Heavy Trip was a whole adventure in itself and one of the more enjoyable films of the class. I’m not particularly a fan of metal music, but turned into a fan of the movie. The film exhibited an ability in connecting audiences with non-traditional characters that are often subjects of being frowned upon. Characters that aren’t conventionally portrayed with warmth were suddenly characters to root for and cry over. The main characters, or should I call them, Impaled Rektum, had real-life aspirations and worries that made them unsurprisingly easy to connect with. Like I previously mentioned, I am not exactly a fan of the comedy genre, but this film turned out to be much more than an enjoyable fable. It has a surprising tender side in the midst of head-banging metal music and is made with careful consideration of its characters and its characters’ aspirations.

Goofy, ridiculous, & enjoyable without the cringe of comedies. I mean there was plenty of cringe every time icky vomits fill the seen, but all the cringe was intentional. Everything was funny from the character’s dialogues, to how they move, to how they look, to them just being there, on screen, as awkward quirky metal fans. I think some gags would’ve worked better if I had known more about the metal music background. But despite not being a fan of this type of music, I still was able to completely enjoy the film.

However, some of the scenes of the movie still became victims of the formulaic comedy trope. Much of those were on the second half of the film, which sort of lost its momentum. The journey to Norway became much more predictable and slightly childish. Yet on the other hand, the amusing moments sprinkled throughout the script, such as the running joke about their “symphonic post-apocalyptic reindeer-grinding Christ-abusing extreme war pagan Fennoscandian metal” music, were still enough to carry the film towards the end, and be an overall amusing adventure.

Heavy Trip is a musical-comedy film by Jukka Vidgren and Juuso Laatio. It is about a group of friends who are in a band but never plays in public until they get an opportunity of a lifetime.

Despite not being a super fan of metal, I very much enjoyed this film! The characters were so dumb and lovable that I can’t help but root for them in their journey to fame. Watching them fight for their dreams was so inspirational that the cynic in me gave up on thinking that they will fail.

The film was very nicely structured in a way that it didn’t feel dragging. The comedic timing was on point and the emotions were pretty balanced.

I would recommend this film to dreamers who love music. I would also recommend this to people who want to watch something light.

Heavy Trip by Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren

“Other guys can play hockey and drive around chasing pussy. We play metal.” Turo narrates to the audience as his band plays hard core metal in the basement of one of his band mates. I’m pretty sure that describes a whole lot of the movie from just that line in the beginning. Heavy Trip is a great film that had me laughing and having a whole new respect for heavy metal bands (but something I still would not listen to in my free time however).

Seen as homosexuals, hippies, or even drug pushers by some, Turo Lotvonen, Pasi, and Jynkky are so much more than that. They go beyond the stereotypes of who they are physically, a heavy metal band whose members have long hair that has not taken a shower in x amount of days. Their story of going from a bunch of amateur musicians playing “symphonic, post-apocalyptic, reindeer-grinding, Christ-abusing, extreme war pagan, Fennoscandian metal” in a basement above a reindeer slaughter farm to going on an adventure with a mental institution patient that they busted out and a dug up coffin of a dead body (spoiler: it was Jynkky’s) to play at a Norwegian music festival as a band named “Impaled Rektum”. Going beyond all the crazy events and funny mishaps that the band goes through (such examples being Turo wrestling an animal, maybe a possum? in a local zoo or him having intense stage fright that leads to some very violent puking) the movie has a whole lot of heart and gives a win for the underdogs. The protagonists have a whole lot of passion and love for what they do even with people judging them and only seeing them negatively. What’s so wrong if their ‘thing’ just so happens to be playing heavy metal music? They are proud and free enough to do what they want and chase after their dreams no matter what obstacles stood in their way, sticking it to The Man and also for Turo’s case, getting the girl. In the end although they did get arrested just as Turo said, it is not the end of their band, ending the movie with a sense of hope for the future of Impaled Rektum.

I really enjoyed this move. It was really funny and light hearted compared to the intense and deep plots that our previous movies had. In a sense there was not anything ‘heavy’ about the movie at all except for the music itself. The plot was nothing but light, enjoyable, and easy to follow. The kind of comedy that although slapstick and kind of crazy it still made sense for the characters to follow through with it. It kind of reminded me of the movie “Almost Famous” that it also followed a somewhat up and coming rock band (but in the eyes of a teenage journalist who became their somewhat groupie). Over all I give this movie two thumbs up and would highly recommend even if you were not a heavy metal enthusiast.

