source: Untitled Ronnie James Dio Documentary

As you may have guessed by my tagline, I am a huge Ronnie James Dio fan and have been since my early teens and it was so great to FINALLY see a documentary on this great singer and icon. I was only able to see it for the first time today. I missed the initial limited theatrical run as the person I was going with got sick with Covid only days before we were due to go and out of solidarity with him, I decided not to go either knowing his disappointment about not being able to go. It was then released on Showtime in America, a streaming service not available here in the UK. Thankfully, I was able to catch it this morning and I found it a really good retrospective of his life and music. So, why have I not rated this a 10? This is because I felt that it breezed through too many Iconic periods in his life much too fast. They actually spent more time talking about his cameo in Tenacious D's - Pick of Destiny movie, than they did about his entire time in Rainbow and his first stint in Black Sabbath. They also completely glossed over the period from 1986-2006. Sure, the 90's were a dark time for Ronnie as it was for most Hard Rock and Metal artists that made their bones in the 70's and 80's, but the period was not without its merits. Some great albums came out during this uncovered period. Maybe not Strange Highways or Angry Machines, as they were just a bit too industrial for my European neo-classical rock tastes, but certainly Dream Evil, Lock Up the Wolves, Magica, Killing the Dragon and Master of the Moon and of course the brief Black Sabbath reunion album from 1992 Dehumanizer all could have been talked about more as these are albums although maybe not as iconic as Rainbow Rising, Long Live Rock N Roll, Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, Holy Diver and The Last in Line, they're certainly nothing to sniff at and all of them are really worthy of the Dio name and should have been given the respect that they deserved too. However, one part really struck a personal chord with me and that was when they were talking about the relationship Ronnie had with his fans and how he would always remember you. I had the absolute privilege of seeing Ronnie 16 times over the years and from the late 90's onwards, and through the kindness and generosity of Wendy Dio, (Ronnie's wife and manager), my best friend and I were always able to procure after show passes whenever he played the English Midlands so I got to meet him about 7 or 8 times in all. The last time I saw him was following a Dio concert in Birmingham in 2008 and when Ronnie saw me and my friend he walked over to us, smiling broadly and gave us both a hug and said "I knew you two would be here tonight, you've always been here for me". The guy was just pure magic as an artist, and human being. I was thoroughly moved by the final 10 minutes of this documentary that detailed his declining health and sad passing from cancer in 2010 and my thoughts went straight back to that day and the emotions I felt then and I still feel whenever I think about a world without Ronnie James Dio. I'm glad I've finally seen this now and I enjoyed it immensely, but I just wish it could have been a lot more thorough as a career spanning retrospective of such a great talent. He was the best and he still IS the best as his music will always live on. Enjoy!

Like a lot of people my age (57) I've always known he was pretty great. But man... this is such a good documentary of him (I'd say rockumentary but that seems too limiting) and his inspiring life. I watched it on a whim. But I'll tell you if you ever liked any heavy metal at all and only watch one documentary about a "rock star" (again seems too limiting) watch this one. I never knew what a truly great person he was in addition to his increfible music skills. If this movie doesn't touch you in some way and also make you relive and feel good about your heavy metal days (then and/or now) nothing will.

I saw Dio:Dreamers Never Die, starring Ronnie James Dio-Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny. This is a Fan_Tastic biography of Ronald James Padavona, aka Ronnie James Dio, aka Dio. This is authorized by the artist's estate and has lots of footage and pictures from his beginnings to his death at 67 of stomach cancer in 2010, just 2 months short of his 68th birthday. There are also lots of fellow artists telling stories of their interactions with Ronnie, and some stories from his wife, Wendy. Ronnie was one of the few artists to record and tour in 6 decades, starting with Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath and then the band just called Dio. I am a big Dio fan and I knew most of the stories but there were some I didn't. You learn what was his first instrument he played-it's probably not what you think-and how he became a singer and got his name Dio. You learn how he came up with his famous horn gesture, which most people think is a devil sign-it's not-and covers how he got 40 heavy metal artists together for Hear 'N Aid, his version of We Are the World for starving people in Africa. If you are a fan, you should enjoy this movie. There was about 15 minutes of extra footage after the end credits which had more people talking about him and some music, too. It said it was for theaters only. It didn't have a rating but it had some language and a running time of 2 hours & 7 minutes. I really enjoyed it and would buy it on Blu_Ray.

