TIFF Review: Jimmy Page, Jack White And The Edge Rock Out In ‘It Might Get Loud’

Since we decided to make a blog about “where movies and music meet” (an albatross we’ll never get off our necks ;), we’re pretty obligated to see, “It Might Get Loud,” a rock guitar god documentary that centers of Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, U2’s The Edge, and The White Stripes’ Jack White, no? Well, yeah.

Well-shot, well constructed and giving equal time to each guitar god (though calling White might be a stretch by our POV), ‘Loud,’ was a engaging, informative, if not completely necessary documentary about three guitarists seemingly chosen at random. That’s not to say they’re not all great in their own right, but the selection did strike us as fairly odd.

We would have liked for more acoustic Zeppelin (which we dig personally more than the played out rock stuff) ,but otherwise this was a very decent documentary. You don’t necessarily have to kill to go see it, but we suppose guitar enthusiasts will eat it up. Some of the best scenes include U2 live (while they’re not our favorite band of the three, we think we side on The Edge’s axe ideology of sonic exploration and always moving forwards more than say, White’s pure and back to basics approach), The Edge playing around with his effects (there’s one unnamed tune that sounds like heavenly sea squalls by Brian Eno) and the trio playing riffs off each other (the kid-like looks of joy and awe on Edge’s and White’s face when Page goes into “Whole Lotta Love” is priceless).

The group end their summit with a rousing little number of the Band’s “The Weight,” and the entire film obviously features a ton of all their music, past and present. Oh, but the question you most want to know? Who has the best, most lip-protruding guitar face? Why Jimmy Page of course. [B]