Punk may not be dead, but it certainly isn’t what it used to be.



What began 30 years ago in underground basements and friends’ backyards was a place of escape for like-minded people. It was where America’s rebellious youth, the anti-conformists and those pissed off about societal ills could let their aggressions out. It was a statement of who you were, who your friends were and what you believed in.



The face of punk has seen many ups and downs over the years and has since been watered down for the mainstream Warped Tour-going, Hot Topic shopping kids to digest.



Director Susan Dynner brings Punk’s Not Dead, an all-inclusive rocumentary that paves the route of the DIY genre – backed by tunes and interviews from Bad Religion, Black Flag, Green Day, the Offspring, Pennywise, NOFX, Minor Threat, Rancid – from its gritty beginnings all the way to the fashion conscious, sugar-coated present.



Punk’s Not Dead is a loud, fast lesson on this constantly changing subculture. And whether it’s the manufactured rebellion of today or the honest integrity of yesteryear, music gives people something to believe in, and for some, it changes lives.



Grade: A



Punk’s Not Dead releases in select theaters July 27.