At first glance, comedy and heavy metal seem to be a strange combination. How would you expect something intense and powerful to be comical? I can’t really imagine these men with long hair and face paint to be laughter-inducing. To my surprise, that is what Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren did with their spoof entitled Heavy Trip. I consider it a feel-good movie just because of the good vibes and laughter that it brings. Despite the language barrier and difference in cultures, I was still able to appreciate the humor of this film. It made a lot of references that heavy metal fans would particularly enjoy but its comedic factor is something to be cherished by the wider audience. It may even teach a thing or two to the audience about the stigma that is attached to Heavy Metal. The characters in the film are being discriminated for being different. But then, you get to see how these Heavy Metal artists live a “normal” life after all and are capable of getting involved in wacky and goofy circumstances. They have their own dreams as well as seen in their pursuit of the chance to play in the music festival in Norway. The film bears similarities with other comedy movies about bands and their journey to stardom. In watching Heavy Trip, I was reminded of School of Rock and Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. The characters are actually comical in themselves given their own backstories and complexities. Their collective naivety also adds to what makes them lovable. They may be facing their own troubles and misfortunes but as a viewer, you do know that they will eventually figure things out. That is the reason why you can just relax and enjoy the show for the entirety of the movie as they “make a fool” out of themselves. Whether or not they reach success in the end, the journey that they went through as a band is what really matters more. As a viewer, the film makes you feel as if you’re part of their adventures and ups and downs. It is thrilling yet fun rollercoaster ride. 

I am really into comedy films just for the laughs and the good vibes. Heavy Trip was totally unexpected and it certainly did not disappoint. It serves as a proof that comedy can still cut through cultural differences especially if it pertains to popular culture references. The filmmakers certainly did not restrain themselves from stretching that humor that was presented in the film. They were able to maximize their potential without offending too much. The brilliantly-written script just goes to show the directors’ knack for jokes. Their timing proved to be perfectly fitting as well for the different scenes of the film. I may not fully understand the language but the subtitles, body language, and tone proved to be sufficient in retaining the comedic factor of Heavy Trip. I would not mind watching this movie over and over again and I would certainly try watching European films that are similar to this one. 

The seniors ended this rollercoaster of a class with a screening of Heavy Trip (2018), a Finnish comedy about a death metal band called “Impaled Rektum”, and their journey to their first gig in 12 years. I’m kind of relieved with this choice because the movie really gave me a good laugh despite the sometimes cringe-worthy or obscure jokes. The plot of the movie is familiar and it came off a little formulaic at times, but the lovable characters makes the film worth watching. The delivery was just so wacky and dorky that I had no choice but root for them.

I don’t have a lot of knowledge nor do I appreciate heavy metal music at all, but the film gave me a different perspective on the topic. Heavy metal was completely foreign to me, sort of a door I didn’t want to open even. I kind of have accepted the fact that I would never enjoy anything about the intimidating genre. But the film succeeds in enlightening the audience about the workings of this particular subculture, and presents us with a group of people that is often misunderstood and made fun of. The characters’ reverence towards heavy metal is also striking, the scenes showing how passionate they are with what they do. In this way, the music is made accessible through the experiences of our protagonists, but it is never watered down or desecrated by cheap attacks at the genre.

What I really enjoyed about the film was the lightness with which the band’s journey was portrayed. We all knew what was at stake, we have an idea about the circumstances of all the band members, but the movie was presented in a very comedic and dorky tone that their plights seem to dissipate. The fact that they were underdogs, a band of misfits and outcasts who had a penchant for this one thing despite the different struggles that they face each day, make them all the more appealing and worthy of the audience’s support.

I’m glad the class ended with a film as light-hearted, funny, and inspiring as Heavy Trip. Given all of the films that we have watched, it’s nice to finish with something we’re familiar with, however obscure and inaccessible the medium it presents itself in is. In this way, the film sort of mimics our European Film class. With each film screening, we’re presented with something different and difficult, each viewing bringing something new and innovative to the table. But behind all of these stylistic elements is a universal human experience that is captured by the film.

I honestly appreciated the fact that, for the graduating seniors, we ended our European Film class with the film Heavy Trip (2018). It was a really lighthearted and fun movie to watch (especially comparing it to all the other films we watched like Persona or Raw). At first, I was not as excited to watch it since it was going to be a movie about a heavy metal band, and one of the genres I did not really mesh well with most is, in fact, heavy metal. The music may not have jived well with me, but the story surrounding it and the jokes surely did.

