There is a flood of reviews of “Becoming Led Zeppelin” being published following the film’s release this week.
We’re collecting reviews by professional film reviewers below, including some excerpts from their reviews of the film and any review scores.
You can read our round-up of the film’s previous reviews from its festival release in 2021 here.
The New York Times: Critic’s Pick – ‘A hagiographic look at the group’s beginnings’
The New York Times said the film “is as straightforward as it is headbangingly diverting”.
“The documentary’s abbreviated timeline means that much has been omitted, and it’s hard not to wonder if more screen chronicles will follow,” it adds.
The Guardian: 3 out of 5 stars – ‘enjoyable retrospective will be met with a Whole Lotta Love’
The Guardian says that “it’s hard not to head-bang along to the first authorised documentary about the heavy rock legends, but stopping the story in 1969 ignores the band’s more colourful years”.
“Overall, this is a likable and well-researched film, but there is something unsatisfying in ignoring the band’s later stages. Perhaps Part II is in the works,” it adds.
The Times: ‘Page, Plant and a whole lotta missing details’
“Bernard MacMahon’s authorised film of the rock band is sonically impressive and visually arresting but where are the tales of tension and excess,” The Times writes.
The Financial Times: 4 out of 5 stars – ‘rockumentary sidesteps scandal to honour master-musicianship’
In its review of the film, The Financial Times says “the official biography revels in the sight and sound of the foursome in full flow”.
Variety: ‘It’s an absolute must-see for fans.’
Variety wrote in its review that the use of archive footage is “stunning and near-definitive”.
Uncut: 4.5 out of 5 stars – ‘It’s worth the wait. The sound is phenomenal, so see it in a cinema if you can’
Uncut’s reviewed criticised the film’s ending, saying: “As MacMahon diligently tracks Zeppelin going back and forward between America and Europe throughout 1969, there’s a feeling that he doesn’t quite know how to end things.”
Slate: ‘The film is so fastidious and detail-oriented that it never feels like hagiography’
Slate enjoyed the film, but said it “still very much feels like a story the band wants to tell, rather than the story people should know”.
NME: 4 out of 5 stars – ‘the definitive origin story for Britain’s most explosive band’
NME praised the film in its review, writing: “the film delivers what is advertised. If you wanna know about ‘Stairway To Heaven’, you better start praying there’s gonna be a sequel.”
Metro: 3 out of 5 stars – ‘ignores the true story of the iconic 70s band’
The Metro gave the film a lukewarm review, saying “if you want to hear the true story of a band that was as controversial as it was popular, you’ve come to the wrong place.”
The Evening Standard: 4 out of 5 stars – a ‘revelatory documentary about a behemoth of a band’
Dylan Jones writes in The Evening Standard that “I don’t think anyone is going to be disappointed by this documentary”.
“Is it too long? Possibly, but isn’t everything these days? Is there too much concert footage? Probably, but then if you’re watching a Led Zeppelin documentary then you’re unlikely to complain about that,” he adds.
Los Angeles Times: ‘A timid, far-from-revelatory film’
The Los Angeles Times wasn’t bowled over by the film, saying Bonham’s archival interviews in the film are “stubbornly uninsightful.” It does praise Led Zeppelin’s music, however, saying “only a hardened viewer with no sense of fun (or ears) will find this music a drag.”
City A.M.: 2 out of 5 stars – ‘Becoming Led Zeppelin wastes an opportunity to get under the skin of the music legends’
London newspaper City A.M. didn’t seem to be a fan of the film, saying: “there is a sense that those involved know the importance of controlling the narrative, and as such we aren’t given much that fans of the band wouldn’t already know.”
The Daily Express: 3 out of 5 stars – ‘Sanitised rockumentary with unheard John Bonham audio’
The newspaper calls the film “a mixed bag”, adding that the Bonham interviews in the film are a “particular highlight”.
“This rockumentary does drag a little in the middle and sadly ended just as it was getting particularly interesting,” it concludes.
Classic Rock Magazine: 4 out of 5 stars – ‘It doesn’t wholly demystify this most mystical of rock bands, but it does reveal the human brilliance at their heart.’
“By focusing on the band’s first two years, it pulls Zeppelin down from rock’n’roll’s Mount Rushmore and presents them as they really were: an astoundingly powerful and legitimately groundbreaking band,” this review says.
Mojo: 5 out of 5 stars – ‘Conventional but thrilling document of Zep’s early rise’
“Yes, it’s a mainstream rock saga founded on familiar tropes, but it would take a cold heart not to be moved by this version of it, told proudly by protagonists in their twilight years,” Mojo writes.
