‘Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition’ Review – An Electric Look At The Beast

Iron Maiden are one of the biggest and most prolific bands, not just metal bands, in human history. Through no help from record companies, radio stations, or mainstream media, they’ve gathered one of the most fanatical fan bases out there. Every tour is an event, every album is a new addition to their illustrious catalog. So when Universal announced they were doing a documentary on the band, Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition, it was something to look forward to. Normally the musical documentaries go in one of two ways, there’s either a rise and fall and a bit of a rise again, or its a sad story about how excess and drugs have ruined something that was once great.

In the case of Burning Ambition, it was just that, burning ambition. The tenacity, the power of the band, the fans of the band dragging them from the doldrums of the 1990s to a place where they’re in a second golden age. So when you’re looking at a documentary like this, you can look at it from two lenses, the superfan and the newcomer. I’m an Iron Maiden superfan, I own more than 40 shirts of theirs, I’ve seen them live nine times (ten this September), and I know the ins and outs of the band and its history. So for a superfan, this documentary might be mostly stuff you know already. We know that Bruce Dickinson joined the band and they skyrocketed to superstardom, we know that he left the band and the 90s were a hard time.

However, the footage shown throughout the doc, which is a mix of concert footage, archival videos, and new footage taken during their recent tours, is fascinating. Particularly, the photos and videos of the early gigs and times in the band. If anything, I’d have liked more about the early years of the band, particularly with the recent passing of their first (recorded) vocalist, Paul Di’Anno. I know that the 90s were also not a fantastic time for Iron Maiden, but it would have been nice to get a bit more about Blaze Bayley and his tenure. They also skip over the Somewhere In Time and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son eras of the band, not playing any music from those albums in the doc. As a fan of those albums, that’s a bit disappointing.

So with those superfan quibbles out of the way, what about the experience for someone going into it that isn’t necessarily the biggest Iron Maiden fan in the world? Well, luckily, I saw that experience firsthand. I dragged my mom and her friend (who are not Iron Maiden fans, but can appreciate the music) and they had a fantastic time. For a newcomer or medium fan, this documentary is a treasure trove of heavy metal thunder.

It focuses heavily on the 80s portion of the band, but for good reason, that’s where they hit their stride and made it big. Seeing the band go behind the Iron Curtain in Poland in 1984 was emotional and showed that heavy metal unites us under one banner, no matter your country. The guest spots range from decent to magical, with Javier Bardem being a major highlight as an Iron Maiden superfan.

Overall, the only real things I can nitpick about the documentary are as the 1% of Iron Maiden fans. Sure, they don’t include a lot about some of my favorite albums, but the documentary shows off the power, the magic, and the relevance of Iron Maiden throughout the years. Its a testament to their sheer will to become the best. The love of their fans, and the love that the band has for those fans comes off the screen and into your theater. Plus, hearing Iron Maiden tracks blasted over theater speakers will always be awesome. So for anyone and everyone who wants to know, Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition is a masterful documentary about the best heavy metal band out there.

Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition is in theaters now and releases on physical media later this year.

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