Movie Review: Becoming Led Zeppelin

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A really fun documentary about the early years of the famous rock band. 

The main reason to see this movie is the various concert clips from the band's early days. It is rare to see footage of the band this early in their career, making this a real treasure for rock and roll fans. It is also simply wonderful to see such a great band in their prime. There is never a bad time to listen to Led Zeppelin and their musical performances here are rock and roll music at its best. I am so glad this film got released in IMAX as this helped give us the feeling that we truly traveled back in time to experience a Led Zeppelin concert. For those of us who were born too late to experience Led Zeppelin (in their original lineup) in concert, this is the closest we will ever come and for that I am grateful this movie exists. This movie also benefits from being able to hear the story from the band members. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones all appear onscreen to discuss the early years of the band. There is even archival audio from John Bonham (who passed in 1980) talking about his years with the band. This allows us to feel like we are experiencing these years of discovery with them. 

What keeps this from being as great of a documentary as it should have been is that it is not especially informative. Those who are familiar with the band will not learn much from this film. Even newcomers will only learn the basics of the history of this band. 

Though this film could have been much more informative, the concert footage and presence of the original band members make this a sheer delight for rock and roll fans.