I am a big metal and Dio fan. I need to state this before I put myself into the shooting zone. And if you are like me too, you should watch and enjoy every minute of this documentary. But... yes, there are some "but"s. Though we are presented with adequate amount of Ronnie's childhood and early years, his first marriage and adopted son are not even mentioned. And when the story reaches to his music career, most of the people who made Dio an idol are completely neglected. Only Dave Feinstein; who also happens to be his cousin is interviewed from his Elf years. And simply no one from Rainbow era. It was expected that Ritchie Blackmore would not take place in such a work. But, though some of them are long gone, I was expecting to see some footage with people like Gary Driscoll, Jimmy Bain and a long list of musicians who are never even mentioned in the film. Vivian Campbell was presented as the troublemaker of the Dio band where people who were hired and fired after him like Claude Schnell, Simon Wright, Rudi Sarzo are again even not mentioned. Black Sabbath crew were fully present though. The documentary also simply puts the sole blame of the decline of Dio's career after Dream Evil to MTV simply giving the viewer the motive that MTV decided to play Nirvana instead of metal. Though being an issue, I would like to object by asking the question whether Dio has published some material that has the quality of Holy Diver or Last in Line and we were unable to hear it because it was not broadcasted. Dio's first reunion with Black Sabbath in Dehumanizer album is completely omitted as well. Digging deep, one can find more issues, but, well, as it is a movie documentary, I understand that some things should be kept out to fit in the time limits. And after viewing it for the second time I questioned whether that was a documentary about Ronnie James Dio or Wendy Dio? Looking from a certain angle one can also say that it was a film about Wendy's years with Ronnie. However, don't let my criticism stop you from watching it. It was great... Like Dio... Like almost everything about him.

It's a magnificent tribute to Ronnie James Dio. To me, he is the best metal vocalist ever! Don Argott & Demian Fenton did it again. It was so well-directed and greatly balanced. I recommend this to every fan of his or anyone else! To me, it's among the top 5 music documentaries ever. His career was examined almost excellently. Even me that I have everything that he had released, has some tips to learn. Wish there was some talks about his come back era in Black Sabbath which leads to "Dehumanizer" release, his previous wife and his agnosticism. Wish there were more metal musicians behaving like him. 8.5/10.

Merely for the headstuck diofans and all their offspring that have had to grow up in the musical sphere, a realm of mystique and immortal balanced and executed vocals, all from crib to death. I got the news of ronnie james dios death at an ironmaiden gig, and that sent shivers through the crowd. I remember the allmost fearsome intros to the ''holy diver'' and ''dont talk to strangers'' cause they were only there to do YOU harm, they are just sensational those songs, the rest got drown for my part in all the other 80's music, but i still get the sting each tme i hear dios voice. So if you like heavy metal music with loads of riff raff repetition then this documentary is for you, the grumpy old man recommends highly.

I loved this documentary and loved Ronnie very much. He treated me so well over the years and always treated me like family. There was nobody like him and there will never be anyone who can replace him. He was truly magical and was a master at his craft. I was saddened to see Scott Warren, Ronnie's keyboard player, was not included in the documentary. Scott should have been included! He was a part of Ronnie's band and family just like all the other band members were. I'm not sure who's decision it was to cut him or not include him, but it was a poor choice, and I'm sure, very hurtful to Scott.

This film is a warm, funny and wonderful tribute to the greatest voice in rock history. A man whose voice never faltered and whose enormous stage personality was only surpassed by his love of music and his fans - the latter being comprised of both average Joes as well as all those musicians that grew up in Ronnie's shadow. For the general viewer it tells the tale of the legendary vocalist that managed to reach the pinnacle of success in three of the best rock bands of the 20th century. But it also contains a lot of footage and details that will keep the hardcore fans glued at the screen. The passionate and enigmatic character that was Ronnie James Dio comes back to life as you watch the film, as does the pain of his passing in the end. It is a film that should be watched by everyone that likes rock and metal.

Trailer—Untitled Ronnie James Dio Documentary