Before watching this film, my initial expectation of the film would be that it would be about very serious and maybe even tragic journey because of its title. Then as I watched the start, and saw how it was about a heavy metal band, I thought this was for going to be serious and dark because that is what comes to my mind when I think of heavy metal. Heavy metal has songs that revolve around death and violence, and so it lead me to think that the film would follow this theme. I was soon proven wrong as I continued watching further because this film was the opposite. It is a witty and playful film that is not to be taken so seriously.

I really enjoyed the film, Heavy Trip, because of its interesting story and light hearted comedy. The plot is fairly straightforward because it follows a Hollywood style narrative, and so it is easier to understand as compared to the past films. Even though the story is a bit cliche, I still enjoyed the story because of how it tells a story of overcoming adversities in order to follow your dream. It revolves around a heavy metal rock band, and it shows the particular struggles they faced in becoming famous while keeping it witty and funny. One scene in the film that really struck me was when they were trying to come up with an original song because all these time they have only been playing covers. I found it funny how their first original song came from an accident wherein one of the members puts a goat into the chopper, and the sound that comes out is what gives inspiration for the first song. Another moment I enjoyed was when the band members are caught by the police at the edge of the cliff, and I thought that was the end of it because how were they going to escape. Then the group decides to just jump off a really high cliff without really thinking about the dangers. This scene really shows how unorthodox and spontaneous this movie can get.

I believe that the film’s purpose is not merely to bring out laughs and just plainly be a comedy, but it is also here to teach a lot of valuable lessons as well. It teaches us in being perseverant especially when it comes to pursuing our dreams. Despite the many obstacles they faced such as being discriminated, finding a way to the concert, and even losing their original drummer, they still managed to push through all of that and become a famous band. It also taught me that friendship is something we can always rely on when things get tough. I do not think they would have been successful if they separated or had given up. This film also gives us a lesson about not judging a book by its cover because a person can be much different from how we may initially perceive him. We just need to keep an open mind and take time to truly understand someone. Lastly, the film taught me that our dreams are not as crazy as we think they are if we just give it a chance and pursue it.

This movie was great. The movie follows a familiar scenario when an upstart band wants to prove their worth as metal rock band. Excited for their big gig, they had to evade their enemies and people stopping them by driving through them, a metal thing to do. This movie utilized the element of heavy metal to a huge degree. Comedic takes from them getting their mixtape to a big event organizer to them creating a song out of a reindeer stuck in a grinder was wicked and cool that only a movie like this would accomplish. While the idea of metal is over-the-top even in the music industry, the characters are well grounded in how they desired for being acknowledged and even accepted in their local community. Against all odds, they needed this to show what they are capable of and prove the bad guys wrong – a tale told countless times.

Movies that did this sort of scenario are movies like the Lego Movie, Zootopia, and The Spongebob Squarepants Movie, where all of the heroes were underestimated by their peers and rose up to prove themselves. All of the movies mentioned are animated, kids’ movies that have a happy ending where the hero triumphs despite their enemies and even community attempts to put them in their place. They proved them wrong, a theme seen in this film. In a radical way, the film embraces the metal and tries to present this narrative in a metal way. Metal music, metal attitude, and metal references are sprinkled around the film to make the film comedic and ridiculous at the same time. Despite it having a simplistic narrative akin to the kids’ movies mentioned, Heavy Trip is also about a movie about companionship and living one’s dreams. Being recognized by their community is a dream of theirs and they needed to prove their mettle somehow someway. A very treaded narrative but executed as if it were new. Heavy Trip relives the metal in everyone and makes the audience want to support their cause because of their hilarity and antics as both a metal band and a group of friends.

For me, this movie really was a pleasant end of the semester. It left a pleasant feeling when the band performed their piece to an audience that listened and enjoyed them. The culmination of their work was celebrated by the ears that wanted to listen to them. That was their dream all this time, to be heard by fans of metal. To me, it spoke to a person who understands the struggle for being recognized in a society which is competitive in the music industry. Sometimes, it takes perseverance and a good group of friends to get through these rough times. Learning from this film, embrace what you are and give it your all. The film adopts the usual narrative of these animated films but stylizes it through the ridiculous of rock and roll, or heavy metal. The movie is cool and rocks on!

Given the movies that we watched throughout the course, from musical comedies to fantasies portrayed as realistic to movies that absolutely made no sense, Jukka Vidgren and Juuso Laatio’s Heavy Trip was a great movie to cap off the series of movies. It provides a new take and perspective on European cinema and it was overall an interesting and fun cinematic experience that allowed me to connect to the story and the characters. Being a fan of music myself, heavy metal is not really something that I listen to but it was able to add something new and fresh to the movie since not everyone really likes this genre. Despite this, the plot, the use of humor, and even the musical score made the movie particularly enjoyable.

