Rage Against The Machine (1997)

Waste of time

Good start, but then it gets ruined

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

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

If you're looking for energy then you've found it. Few bands have been able to conjure up the energy that RATM does in their live shows. Although RATM racked up millions from their very popular CD's the overwhelming majority of proceeds were channeled towards grassroots agencies. Their reasoning for signing a deal with media giant Sony has to do with Tom Morello's philosophy on ignorance and education. Sony is simply the medium by which RATM channels their message through. It's the one of the most widely spread forms of media, and they were/are trying to get their message out. And boy do they do just that in this DVD. With songs like "Bulls on Parade" you'll find yourself jumping and head banging along.

I was once told from a good friend that you haven't seen a live show if you haven't seen RATM live. For not even being in the audience, but rather watching it in my living room was enough to fully agree to my friend. Being that I'm a huge RATM fan, and of course a big fan of music in itself, I can say that I was literally jumping around watching this DVD. Tom Morello is absolutely incredible. His riffs are so funky with a driving groove, yet very simple. RATM has the power to drive their enormous audience due to their outstanding stage presence. Even if you don't agree or care about their political/social viewpoints, they are still a great band to get into when it comes to the music in itself. RATM is one of the best bands in rock history, and are unique in every way. It is a shame that they broke up. Audioslave is no RATM. Highly recommended for any fan of the band or hard rock in itself.

That being said I am a big fan of Rage Against The Machine and this disc did not disappoint me. Just watching the thousands of fans bob in unison to the music is enough to get you going. This disc has concert footage as well as most of their early singles uncensored videos. There's also a CD included with the VHS version with Zach reciting a poem.(the ghost of Tom Joad) There's no behind the scenes footage or anything that you haven't seen before but it's still a good buy if you're a fan of the band

This video documents the Rage Against the Machine rock group and it showcases a lot of their great music (for instance the song- Wake up) and looks at them as well. Pretty good, though short, but still worth a look just as long as you aren't a teenie bopper or something. Note- look eventually for the Rage Against the Machine music video collection (if it is ever released) because most likely in it will be a music video directed by Michael Moore. A+