Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story (2001)

Wow! Such a good movie.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

I just finished watching the movie and I'm surprised that I actually got to the end. It was so horrible that I was considering to stop watching many times during the movie. First of all, the events are not historically in the right order. Many little details are missing such Sav playing guitar in the beginning instead of bass. In the movie Steve and Phil are writing the Pour Some Sugar on Me intro riff right after the Pyromania tour, although the song was actually the last one written for Hysteria and the idea was actually by Joe, the intro riff was originally a country riff by "Mutt" that Phil gave that Leppard sound. There are many more little flaws like that. These really spoil it for a real fan I think. In addition, the personalities of the characters don't match to the real ones. Def Leppard have always said they have always had democracy and peace in the band, however in the movie it appears to be the other way round. I've got to point out that "Mutt" Lange was awfully portrayed as well. As a Def Leppard fan I think this movie shows no respect to the band, its members and songs. This movie will most likely give a non-Leppard fan a really wrong idea of Def Leppard.

I enjoyed the film, but I think, being the big Def Leppard fan that I am, a much higher budget film is in order. I mean, more like, " The Jacksons, an American Dream," or that movie about the Osmond brothers; movies that are about 6 hours or so. I would have sat through that.I think that the saga of Steve Clark should have included some glimpse into his early child development, as I'm getting the idea that he had problems before he ever picked up a guitar. The movie also should have covered his death, and made some mention of his mother. That movie gave me the idea that she didn't care how Barry Clark treated young Steve.As for a comment I read, I felt sorry for Steve, not because of his alcoholism, but because his father, quite honestly, sounded like a real jackass.

As band bio-pics go, this one is a mix up. Only real fans of the band will be interested. Those mildly curious will walk away with a profound sense of "Wha..?" Def Leppard have a great history, and the fact they all started so young is almost never touched on, except for the drummer, Ric Allen. Anthony Michael Hall as Mutt Lange, who, if you go by the film, truly defined, refined, and set the course for their music. And while this may be true, Hall's performance is lackluster and yawn-inducing. All in all, I'd give this a 4 out of 10. As I previously stated, and this is no fine point, only FANS will be interested in this. I'd rather see "Song Remains the Same" with Led Zeppelin.

The true story of one of the most successful pop-metal bands of the 80s. All born in England, the group first found success at home and then, with the help of producer Mutt Lange, they began to top the US charts. Although problems with drug and alcohol addiction took their toll, it was not until a car accident took the arm of the group's drummer that the party came to a halt. Faced with the potential death of the group and pressure to find a new drummer, the group banded together and encouraged their mate to learn how to play with one arm and re-join Def Leppard. They went on to sell over 14 million albums during their next tour.