Few bands in the history of rock have commanded as loyal and unquestioning a fanbase as Metallica. Their devotion to their fans is legendary, and the reciprocated appreciation has seen the band in good stead through all the turbulent episodes which have composed their career. Regardless of how many fans may have moaned when the band finally sang a power ballad, or went “grunge’ and cut their hair, or when they went to war with Napster, there would always — and probably will always — be a massive hard core of devotees who will pledge their fealty. The periodic eruptions of controversy serve only to chip small pebbles off the surface of an incredibly huge institution — a fact proved every time the group goes on tour, playing the largest arenas across the world. It’s a frighteningly intense example of devotion just outside the experience of many in the supposed musical mainstream — but there is a large group of superfans for whom the hunger for all things Metallica can never be satisfied.

Everything about this DVD reeks of crass exploitation at its worst. It wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t know that there are thousands of diehard Metallica fans who will gladly fork over cash in exchange for the merest hint of a connection to the group. The pitiful extras — a discography printed onscreen in tiny white letters, a bare-bones trivia game filled with questions taken directly from the movie — can only feebly attempt to mask the fact that this is the living definition of an insultingly superfluous cash-grab.