Urgh! A Music War

Great Music, but I have to give this a negative score regardless. It's not even rudimentarily what one could call a movie; just a juxtaposition of live gig footage, cut back-to-back with no narrative whatsoever. Nothing you couldn't find on youtube.

The movie is not a bad concert footage movie, providing a good variety of performances centered around the new wave and punk scenes from 1981 including bands that aren't as well known, the problem is the movie is just that and nothing else, no connecting elements like in Stop Making Sense or The Last Waltz. It can also be exhausting at times, running for two hours with a lot of energetic punk banks shown one after another. Not bad, just nothing that makes it particularly good aside from variety.

A highly entertaining overview of early 80s punk rock, featuring appearances by the famous (The Police, Joan Jett, Gary Numan) and the not-so-famous (Invisible Sex, anyone?). Highlights include Klaus Nomi's particular brand of Euro-eccentricity, Numan's extravagant set pieces, Au Pairs, and Lux Interior's (of The Cramps) hilarious sleaziness. There are lulls (Jett seems oddly listless), but the best songs are thrilling, and Derek Burbidge's direction captures the performances very well indeed.