This is GWAR Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

This is GWAR Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 4, 2023

As a band raging since the mid-1980s, Gwar is an acquired taste. They’ve been shredding faces and staining t-shirts for decades, making occasional appearances in pop culture before returning to the low-paying comfort of cult fame. The sound of the band isn’t easy to share with others, but their history is a remarkably knotted study of interpersonal relationships and business ethics, with Gwar almost in a constant state of change. And yet, they’re still around, perhaps just to irritate their critics, and such a tumultuous history is recalled in “This is Gwar,” with director Scott Barber (“The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story”) assembling an overview of artistic intent, ear-splitting sound, and onstage gore. It’s a deep dive into the foundation and endurance of Gwar, who’ve been through quite a lot while trying to give their fans the messiest, most horrifically violent entertainment imaginable, because that’s what the public needs.

“This is Gwar” is immediately educational, with the opening scene following a roadie around as he prepares the tanks and hoses used during a Gwar concert to spray “spew” on those brave enough to get up close to the stage. He casually discusses the mixture the band acquires for their special sprays, helping them to get past mold issues of the past, giving the equipment a once-over before the event commences. It’s a backstage revelation that’s necessary to understand how Gwar works, with Barber identifying the routine of the job, clarifying his intent with the feature. Usually clad in monstrous foam outfits, Gwar is exposed in full here, as the film introduces viewers to the everyday people who run the show, with band members (past and present) and “Slave Pit Inc.” underlings contributing their thoughts without the cover of their characters. The group is described as “a joke with no punchline,” setting the tone of “This is Gwar,” which has its share of humor and heart.

An origin story is prepared, with band members meeting at Virginia Commonwealth University, with some working in the Richmond Dairy, an abandoned factory repurposed for student artists. Hunter Jackson was one of the gang, sharing his deep love for genre entertainment, hoping to create a movie featuring his characters, “The Scumdogs of the Universe.” Nearby, Dave Brockie was trying to win over audiences with his band, Death Piggy, using a punk sound to shake up the local scene. Eventually, the men came together to make a mess, and that mess was Gwar, which officially launched in 1985, merging Hunter’s skill with costume construction and fondness for the grotesque with Dave’s natural showmanship and dedication to the world of fantasy. Gwar married a dark theatricality with goofy tunes, and they wowed the locals, preparing to take over the world. But that didn’t happen, as Hunter eventually moved away for stable employment, forcing Dave and the group to rebuild the band, developing the Gwar mythos and going more horrific with their costumes, creatures, and spew.

“This is Gwar” offers a traditional tour of band history, with the disappointment of 1988’s “Hell-O” album leading to a tightening of musicianship and deepening of sound, returning to power with 1990’s “Scumdogs of the Universe.” Hunter eventually rejoined the group, and a study of power plays is born, with Dave claiming control of Gwar in subtle ways at first, commencing a tense relationship Hunter is quite candid about during his interview. The documentary goes through the years, exploring the ways of metalhead labor and struggles to achieve fame, with the band offered a crucial break after appearing on “Beavis and Butt-Head.” Gwar also sampled a taste of mainstream attention with a 1993 Grammy nomination (for the long-form video, “Phallus in Wonderland”), soon dealing with touring demands and, eventually, a constantly shifting line-up, with issues of mental health and physical harm explored in the picture.

This is GWAR Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "This is Gwar" utilizes an enormous amount of old video footage to showcase the evolution of the band. These recordings are aged but certainly appreciable. Photographs and clippings offer a sharper level of frame information, helping to track information, and interview footage delivers a crisp sense of facial particulars on these weary musicians. Interiors with warehouse and stage visits offer textured costumes and props. Color is alert, working with interview lighting and comic book art. Primaries are secure, including various shades of "spew." Skin tones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory.

This is GWAR Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix provides crisp interview audio, managing these different personalities and their somewhat subtle sense of emotion. Old footage is intelligible, rising above limited sources and crowd chaos. Music supports as expected, with sharp instrumentation and defined vocals, offered some extra power when detailing the band's discography.

This is GWAR Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features musicians Michael Derks and Bob Gorman.

• "A Message from the Scumdogs of the Universe" (1:53, HD) is a brief intro from Gwar, who implore viewers to ignore everything in the documentary, which they describe as a "fake movie about the real band."

• "Gwar from the Outside" (9:06, HD) is an appreciation piece, with various interviewees not involved with the band exploring the Gwar experience, detailing the group effort of touring, which requires a major effort of technical knowhow and sheer patience to endure.

• "Gwar on 'Empire Records'" (5:18, HD) is an interview with actor Ethan Embry, who examines how the 1995 film was suddenly changed from an R- rated production to a PG-13 picture, and how Gwar came to join the production.

• "Behind the Scenes of a Gwar Show" (4:17, HD) brings viewers backstage to observe the technical choreography necessary to keep the band on the move, along with a special look at some of the costumes used during concerts, highlighting how stage horrors function.

• "The Four Pillars of Gwar" (6:12, HD) recounts the formative years of the band, with members of the original line-up working to turn a strange idea for a musical group into something real, working with numerous influences along the way.

• "Last Interview with Dave Brockie" (10:57, HD) is a 2014 video conference conversation with the late singer, who passed away a week after the chat.

• "The Legend of Gwar" (3:05, HD) tries to piece together the extensive backstory and character profiles involved with the band.

• "Slave Pit Walkthrough with Michael Bishop" (28:29, HD) is a fascinating tour of the Gwar workshop/studio, visiting various rooms containing band history, art, and work spaces.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

This is GWAR Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While their influences are familiar, there's nothing quite like Gwar. And they've been through a lot since their formation, dealing with the deaths of guitarist Corey Smoot and frontman Dave Brockie, who passed away in 2014 after a battle with addiction. It's strange to see these mighty characters from space revealed as normal humans, getting emotional when talking about losses and challenges. This intimacy isn't expected, adding some feeling to "This is Gwar," helping to ground this crazy universe of monsters and mayhem as they manage threats to their well-being. And there's plenty of Gwar in here as well, with Barber identifying the inner drive of music makers and their unusual choice of artistic expression, bringing cartoonish bodily decimation, satire, and thunderous metal to the masses.