Film Review – Rock of Ages

Using the blockbuster success of “Mamma Mia!” as inspiration, the Broadway musical “Rock of Ages” gallops to the big screen in all of its neon-drenched glory. Merging the sonic power of hair metal from the late-1980s with campy performances intended to reach all the way to the back row, the feature is nothing short of a party, with glitzy actors prowling around the frame, belting out power ballads and anthems regardless of vocal ability. Director Adam Shankman plays the material as broadly as humanly possible, blasting the music, the costumes, and the hair at full volume, hoping to razzle-dazzle summertime audiences looking for a thrill that doesn’t emerge from the pages of a comic book. It’s a lively picture, beaming with energy and excess, evoking a debauched era of music and sexual gamesmanship with an exaggerated sway. It’s only a shame “Rock of Ages” is quite awful, because it looks like it was a ton of fun to make. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com