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Lords of Chaos

Play trailer 2:16 Poster for Lords of Chaos R 2019 1h 52m Comedy Drama Music Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
73% Tomatometer 73 Reviews 61% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
In 1987 Oslo, 17-year-old Euronymous becomes fixated on creating "true Norwegian black metal" with his band Mayhem. He mounts shocking publicity stunts to put the band's name on the map, but the lines between show and reality begin to blur.

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Lords of Chaos

Lords of Chaos

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Critics Consensus

Lords of Chaos presents a grimly compelling dramatization of a real-life music scene whose aggressively nihilistic aesthetic spilled over into fatal acts of violence.

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Critics Reviews

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Luca Cimarusti Chicago Reader 03/11/2020
It only makes sense that one of the strangest stories in rock 'n' roll history has come back to life as one of the strangest movies you'll ever see. Go to Full Review
Mark Kermode Kermode & Mayo's Film Review 04/03/2019
It's odd [and] not entirely successful. Go to Full Review
Tara Brady Irish Times 03/30/2019
4/5
Working from a screenplay co-written with Dennis Magnusson, Åkerlund accentuates the squabbling, misogynist club-house mentality of what became the "Black Circle". Go to Full Review
Dolores Quintana Dolores Quintana 12/28/2022
I think Åkerlund was the right person to direct this film. His sense of style, evident in Polar, is used incredibly well in LORDS OF CHAOS. His understanding of human behavior also is spot on. Go to Full Review
Emma Wolfe SpookyAstronauts 12/17/2020
8/10
A dark story about egos, self-image, destruction, and of course a very interesting story. Go to Full Review
Tom Beasley VultureHound 08/15/2020
4/5
Åkerlund is able to helm pure horror, deadpan comedy and the sweaty, oppressive feel of a metal gig with equal aplomb. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Wayne K Nov 28 As a big fan of metal music for most of my life now, Lords of Chaos was certainly an interesting prospect. Granted, the subgenre of metal the film deals with isn’t my cup of tea, but I can appreciate getting to see a film that deals with the kinds of music that doesn’t usually get a lot of attention. It’s a movie that deals with many aspects of the metal community, good and bad. It embraces many of the genres cliches while subverting others. It gives us a tightknit community, united by their passion for black metal. But it also exposes the ugliness that comes from trying to be something you’re not, trying to impress others by going way too far. It feels like a film made from the perspective of those who started the Satanic Panic in the 1980s, and viewed all metalheads the same way: As loud, violent, antisocial extremists who worshipped the devil, slaughtered animals and probably kidnapped and sacrificed children. But it goes deeper than that, examining the mentality of those at the core of Norwegian Black Metal, the pitfalls and struggles, the power plays and the rivalries that success can bring, and even the paradox of wanting to be underground and cool but also rich and famous. It gets pretty dark in places but it treats its heavy moment with respect. The tongue in cheek narration is used so infrequently that it could probably be omitted, but it does provide some decent laughs, so I’ll let it pass. If you’re not a metal fan you can still appreciate it for its characters and social drama, and if this kind of music is your jam, then you’ll like it even more. See more thiago s @Thiagostone Sep 10 Filme legal, o roteiro é bacana, as cenas são legais, a história é bacana, o elenco é bacana, e metade do elenco ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são bacanas, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes. See more Jeremiah D. @JeremiahTheGooflerDiMarcus Jul 23 DEADS DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Nick O Jun 10 Despite the fact that the early 90’s Norwegian Black Metal phenomenon was maybe the craziest/stupidest thing to ever happen in Rock N Roll and regardless of how exaggerated the stories are, this is one hell of a heavy metal horror comedy! See more Jason W Apr 2 Great visually with some nice shots. Way too long though as I was waiting for it to end. Rory Culkin was good. Couldn't take the Varg/Christian character seriously at all, unless he was supposed to be a little grumpy nerd. Didn't care for the animal stuff. Wish it was more about the music instead of the silly kids trying to be scary metal guys, but I guess that's how it was intended to be. See more Oaklee D @ODie63 Feb 8 I couldn't help but feel like as a Mayhem biopic they could have fleshed it out a little bit more, this film has alot of gore and that's cool but my issue lies with the cast itself. Why not hire Norwegian actors to play Norwegian characters? Instead we are left with a very American cast that takes me out of the moment. This film was ok but could of been much better. See more Read all reviews
Lords of Chaos

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1987 Oslo, 17-year-old Euronymous becomes fixated on creating "true Norwegian black metal" with his band Mayhem. He mounts shocking publicity stunts to put the band's name on the map, but the lines between show and reality begin to blur.
Director
Jonas Akerlund
Producer
Jack Arbuthnott, Jim Czarnecki, Kwesi Dickson, Danny Gabai, Erik Gordon, Kai-Lu Hsiung, Ko Mori, Fredrik Zander
Screenwriter
Jonas Akerlund, Dennis Magnusson
Distributor
Gunpowder & Sky
Production Co
Chimney, RSA FIlms, 4 1/2, Insurgent Media, Scott Free Productions, Eleven Arts
Rating
R (Grisly Images|Disturbing Behavior|Strong Sexuality|Nudity|Pervasive Language|Strong Brutal Violence)
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Music
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 8, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 22, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$253.2K
Runtime
1h 52m
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