Revolving around a metal band that dreams of playing in front of an audience, their experiences throughout the movie really allowed the viewers to connect with them and really feel invested in their journey. Turo, in particular, was for me a likable and even relatable character that really just wanted their band to be recognized. This pushed him to lie about getting the gig in Norway and his character development was really seen in how by the end of the movie, he really tried to put himself out there and do the things that are outside of his comfort zone. I was also drawn in by the members of the band, being outcasts when they were younger but they found music that brought them together. Despite their everyday struggles, they still find time for their music and I felt their accomplishment when they reach a milestone for their band after creating their first original song.

After being recognized by random people in the community when they heard about their gig, it was evident that this put a ton of pressure on Turo, being the only one who knows that they did not really get the gig. I remembered really feeling sad for them when he finally got the call that they did not get it. However, when the truth about the gig is finally revealed, it did not seem to be a big deal for the other members of the band. The scene when Turo gets emotional after seeing the picture of their band really contributed to the excitement of them getting back together and still going to Norway. By the end of the movie, they get arrested but still includes an atmosphere of fulfillment in finally being able to perform and reassuring that they will be back.

Although there were some parts that I found unnecessary to the plot, their use of humor and the film score contributed to how viewers get drawn in by the characters so that they could empathize with them. In my opinion, one of the unnecessary parts was the death of Jynkki, the drummer of the band, because it did not really add anything to the movie and I feel like it the ending could have been better if they stayed together until the end, when they were finally able to perform in the festival. I also find the cliff scene and getting washed on the shore irrelevant to the movie because it did not really add anything new. For me, the film score really contributed to the overall experience because it enticed excitement and thrill in particular scenes such as when Turo went to the zoo and when Jynkki went to the police station to get the van back. In addition, I loved the humor used in the film because it added more elements and made it more enticing to watch.

Overall, I found Heavy Trip to be one of the more enjoyable movies that we watched so far. I would say that it is a movie that is more similar to American films and I loved the humor and performance of the characters that made it more likable. In the end, Turo says that “Sometimes it’s better to just do things and think afterwards,” which was the main message of the movie and I would say that it was a really great movie to end the course.

Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren’s Heavy Trip follows a group of friends as they try to make it big in their small, Finnish town of Taivalkoski with their wannabe black metal band (later named Impaled Rektum). This film has been the most mainstream and modern film we have watched so far, and holds many similarities to a typical American comedy film (see The Hangover, Horrible Bosses, or Bridesmaids). However, it manages to transcend being a simple comedy film with its predictable, yet well-played plot and its setting in a specific cultural context. Similar to Good Bye, Lenin!, Heavy Trip shows that a good film doesn’t have to be difficult to watch (like Holy Motors or Raw) or have an intense plot (like Timecrimes), for as long as it makes its audience happy and feel good, then they’ve done their job.

For a movie that was centered around heavy death metal music (and other dark things, like the sounds of a dying reindeer getting caught in a bond grinder), Heavy Trip was incredibly funny, light, and dorky. From their awkward hair flips and impressive attempts at speaking English to stealing Jynkky’s coffin and having a bachelor’s party ruined by the Norwegian border patrol, the film is hilariously awkward, yet likable. The same description of awkward and likable goes for their characters; Laatio and Vidgren really developed the four guys well throughout the film and the actors portraying them did a great job with embodying their characters.

Though the killing off of Jynkky seemed like a random and cheap plot twist, it was an event that bolstered the second half of the film to be more driven by dedication, while still remaining funny. Not to mention, Jynkky’s death was practically foreshadowed at the beginning of the film where Turo states that he has legally been declared dead twice. This is where we can see an aspect of the film as a story about passion and dedication towards their goal. Personally, I have never heard so much heavy metal music in one sitting as I did when watching this movie, and even though I’m not familiar with the genre, I could tell that Impaled Rektum’s music playing was good. It’s also evident that these people know their stuff, especially Pasi, who can name every heavy metal song with just a few notes. Though similar to Holy Motor’s theme of commitment, Heavy Trip is different in that it deals with reality in a much more relatable sense, especially in the context of taking risks. This film also tackles friendship in a beautiful manner. Not every group of friends will drop everything, steal a van and cross the border to perform in a music festival, all while bringing along their friend’s coffin.

Overall, Heavy Trip was the funniest movie we’ve watched and a great end to the semester. Similar to our first film, A Woman is a Woman, which was light and not-so serious, Heavy Trip really proved itself as a music-driven and comedic film. Sir was right in saying although it may not have been the best movie created, or even the best movie we’ve watched in class, it sure as hell was funny. In conclusion, the past 11 films we have watched in this class have shown how wide and full of variety European cinema can be. But more than this, it has shown how culture will always present itself to the audience, either through music, landscape, or any other element.

