A Spinal Tap Reunion

Those who loved This Is Spinal Tap generally divide into two categories: those who love heavy metal and those who hate it. If you fall into the latter, The Return of Spinal Tap is probably not for you. If, on the other hand, you watched the movie and then went out and bought the soundtrack... it's definitely worth your time. You should know, though, what to expect beforehand. The Return of Spinal Tap is not a satire or a mockumentary like This Is Spinal Tap. It's nothing more and nothing less than Spinal Tap Live. Don't get me wrong: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer are still funny as hell; but the brilliant commentaries carry less weight in favor of the music. And why not? The joke could never have been as funny the second time around, so instead, the three just decided to have some fun, returning to their beloved characters and living out the dream of doing a big rock concert in front of a huge crowd. Frankly, the concert segments are much funnier this time around, with the on-stage antics of the three brilliant comedians, as well as winks back to the first movie in segments like 'Rock N' Roll Creation' and 'Stonehenge'. Plus, you get to sing along to all the beloved, cheesy, brilliantly idiotic songs from the first movie, like 'Big Bottom', 'Sex Farm', 'Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight', '(Listen To The) Flower People', 'Hell Hole' and 'All The Way Home'. Also you get a bunch of great new songs like 'Bitch School', 'Break Like The Wind', 'Clam Caravan' and 'Cash On Delivery' with a rare lead vocal performance by Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer - by now, keep in mind, a Simpsons veteran).

Before you watch The Return Of Spinal Tap, you should ask yourself two questions. The first is - do I really love Spinal Tap, or did I like it just for the satire? If you really loved the first movie, you'll love seeing the beloved old characters of Smalls, St. Hubbins and Tuffnel return. The second is - would I enjoy watching a Kiss concert? If you answered both these questions with a positive reply, watch it.

Mildly disappointing "reunion" of the fictional band made famous by the wonderful mockumentary, THIS IS SPINAL TAP. Most of the film consists of concert footage, and though the actors do a more than credible job on-stage, you come away wishing there had been more interviews and gags. Almost all the best songs were featured in the original movie, although there is a wonderfully cynical finale. Not bad, but on a scale of 1 to 11, a very modest 6.

Crazy how they sound better than actual bands. They work together better than actual bands. Tells you a lot. Tells you a whole, whole, whole lot. Talks to you about a ton. Not a ton of fun but a ton of facts.

Better play it up to the 11 on the dials and do not dial the dial back or we will be tapped.

"The Return Of Spinal Tap" proves that Spinal Tap were indeed a band of superb musicians, excellent vocalists and ultimate showmen. It doesn't matter that they are fictional characters, because what you get here is one of the most powerful sounding and visually impressive rock'n'roll stage shows anyone could ever hope to see.

Sadly when Tap did Australian appearances to promote their "Break Like The Wind" CD, the public and media all thought that they were joking when they said they were planning a world tour and that Australia could be included if demand was high enough. This film is some compensation for all of us who missed out on experiencing Tap live and at their peak.

Filmed with inclusion of state of the art flying cameras and superb visual editing as well as sound production. I've enjoyed many repeat viewings of the LaserDisc over the years - and I'm always blown away. Crank your sound system to eleven and enjoy the ride.

To say this movie (straight to video it looks like) is as classic and groundbreaking as the original This Is Spinal Tap would be wrong. But still, the film has it's moments of being utterly hilarious and is worth watching through the flaws. It consists of concert footage and songs not yet heard. But it also has backstage and outside footage of the band. That footage is not great outside, but there are some real laugh out loud moments, like when Nigel shows his new invention- a foldable wine glass (but it still needs hinges). Martin Short, Paul Schaffer and Rob Reiner appear in cameos; the songs include Hell Hole, America, Stonehendge and Tonight We're gonna rock it. A-