. Unfortunately, Nathan is shattered mentally from everything that happened and is struggling to cope with the expectation that he must write the Song of Salvation and save the entire world. Of course, he has no idea how to do that and he and the band are still relatively fractured.
Things kick into high gear pretty quickly though and Dethklok are tasked with saving the entire planet from an untimely demise thanks to Salacia (voiced by the incredibly talented Mark Hamill). Things go from bad to worse as Salacia tries to possess the band and the Song is more challenging to create than you might think. That trademark dark comedy that Metalocalypse is known for is ever-present, but there’s a fair amount of introspection and philosophy injected into the script as well and the entire vibe of the movie is slightly more serious than you might think. The character development throughout the movie is focused mostly on Murderface and Nathan Explosion with only a handful of scenes focusing on Skwisgaar, Toki, and Pickles (although Pickles does steal the show a few times). The dynamic works however and even though not everyone gets equal screen time, it all comes together.
Metalocalypse: Army of The Doomstar builds up to a ridiculously over-the-top finale as you might expect and it would be a shame to ruin it but suffice it to say that the climax is utterly spectacular and the ending is satisfying. Expect gore, action, swearing, and of course, metal! Even if you have never seen an episode of Metalocalypse (and shame on you if you haven’t), Army of the Doomstar is both entertaining and easy to follow. That’s one impressive feat of writing from Brendon Small! As send-offs for series go, this is a love letter to fans that is hard to surpass and one that’s remarkably entertaining as well. There was definitely a chance for things to fall flat here and instead the entire movie is a wild, high-octane ride that goes well beyond expectations.
In addition to the script itself, the music is the star of the show here as it always has been with Metalocalypse. Accompanying the release of the movie will be a new album, Dethalbum IV which releases on August 22nd on CD and vinyl. The music is fantastic stuff and you can already listen to Aortic Desecration on YouTube here to get an idea. Chances are if you’re a Metalocalypse fan you’ve already heard that track but the way it fits into the movie is simply excellent and that goes for the entire soundtrack. You can also buy the Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on the 25th and it includes the score as well. Even the non-metal music in Army of the Doomstar is excellent and the way music is threaded throughout the story is so natural that you barely even realize how structured and calculated it is.
That music fits very well with the improved visuals in Army of the Doomstar. This is a feature-length movie and the visuals are upgraded from the show to reflect that. On blu-ray, the movie is crisp and clean with outstanding detail work. Fans of the old Heavy Metal movie will notice distinct similarities between the animation of Army of the Doomstar and that classic movie and there are scenes like the one with Murderface in the water that almost look rotoscoped. It’s an absolutely stunning piece of work artistically and the character designs are detailed and fascinating, like a metal album cover in motion throughout the entire experience. With both music and visuals providing a compelling experience, Metalocalpyse: Army of the Doomstar is surprisingly immersive and before you know it, the credits will be rolling.
Let’s take a look at some of the technical aspects of the movie as well while we’re at it. This is a blu-ray only release with no DVD or 4K coming at the present. The audio track uses DTS-HD MA and as long as you’re running any kind of sub with some half-decent speakers, it sounds amazing. Dethklok cranked up on a upper mid-range 2.1 or 5.1 system absolutely rocks, so just hope that everyone in your house likes metal and can live with more than a bit of swearing. The visuals are crisp and clean throughout the movie and the colors are rich and vibrant, making for a fantastic experience. Make sure you crank your sound system up for this one because the depth of audio is worth it!
Audio is provided in English, Spanish, and French, as are subtitles, making this a particularly accessible release. There is also a single extra featurette included called “Behind the Metal Curtain” which details the creation of Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar and is surprisingly engrossing. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes here and you get to hear perspectives of the numerous guest stars as well as details of the filming, script and music that add even more to the movie. Sadly there is no commentary included with this release and there are no additional features or retrospectives that wrap up the series, but the movie is honestly good enough that you’ll manage. The blu-ray does come with a sweet poster of the cover art at least, and you get a digital copy which is redeemable on Movies Anywhere to boot. Not too shabby!
All in all, Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar is an intense, ridiculous, and sometimes outrageous experience that is equal parts hilarious, serious and irreverent. This is a fun movie and an excellent send-off for the series that finally details the Metalocalypse in all its horrific glory as well as the final fate of Dethklok and the world. It might be a bit more somber in tone than the series, but it’s everything you could hope for and a heck of a fun movie too, so this is one movie that you’re going to want to get your hands on!
This review is based on a physical copy of Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar provided by the publisher. It was viewed on a 1080p Sony 55” TV using a Sony blu-ray player. Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar is available starting August 22nd on Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple TV, Vudu, Microsoft and Youtube digitally, and at Amazon, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and Target on blu-ray.
Nate Van Lindt has been a gamer since the days of yore (aka Commodore 64), and has played a bit of virtually everything out there. He's also an avid comic book collector, both vintage and current, and reads a fair amount of sci-fi and fantasy. On top of that, he watches a fair number of movies and TV shows as well. Oh, and he has a family, a full-time job, and lives somewhere in the urban wilds of Southwestern Ontario, Canada, foraging for old video cables and forgotten game soundtracks.