Movies revolving a band are not really my type. However, Heavy Trip was a movie I enjoyed as it showed a lot of comedy and a little bit of romance. I believe the characters really did an amazing job in executing their roles. They really produced a lot of laughter, from the whole band to the police officer and to the antagonist, Jouni. One funny moment is when the band chose to travel to Norway and they were branded terrorists. Moreover, the other van that they met showed a parody, and a separate parody for the soldiers in the area that were obviously inexperienced and showed insufficient training. In relation to Jouni, he was an antagonist that resembled one that had shallow goals, as he was destined to fail. He made it clear that his main intention and goal was to sleep with Miia, who is also the love interest of Turo the main character. However, he becomes responsible for his defeat as Miia catches him making love to another woman. In terms of the band itself, they really showed a lot of humor as a group. The name of the band, for instance, was decided to be “Impaled Rectum”, which was very funny. 

Another thing I noticed in the movie is how it makes use of a typical Hollywood plot where the main character is brought out of his comfort zone and to face adversities where he eventually meets a climax to see whether he is successful or not. In the case of the Heavy Trip, the main character was successful as he was able to perform in Norway in front of a large audience. 

In terms of the reputation of Heavy Metal, the movie tackled the stereotypes and prejudices linked with it. For instance, the residents in the area would always make fun of Turo’s long hair as they called him “homo” or “gay”. Another strong stereotype was that this kind of music is very much associated with anti-Christ or satanist. This could be linked with how one of the band members, Pasi, would describe Heavy Metal or the songs that the band plays. However, the movie obviously supports Rock as the movie allows the band to perform at the stage while glorifying the vibe of a troublemaker that comes as well with being a rockstar as the movie ends with the whole band being arrested and yet, they were still continued to be cheered on. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie because it was a light movie that made me laugh with their jokes and funny segments. Moreover, I could also relate to the main character, Turo, as he is always scared to go out of his comfort zone or to take risks for bigger things. As a person, I know what it is like to be scared of moving on to bigger things, as it takes courage. In the case of the movie, he was motivated to be like a hunter not afraid to take away a lion’s food. In the end, he was able to fulfill his goal of performing in front of a crowd. 

After a semester of films that ranged from the confusing to the phenomenal, to the straightforward to the abstract, and from the discernible to the WTFness, After that rollercoaster of a film selection, it only feels fitting to end on Heavy Trip, a heavy metal film that despite its rough exterior, has an incredibly funny tone and warm heart.

The film’s premise is something that is actually almost familiar. A budding young band wants to get a gig and perform and grow big. But what makes the film unique from the start is that the film heavily embraces the heavy metal aesthetic. It is loud, it is chaotic, and it truly feels jarring if one is not a fan of heavy metal. However, whether one loves metal or not is irrelevant to the enjoyment of the film, which is actually another great part about the film. Even though I am personally not a fan of metal music, I can still see that the way the film tackles the genre’s history with respect. There is a clear showcase of genuine love of heavy metal throughout the film, whether from the many references to other acts as well as its original music.

Another thing that I also liked about the movie was the central cast. While there’s certainly nothing here that would probably be acclaimed at famous film festivals, the cast of the film, particularly the central band, are all very well acted with good comedic timing and performances. It really made them feel believable as not just a band, but a strong group of friends.

The movie is also very very accessible, even to people unfamiliar with the metal genre. An amusing example is near the beginning of the film, where one of the characters discovers their new original song by literally putting a dead reindeer through a meat grinder and enjoying the music coming from the accident. It almost feels like a double layer joke – it is funny because of the ridiculousness of the whole scene, but it is also funny because it does exactly sound like most heavy metal in the film. It is something tonally different from what is to be expected from metal, and yet it is still distinctly metal.

While there are some problems (for starters, the film’s primary antagonist in the form of a scheming and womanizing singer never really feels like a big threat), these are really just minor nitpicks at what is, essentially, a near-perfect comedy. Most comedies that I have seen, even among my favorites, admittedly have scenes that feel unnecessary or a moment in the film where it appears that nothing much is going on. But Heavy Trip does not really suffer from this. Its runtime is fast, the movie going through comedic set-piece after comedic set-piece that makes sure that even its weaker moments are quickly overshadowed by the next thing.

And that’s honestly just what makes the movie just a good time. Heavy Trip is just a feel-good movie with humor that never really gets old (the farcial scene of the border patrol agents in Norway on the final act is one of the most I’ve ever laughed at a movie in a very long time), music that can easily be appreciated, and a cast that just clicks at almost every turn.

All-in-all, Heavy Trip may be a simple film, but after the heaviness of plenty of the films in the course? It just feels appropriate to end here, with a film that is both simple and yet distinctly unique.