The Runaways primed to scare off the competition: Young starlets bring rock ‘n’ roll to life

The Runaways will shock and sometimes disgust, but it will keep you entertained the entire time.

The film tells the story of the famed ’70s rock band formed by Joan Jett (played by Twilight’s Kristen Stewart) and follows them through the good times, the hard times and all the rock and roll along the way.

Stewart has come a long way from her role in the famous tween vampire saga. She is convincing, empowering and all around awe-striking in her performance as the sexually confused rock star.

In the story, The Runaways’ lead singer Cherie Currie (played by Dakota Fanning) realizes her dream of being in a rock band.

But after a full makeover of her wardrobe and then her entire life, she slowly realizes the rock and roll lifestyle may not be what is really important to her. While watching the sweet and innocent Fanning (known for films like Charlotte’s Web and Uptown Girls) in a corset, with her legs spread, singing about “grabbing boys until they’re sore” will make audiences feel incredibly creepy, her performance will rock you.

However, one performance in this movie soars above the rest — Michael Shannon’s portrayal of the band manager, Kim Fowley. This eccentric, raunchy, hardcore character is played flawlessly and a few of his scenes will be etched into audience’s brains for a long time.

At times, The Runaways feels like watching a long episode of Behind the Music. However, the performances will amaze, the music will entertain and the story will definitely satisfy.