Marilyn Manson: Early Years (2006)

Take a special look at early footage of rock's most notorious artist, Marilyn Manson. Dating back to 1989 and showcasing Daisy Berkowitz, Madonna Wayne Gacy, and Gidget Gein with Manson himself, this rare documentary shows the band performing in their early years.

Watch this if you are a dug-in fan, though I'm doubtful that hard-core Brian Warner and Manson fans will "5-star" this effort. There is plenty of interesting material available for consumption just by searching the net, and I think most Manson fans will expect more of this film before they click "play." I watched this work with the hopes of gaining more insight into an interesting individual and band. I was disappointed to see that the documentary only skimmed details, and offered little in the way of new info.

PROS: I imagine a few of the early cuts will make some fans happy. The viewer can catch a glimpse of the band in some of its earliest incarnations.

CONS: The audio and video quality are sub-par. This is more pronounced by the fact that cell-phone cameras of today can upload HD imagery and somewhat representative audio in near real-time. Most disappointingly, the interviews add little to the Manson narrative. Sub-par audio and video would be worth it if they were transmitting any new info, however friends, family members, acquaintances, band mates, critics and Warner himself seem mostly absent from the film. A handful of interviews get sprinkled into the mix, though not in a cohesive manner that would otherwise build a compelling documentary.