Village Voice: ‘Tells a Raucous Story From Limited POVs’
Village Voice wrote that “one might be better off viewing it as a lighthearted tour down memory lane rather than as an in-depth, objective profile of the notoriously saturnalian group”.
Chris Charlesworth: ‘The present day interviews are candid and occasionally revealing’
Veteran music journalist Chris Charlesworth wrote on his Just Backdated website that “The emphasis, though, is on the music, and Becoming Led Zeppelin features heaps of terrific footage from America and the UK, some hitherto unseen, at last by me, though at just over two hours, it is pretty long and could have been trimmed, especially during the final half hour.”
Consequence: ‘Becoming Led Zeppelin is a fascinating look at the creation of one of the greatest rock acts to ever exist’
The review notes there is an “abruptness” around the film’s ending. “It’s a bit anticlimactic, in that the documentary doesn’t take us at least through Led Zeppelin IV,” it adds.
Roger Ebert: 4 out of 4 stars – ‘generous contemporary interviews interspersed with archival footage’
A review on the Roger Ebert website praised the film, saying: “This picture was made with the full cooperation and—to judge from the interview clips—enthusiastic participation of the group’s surviving members. The emphasis is on not just the music but the influences and the career paths that fed it.”
Music News: 4 out of 5 stars – ‘I rather enjoyed this rendezvous with the gang’
Music News enjoyed the film, saying “director Bernard MacMahon has managed to scour archives, pester photographers and tv stations to get exciting clips previously unseen and even if his documentary speaks to fans more than the casual observer it keeps to a fast pace and tells a good story.”
Far Out: 2.5 out of 5 stars – ‘a swollen analysis lacking in excitement or heart’
The film “presents an almost mathematical exploration of how the band came to be but then fails to look into who they become”, Far Out writes.
“When this whole story is only a Wikipedia page away, Becoming Led Zeppelin fails to focus on the thing that is always the most interesting, which is the people and personalities fans are still trying to get to know decades on,” it adds.
Exclaim: ‘Becoming Led Zeppelin feels fundamentally incomplete’
This Canadian publication says that “protracted song sequences may bore on both ends of the Zeppelin fan bell curve in spite of psychedelic visualizations and montages.”
CultureSonar: ‘An impressive vessel that doesn’t quite reach its destination’
In its review of the film, CultureSonar says it “excels at tracking the individual paths that led four extraordinary musicians to their destined meeting point”.
CultureSlate: 8 out of 10 – ‘It’s a must-see for any Led Zeppelin fan’
CultureSlate enjoyed the film, saying: “the movie even ended with Bonham talking about his fellow bandmates and how much they meant to him. It was a great addition to the documentary.”
Ultimate Classic Rock: ‘The movie ends suddenly and tantalizingly shortly after the release of Led Zeppelin II’
“As expected from a band-sanctioned documentary, there’s barely a speck of dirt or gossip in Becoming Led Zeppelin. The closest the film gets is Plant, who was married, vaguely recalling a lot of drugs and girls during the group’s first U.S. tour.”
13th Floor: ‘Does a very good job of telling how the band got started and what made them so sonically exciting.’
“Now, much like Zeppelin themselves, MacMahon has made a contemporary piece of art…in this case a feature-length film…built on the backs of musicians and songwriters from a century ago.”
Glam Adelaide: 4.5 out of 5 stars – ‘A great one for fans and music lovers’
Glam Adelaide enjoyed the film, writing: “Becoming Led Zeppelin is definitely one for the fans, obviously, but is also an informative and engaging documentary for anyone interested in recent Western musical history.”
Aftonbladet: ‘Superb concert footage in the Led Zeppelin film’
Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet writes that the film contains “unique concert recordings with first-class sound, which show what a fantastic band Led Zeppelin was with their hybrid of rock ‘n’ roll, blues, folk music and much more.”
RTVE: ‘If you’re looking for sex, drugs and rock and roll, you’ll only find the latter here’
Spanish outlet RTVE said the film’s “greatest asset is the collaboration of the protagonists themselves”.
CBC
Ottawa Morning’s film critic reviewed the film in a radio segment.
I saw it in my Imax theater and was not happy knowing more than half of the footage that was already released on the 2003 DVD.
I know a lot of people want the behind the scenes of a zeppelin party but that will only have to live in dream world. I want to see the documentary on how Led Zeppelin ruled the 1970s, I want to see why so many people would flock to see the band live, we all heard the stories how “The concerts of Zeppelin are the real deal.” I know they must have footage of 1973 to 1977 tours, we seen the cameramen at the Pontiac Dome show in 1977, there is 1975 Earls Court and 1979 knebworth.
DO IT ZEPPELIN!!!
You can read Media Room’s review of the movie here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/mediaroom/p/movie-review-becoming-led-zeppelin?r=c8c1n&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false