Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Language, drinking, bullying in coming-of-age comedy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Metal Lords
What's the Story?
In METAL LORDS, awkward Kevin (Jaeden Martell) and intense Hunter (Adrian Greensmith) are teen best friends trying to start a metal band in time for their school's Battle of the Bands. But not just any metal band, a (in Hunter's words) "post-death doom metal" band called "Skullf--ker." Hunter shreds on guitar and has even written a song called "Machinery of Torment," but Kevin's drumming experience doesn't go much beyond what he knows from playing snare drum in the marching band. They also don't have a bass player, and the bullies in school give them a hard time. No matter, because Hunter has fixed ideas on the true meaning of "metal," and uses all of these experiences as teachable moments to school Kevin on the finer points of the music and lifestyle. Things change as Kevin befriends and then later dates Emily (Isis Hainsworth), a gifted cellist, and when Hunter rejects Kevin's idea to bring Emily into the group outright, his behavior grows increasingly erratic, straining his friendship with Kevin and causing his womanizing single father (Brett Gelman) to take drastic measures. As their world seems to be crashing around them, these three must find a way to settle their differences and find a way to emerge victorious in the Battle of the Bands.
Is It Any Good?
This is a coming-of-age movie saved by rock and roll (correction: "post-death doom metal"). With its Wonder Years-style voiceovers, battles between the infernal jocks and our misfit heroes, and befuddled and barely present parental figures, Metal Lords starts off as if it's going to be little more than a mishmash of coming-of-age cliches and teens with the sophisticated musical tastes of much older screenwriters, with some John Hughes Gen-Xish teen angst thrown in for good measure. In fact, the movie even seems like it's set in the '80s or '90s until a scene in which an uncool band at a party covers Ed Sheeran. It hovers very close to being a cliched and overexaggerated tale of suburban boys finding the pathway to suburban adulthood through denim, leather, Black Sabbath, etc., but the charm and energy to the story is infectious and the acting is fantastic across the board. Adrian Greensmith, as the dorky-cool metal obsessive Hunter, captures that nerdy, intense introspective nonconformity that defines so many of the more extreme fans of that genre.
There are some very funny scenes, and many of them involve cameos from metal or metal-adjacent icons. It's a movie with about as much hard-hitting realism as School of Rock, but there is a sense of honest humanity to these characters that emerges in a way that often doesn't happen in coming-of-age movies. While some of the jokes and situations are best enjoyed by metal fans and/or musicians, there's enough to the story and the quality of the acting to make Metal Lords accessible to those who don't know their Reign in Blood from their Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about coming-of-age movies like Metal Lords. How is this similar to and different from other coming-of-age movies you've seen?
While the teens get into trouble of various kinds, what positive messages does the movie share about learning to play an instrument and playing in a band?
Does the movie glamorize bad behavior, or is it trying to realistically convey what many teenagers experience in and out of school? Why?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : April 7, 2022
- Cast : Jaeden Martell , Adrian Greensmith , Isis Hainsworth
- Director : Peter Sollett
- Inclusion Information : Asian Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : School ( High School ) , Arts ( Music and Sing-Along )
- Run time : 97 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : Language throughout, sexual references, nudity, and drug/alcohol use – all involving teens.
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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