REVIEW: ‘This is GWAR’ Is the Honest Story Behind a Unique Set of Artists

If you’ve ever had the opportunity to see GWAR, either live or on video, chances are you’ve never forgotten them. Heavy metal, highly creative and grotesque alien outfits, rubber penises, front row fans bathed in blood is one of the elements that have characterized their shows for over 30 years. The musical and artistic journey of this unique band is explored by director Scott Barber in his new documentary This is GWAR.

Threading many hours of footage and interviews with current and past band members, This is GWAR chronicles their origins, rise to fame, setbacks, numerous lineup changes, and survival until this very day. Barber uses some fun graphic elements to illustrate the many ins and outs of the band’s lineup, as well as great comic-book-style animations to represent key moments or stories. Besides that, there’s not much innovation in terms of form. However, even when its conventionality and nearly two-hour duration take a certain toll on the film’s entertainment factor, the power of the testimonies and the wacky nature of the keeps This is GWAR pushing through.

As revealed by the film’s first minutes, GWAR was initially fueled by a ‘f*ck you’ attitude toward the elitism of the art world. The first members, Hunter Jackson among them, were art students whose ideas and love of comic books and sci-fi weren’t deemed worthy by their highbrow teachers, so they set out to prove them wrong through music and their brand of gory artistry. This punk concept immediately creates empathy with any audience that has seen or been subjected to elitism behavior in the art world. I mean, just look at the film industry whose gatekeepers treat comedy, horror, and sci-fi genres as some sort of subpar form of filmmaking. GWAR was a direct response to all of this, and you will immediately feel grateful for it.

The punk blood of the band is also explored through the idea of passion as the glue that kept (most) of the band together throughout so many years. Aided by the honesty of the interviewees, Barber does a great job of delving into the psychology of the members and how their artistic spirit was stronger than their hunger for wealth even after smelling worldwide fame a couple of times. 

The film explores both good and difficult times through the same lens of intimacy. The interviewees are not afraid of getting personal when recounting hilarious on-the-road stories or tragic tales of loss. However, by trying to cover all these people and all their history together in a two-hour package, sometimes This is GWAR forgets to breathe and delve into specific eras, members, or even their artistry.

I can’t remember a single song highlighted in the film, and Barber skates over the creative process of the band: we see crazy characters and bold performances where evil religious or historical figures get their comeuppance, but we don’t learn much about the actual artistic procedures to get there. How were certain characters conceived? What were the secrets behind some of the most insane stage set pieces? We never learn that. And this also translates to the tragic side of the story when the film barely covers the death of Cory Smoot.

Despite these problems, the richness of information and insight into GWAR’s history is more than enough to satisfy the hunger of hardcore fans and the curiosity of newcomers alike. Barber has crafted a fun and honest homage to a band of art geniuses that defied all rules and went Beyond Hell to create their own.

This is GWAR premieres July 21 on Shudder.