I really enjoyed the Lords of Chaos movie but was a bit turned off by how it caricatures Varg Vikernes and casts him in the role of the villain. I personally think Varg is a smart and charismatic individual, as well as a brilliant musician, but I'm not gonna let those beliefs affect my judgment of the movie. I think the movie fails on its own terms in the inconsistency with which it portrays Varg. In one early scene, we see Euronymous be mesmerized by the Burzum music (Varg's one-man band) and call it True Norwegian Black Metal. However, not only do we not hear the music (because Varg has denied them the right to use it) but also we get no insight into what inspired Varg to create that original, ground-breaking sound and of the ideology behind his music. Varg is just depicted as a one-dimensional follower who learns from his daddy Euronymous what's what in politics and how Christianity is a plague. But that's really hard to believe. First, Euronymous was a leftist, an admirer of the communist Romanian dictator Ceausescu. Second, Varg had been into collecting Nazi paraphernalia and into paganism before meeting Euronymous, which is suggested by his dungeon-like apartment in Bergen. And this interest, as well as an inclination toward history, Norse Mythology, and RPG games are what inspired the early Burzum music (The word "burzum" means "darkness" in the black speech, a fictional language crafted by Lord of the Rings writer J. R. R. Tolkien.) Thus, it's hard to believe that the danger of the Christian plague was brand new info for Varg at the time he first met Euronymous. 
The movie briefly refers to these essential aspects of Varg's personality but in a dismissive way, as a teen trying his best to seem cool, be accepted by his peers and promote his music by taking credit for vandalistic acts like church burnings or grave desecrations. For instance, in the scene when Varg gives an interview to the reporters from Kerrang! in his own apartment adorned with Swastikas and weapons and so on, the interviewers ask him how Nazism and Satanism and Odinism are all connected. And Varg says that there is a connection, which is rendered as a laughable reply. But this was actually a perfect opportunity to offer a glimpse into Varg's complex character. Satanism is obviously connected with his anti-Christian stance and Nazism is inspired by Norse mythology and, as we all know, Vikings hated Christians. Varg is not only an attention-seeking teen, but he also has an outstanding speculative power to connect ideas from different spiritual traditions and weave them into a coherent ideology. If there ever was a philosopher in the Black Circle, it was Varg, not Euronymous. 
Toward the end of the movie, Varg and Euronymous talk about the release of Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas and how the band is going to go on tour. To this, Varg, Mayhem's bass player, replies that he doesn't care about touring. This again doesn't fit the movie character. If Varg was desperate for attention, rock-star status, and the groupies that come with it, then why wouldn't he want to go on tour? But this was a widespread attitude in the Black Metal scene at the time, one adopted by other influential acts like Darkthrone, and it signifies their rejection of the commercialization of Black Metal and, more generally, their opposition to the modern world. But again, the movie fails to capture this aspect of Varg's personality.
Overall, Lords of Chaos is an engaging movie that takes a stab (lol) at portraying the main characters and bloody events associated with the birth of Norwegian Black Metal. There's no shortage of gore and brutality in this movie, and the depictions of Dead and Euronymous are very striking, tasteful, and memorable. The only portrait that doesn't ring true is that of Varg. The movie showcases Varg only as an attention-seeking, power-hungry, womanizing thug and completely ignores, although hints at, his spiritual, intellectual side. This is mainly because of the Hollywood formula of hero vs. villain the creators apply to a complex reality that has many grey areas. Why isn't Euronymous the villain? A sellout and a poser who took advantage of Varg and his talents for his own gain? Is he a victim just because he ended up stabbed in the head? Or, better still, why should we look for a hero in this story? Maybe we deal with two anti-heroes who pose complicated challenges to our belief systems. Maybe our story-telling should follow that human complexity rather than forcing it into pre-existing molds.
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