One of the most interesting and well made films I have seen for a long time

Rating: 10/10 (28 October 1998)

Todd Haynes' latest creation is very impressive in its imagination and complexity. While the events and characters are very close to the originals, it is not a biography of the times; instead managing to make us question what is real, and what was only ever made up, much in the way that the original glam era did.
While some people may dislike it (such as the reviewer before me) and see it as a threat and possibly a misrepresentation of the time, it seems to be more an extension of the idea, and does not imply anything more about the major glam rock players' lives than what is already known.
The performances from all the cast are impressive, and you can see that they threw their hearts and souls into the film. While Toni Collette, Ewan McGregor, Eddie Izzard and Christian Bale's parts are all outstanding, they are not quite as impressive as Jonathon Rhys Meyer's Brian Slade who manages to epitomise both the fragility and illusion of the era. This is all the more remarkable as he was only 19 at the time of filming.
The soundtrack is also excellent, mainly helped by Michal Stipe of REM being the Executive Producer. As well as using some of the original music from the era new songs and covers were recorded by such notables as Pulp, Grant Lee Buffalo, Shudder to Think as well as various members of bands as diverse as Radiohead, Sonic Youth and the Stooges.
Overall it's a fabulous film, though it may leave you questioning the nature of reality a little, it achieves exactly what it sets out to do, whatever that may be to you.