Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar Blu-ray Movie Review

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Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 18, 2023

Warner Bros.' ongoing effort to finally finish fan-favorite franchises via direct-to-disc animated films continues with Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar, the feature-length finale of a "black metal comedy" (at least that's what I'm calling it) whose last new material came out almost a decade ago. The series' original run included four seasons that aired between 2006 and 2012 -- see our reviews of Season III and IV by Kenneth Brown, which also serve as a good primer for the series if you're new -- and the 2013 rock opera The Doomstar Requiem, with each also spawning an accompanying soundtrack album loaded with heavyweight tracks from the series and original songs.

The good news is that, much like WB's previous direct-to-video franchise swan songs (a flurry of titles released during the last year that included Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm, The Venture Bros.: Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart and, most recently, Babylon 5: The Road Home), Army of the Doomstar is a heartfelt and largely effective attempt by the original creative team to give Metalocalypse the send-off it deserves after a hasty cancellation. The plot, admittedly lightweight by feature-film standards, picks up after the events of Season IV and The Doomstar Requiem where hulking Dethklok frontman Nathan Explosion (voiced as ever by co-creator Brendon Small), on the cusp of his band's new tour and album, suffers a full-blown existential crisis and is eventually tasked with writing and performing a redemptive “Song of Salvation” before the titular Metalocalypse arrives to destroy the world as we know it.

So yes, it's a page ripped directly out of the Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure playbook -- or, to a much lesser extent, Bill and Ted Face the Music -- albeit with a much more darkly funny and violent edge. That's about as big a complaint as I can muster for what's otherwise a well-crafted and even emotionally effective love letter to die-hard fans who've patiently waited a full decade for the band to get back together. Peppered with familiar faces and winking call-backs to more obscure supporting characters and plenty of in-jokes, Army of the Doomstar is a nicely-paced and entertaining adventure that avoids some of the nagging repetitiveness that made season-by-season marathons of the original show all but impossible. Built from the smoldering remains of the cancelled Season V (which was actually in pre-production when the plug was suddenly pulled), this Earth-shattering story was later pitched as a streaming-exclusive special that never happened, finally gaining necessary traction in recent years courtesy of WB's newfound commitment to these direct-to-video resurrections. What's more is that Army of the Doomstar ties a pretty definitive knot of actual closure for the Metalocalypse saga, with no whiff of an open ending and that's probably for the best.

Further cementing the film's strength are its vocal performances (which are basically unchanged from the original run, from core participants like co-creators Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha to celebrity contributors including Malcolm McDowell, Jon Hamm, and Mark Hamill, as well as music vets such as Amy Lee [Evanescence], Scott Ian [Anthrax], and Kirk Hammett [Metallica]) and fittingly cinematic visuals, now with a slightly more polished sheen and even an epic 2.35:1 Cinemascope aspect ratio. It all adds up to another solid victory lap that's clearly aimed more at die-hard fans; there's little in the way of exposition provided, and even series co-creator Brendon Small clarified that you'll get more out of Army of the Doomstar by watching The Doomstar Requiem beforehand. So whenever you feel prepared to take it on, Warner Bros.' Blu-ray treatment of Army of the Doomstar serves up a solid A/V presentation -- no 4K option this time, unfortunately -- and at least one creator-led behind-the-scenes featurette for the asking price.

Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

While it's true that a full-fledged 4K UHD edition of Army of the Doomstar would've yielded stronger results (mostly by way of better disc encoding and, of course, HDR enhancement), this dual-layered Blu-ray is a more capable effort than most recent WB animated titles that often cram the content onto a single BD-25. Traces of banding and posterization can be spotted along the way... but this is likely more evident on medium to large- size displays, and even then may only be really noticed by someone actively looking for them. It's a good to very good presentation otherwise, one with a mostly crisp amount of image detail, solid color reproduction (the scene below is a standout, as is the bookending concert performance), and enough shadow detail for all that oppressive blackness. Just imagine a slightly tighter version of the original show filtered through a more modern codec and that's basically what you get here.

Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio likewise represents a small step up from the original series, although admittedly it's still a little underwhelming given the subject matter. As my colleague Kenneth Brown noted in his reviews of Season III and IV, the music is often anchored fairly narrowly in the center and left/right channels with occasional bleeding and other effects relegated to the rears. That's still the case here, so anyone hoping for a full-on ear-melting performance from Deathklok might walk away slightly disappointed. But it's still a solid enough presentation all things considered, one that again feels a bit more refined than previous Metalocalypse outings but not overwhelmingly so.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are offered during the main feature and bonus content.

Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with a matching slipcover and a Digital Copy redemption code. A fold-out poster is also tucked inside the case, unlike most Adult Swim releases where it's usually loose inside the slipcover. The bonus features are fairly limited and unfortunately don't include a creator commentary.

• Behind the Metal Curtain (23:49) - This casual and very candid mid-length featurette has true "victory lap vibes"; it mostly covers the story and series as a whole rather than the technical side of things, although some concept art and other development material is shared. The on-screen interview subjects include writer-director-composer Brendon Small; story writers Mark Brooks, Janine Ditullio, and Andrew Kevin Walker; producer Laura Allen; character supervisor Songgu Kwon; animation director Mike Roush; technical director Bryan Wieder; executive producer Antonio Canobbio and others, all recorded separately and some via webcam.

Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha's Metalocalypse (which will always look wrong, no matter how many times I type it) finally concludes with Army of the Doomstar, an epic direct-to-video series finale that continues Warner Bros.' recent commitment to this type of release strategy. It's another winner in my book, one that clearly respects its viewers and will definitely appeal to die-hard fans who've been waiting nearly a decade for some kind of closure. Although a 4K package would've been preferred, WB's dual-layered Blu-ray offers good to very good A/V specs and one lightweight but appreciated bonus featurette. Firmly Recommended, assuming you've come this far already.