The film shifts between current day interviews and a multitude of archive video and pictures going as far back as the 1960's. Especially surreal is home video of a teenage Alex Lifeson explaining to his parents why he doesn't deem school as being integral to his life. All three band members are interviewed as they revisit each album in the band's catalog and former managers, record company executives (Cliff Burnstein who went on to manage Def Leppard and Metallica) and producers chime in adding their two cents fleshing the story out. However, as strident all these individuals were to making the Rush story a reality none carried the weight as heavily as the talking heads who were influenced by Rush. This is where Dunn and McFayden cemented not just the film, but Rush's legacy for all eternity. People will seek out this film long after we are all dead and gone and it will be to see Trent Reznor, Gene Simmons (who is quite humble here), Billy Corgan, Matt Stone (South Park), John Roberts (CNN), Sebastian Bach, Vinne Paul (Pantera), Kirk Hammet (Metallica), Jack Black and Jason McGerr (Death Cab for Cutie) as they enlighten us on the significance of Rush. Ranging from pop-metal to hard rock to alternative Rush appears to have influenced several musicians and other pop culture luminaries who took the ingredients and molded it into their own. Going back and listening to the churning operatic brilliance of a song like "Xanadu" and you hear shades of the Smashing Pumpkins, Metallica and Nine Inch Nails all housed in it. That in itself is a feat. How could anyone influence something as diverse as the three aforementioned acts?

One can only listen to a performer talk about themselves so much before it becomes tedious. This is why the outside inspiration of others is essential to any documentary covering one's career. The one interview that stood out above all others was Billy Corgan's. Corgan speaks eloquently and more significantly, emotionally. He pours a piece of his soul out articulating his admiration for this band that didn't just show him the way but consoled him as a teenager when he felt no one else understood him. There's a particularly heartrending moment when he tells the camera of when he was a teen and he sat down with a guitar in front of his mother and played her a Rush song. It wasn't to show off to her, it was to communicate something to her. The words "disgruntled" and "teen" go hand-in-hand and yet there was something about this Rush song that spoke to Corgan and his way of sharing this struggle with his mother was through the power of a Rush song. Corgan's quotes are almost too good to be true and they are explicitly why I went back and started listening to Rush (and the Pumpkins). When capturing the history of a musician in a large scope documentary like this is to open the shades, let the sun beam in and make the music sound like it did to you when you were 16-years old. We all remember that time where our pain could be healed by a album or song and when we heard it, the hair on the back of our neck stood up and when it was over, we once again felt whole with the world; this is what Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stagedid for me. It took a classic rock band I've never loved and made the hair on the back of my neck raise when I hear "Spirit of Radio" come on the radio.

The cornerstone of the Rush story is the hiatus the band took from 1997-2002. Drummer Neil Peart had back-to-back tragedies you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. Peart escaped to his motorcycle and ultimately disappeared for a few years. This story will solidify why you either love Rush or why you will love Rush. Other bands that are more insecure would begin to break apart at the seams to continue to money train. Did Rush manipulate Peart into touring? No. If he had gone to rehab would they have rushed him out to promote a record? No. They stood by their friend and waited patiently until he was ready to move forward. In the minds of Lee and Lifeson, Rush was over. Time has told a different story but this sequence of the film will endear Rush to you for all eternity.

If the film wasn't enough, the DVD has an entire bonus disc that is over 90-minutes encompassing performances and further interviews not included in the film including discussion of the albums Hemisphere, Presto and Roll the Bones. There is a nice piece on the fans and one of my favorites was seeing Geddy Lee talking about falling in love with baseball and the Chicago Cubs. If you're a sports fan, seeing his memorabilia alone will make you green with envy. There's a powerful performance of "Between Sun and Moon" from their first show after a six year break in 2002 and a extended conversation with the band over dinner at a hunting lodge that proves to provide comic relief more so than a major eye-opener, but it's still a blast to watch (in more ways than one). However, the most poignant bonus item is the performances of "Best I Can" and "Working Man" from 1974 featuring original drummer John Rutsey. While not perfect quality it's an essential part of their career and it's a tribute to Rutsey to have it included here.

Ultimately, the film is a knock-out because it respects not just the music but Lee, Lifeson and Peart as well. These three friends forged a bond, siphoned it with music and nearly four decades later their light is burning brighter than ever. When you have a band like Rush who has managed to stay alive and vital for close to four decades, a discussion of their work is warranted if for no other reason than they are survivors. This is more than a mere music documentary; it is one of the very best films to be released in 2010. The film is executed with lovingly care and is a celebration of these three men's lives, talents and above all else, their music. It shouldn't have been a surprise but it is. It reminds you of how utterly joyous and triumphant the sound of "The Spirit of Radio" was and still is to this very day. Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage turns the music of Rush from mere entertainment into a creed.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter