DVDs in Review

This Is Spinal Tap

Title: This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

Release date: September 7 2009

Certificate: 15

Format: Reviewed on 3-disc DVD, available on 5-disc Blu-ray

DVD RRP: £19.99

Rating: 5/5

In its 25th anniversary and with old school rock revivals left, right and centre, now is the perfect time to experience the hilarity and accuracy of the greatest rock mockumentary of them all - 'This Is Spinal Tap'.

Filmmaker Marty Di Bergi (a clever mixture of Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma and Steven Spielberg, and played by the film's actual director Rob Reiner) is given the task of creating a tour documentary of the seminal heavy metal rockers Spinal Tap. He's granted access to every slither of rock excess and captures it all on film.

We get to follow "Britain's loudest band" and their attempt at an American comeback tour, with snippets of their overblown live theatrics (including the infamous miniature Stonehenge stage prop) and off-stage moments such as airport arrests and a look into the writing process of such hits as 'Tonight I'm Going to Rock You Tonight', 'Sex Farm' and the hippie sweetness of '(Listen to the) Flower People'.

Intelligent, original and uproarious, 'This Is Spinal Tap' works because it never lets up. There are no winks to the audience; this, as far as the film is concerned, is a real rock band through and through.

The film is so convincing that after its release, Rob Reiner was consistently applauded for his film but told by viewers that "he should have picked a more well known band". Further still, some home video releases had to assure the audiences by way of a disclaimer that the band wasn't real. What's really great about it all is that given their talents and personas, they could've actually made it as a group.

The actors play their own instruments (very well in fact), as well as singing and writing their own songs - technically, they're a proper band. They've even toured outside of the film and released albums, but somehow aren't seen as a novelty band. Even Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant praises the film as an accurate depiction of the whole rock 'n' roll circus.

Speaking of over-the-top masterstrokes, the 5-disc DVD/Blu-ray set is the ultimate in excess. The first disc covers the film itself, a new documentary (featuring those who have been inspired by the movie, such as Ricky Gervais) and a commentary track.

Disc two features their recent Royal Albert Hall comeback concert, as well as their appearances at Live Earth and some interviews. Disc three has over an hour's worth of outtakes, alongside music videos, trailers and featurettes.

Disc four is the Blu-ray and disc five is the killer soundtrack. And it's all housed inside a fully-working mini-Marshall guitar amplifier.

The more sensible buyer may just opt for either the DVD or Blu-ray standalones but the fact that they've put so much effort into a re-issue is both heart-warming and ridiculous. Absolutely unmissable, if only for the pitch-perfect improvisation.