I loved the subtle humor it brought out. My favorite scene was the part when the band jumped off the cliff and “resurrected” onto a land with people role playing a Dungeons and Dragons type of game. It was just so funny to me. I thought they were all going to die or something because the scene where they jumped off the cliff seemed so dramatic. They were kind of saying their goodbyes already. When they arose from the ocean, asked if they were in hell, saw people “crucified” on crosses, etc. I laughed so hard. It was so weird but so funny to me at the same time. At this point in the movie I just wanted to ask, “What is happening?” because I literally did not know what the writers were thinking about when they wrote this film.

All weird jokes and scenes aside, I felt a little “proud” towards the end when they were able to perform in front of a big crowd for the first time in 12 years. After all their hard work and perseverance of becoming a great metal band, they were able to achieve their dream despite all the obstacles that came their way. I think they also wanted to send the cliche “don’t give up on your dreams” message to the audiences who watched this movie. Their situation may have seemed exaggerated (they worked for 12 years… with one song… and never gave up) but it can actually be parallel to reality. Some people work so hard and only see the fruits of their labor after so long. Even though the journey of Impaled Rektum was very difficult, they still overcame those challenges and succeeded in the end.

The scene where Turo pukes in front of their audience before both of their performances reminded me of the same thing happening in Pitch Perfect. It was a parallel of how the band (Impaled Rektum) and the group (Bellas) both failed at the start but claimed victory in the end. The parallelism did not end there though — both groups were able to claim victory because of their sense of camaraderie and companionship with each other. Impaled Rektum’s brotherhood within the band was, I think, the main thing that glued them together and drove them towards success. It was a heartwarming sight to see their appreciation of each other and how they would not have been able to get to where they were if it were not for one another. The importance of friendship and brotherhood was very spot on and visible in the film, which I highly appreciated.

Everything you need to know about Heavy Trip (2018) is summed up in the line, “We play symphonic post-apocalyptic reindeer-grinding Christ-abusing extreme war pagan fennoscandian metal,” and the fact that this line is repeated multiple times throughout the film’s one and a half hour-long runtime.

Speaking as a big fan of heavy metal music for as long as I can remember, it didn’t take long for me to connect with the film’s rather unorthodox subject matter. It follows a group of friends, all twenty-something year-olds working day jobs, who play in a metal band looking to make it big.

The dialogue reads like the footnote of that niche: the hopeless musician just waiting for that big break, struggling to make ends meet by working nine-to-fives. The struggles that come with this lifestyle are touched on quite substantially in the film: having to book shows, buy a touring van, promote your demo, work day-jobs, etc. The twist comes in that these musicians just happened to play death metal (as something of a purist, this is completely subjective; their take on the genre had traces of thrash and deathcore, although this is a completely different discussion on its own) and lived in Finland. As a result, the four also have to deal with the discrimination that comes with playing a rather extreme type of music. There are some true to life themes that come with it as well: overcoming adversity, maintaining personal relationships, and ultimately, the power of friendship.

And from the aforementioned description of the band’s sound, you can already tell what kind of ride you’re in for. For the untrained viewer, the four boys Impaled Rektum might come off as a little too eclectic. An example of this is when just as the four musicians are seemingly apprehended, they do the only logical thing to do in the moment: jump off a cliff and survive the fall unscathed. Yet, directors Jukka Vidgren and Juuso Laatio pull this off in way that isn’t corny or lame, and is instead genuinely fun. Even though it wasn’t as outrageous, unpleasurable, or estranged as other offerings of European cinema, Heavy Trip still had a distinctly foreign flavor to it. I felt that the dry humor for example, was reminiscent to that of Edgar Wright’s earlier work.

However, it is clear from the get-go that the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, and neither should you. Once the final credits roll, I found that this took nothing away from what the film was at its core: an earnest and heartfelt love letter to the struggling musician. Every scene is able to capture the youthful excitement of being out on the road with your friends to play music, and this is contrasted with the gritty reality that playing music you’re passionate about is difficult.

Thus, since Heavy Trip is still a film about musicians, it is no surprise that the band’s music took center stage (pun intended). Their hit (and only) single is played a number of times as well throughout the film, which really lets this aspect of the film shine. Metal fans should rejoice at this; not only is it a genuinely good song, but references to metal greats are peppered in the dialogue as well.

The next time I need my fix of  symphonic post-apocalyptic reindeer-grinding Christ-abusing extreme war pagan fennoscandian metal, I’m glad I’ll know exactly where to look.