Becoming Led Zeppelin

Why are these guys so boring? It’s a mystery that won’t be probed by director Bernard MacMahon and co-writer Allison McGourty, who tick off the usual gigs and recording anecdotes on the rise to fame with a then-this-happened dutifulness.

The master-musicianship that the press initially overlooked, and which the tales of bad behaviour obscure, is front and centre here.

For the duration of this film I was in a forgiving mood, won over by the visceral thrill of the band’s sound.

A hagiographic look at the group’s beginnings, the movie is as straightforward as it is headbangingly diverting.

Not much footage exists of early Led Zeppelin shows, and what there is often resembles Impressionist paintings when blown up to IMAX heights from its likely 16-mm film sources. Yet the sound is consistently fantastic and the energy is electric.

The main attraction is finally the music, of which there is plenty.

I’ll admit they were never a personal favorite, but Bernard MacMahon’s film makes a pretty great case for them, drawing on a wealth of archival performance footage. Even among numerous fine rock docs in recent years, this ranks near the top.

Too polished and surface-level for its own good, Becoming Led Zeppelin’s inevitably drags mightily.

The next great Rock n Roll documentary has arrived. Fantastic.

It’s a wonderful, fascinating journey that should be seen in the loudest theater available to you.