Becoming Led Zeppelin

Jimmy page has always been something of a (rightful) control freak when it comes to his 'baby', Led Zeppelin; and while their 12 year output is largely untarnished, there have been a few missteps following the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980, like the ill-fated Live Aid reunion in 1985, so it's no surprise he, along with Plant and Jones, were initially a little tentative about a proposed 'official' documentary.

On one hand, 'Becoming Led Zeppelin' does live up to its title. This is not a band chronology, but the how and why of it all coming together, from their post-war childhoods to becoming infatuated with American blues, r&b, jazz, and rock music as teenagers. While it doesn't touch on every single influence, there is enough of an overview to get the cultural picture. All three surviving members provide an adequate narrative through new interviews. Although it's Page who is the most lucid and engaged, Plant and Jones are also informative, witty and affable.

Of course, the music does speak for itself, and is given plenty of screen time to do that, presenting live clips of complete songs with original audio. It would be easy to complain that most of these clips were released in 2003 on the 'Led Zeppelin Live' DVD, but they definitely benefit from the Imax treatment. One nice surprise, though, was the inclusion of unreleased footage from the Fillmore West, San Francisco in 1969, among others.

It all seems to add up to an engaging cohesive story, that is, until the director gets a case of montage fever and decides to recycle clips and songs we've already seen, in a ham-fisted way more than a few times, which just comes off as filler, and really cheapens the overall tone of the film.

So, does this film actually do justice to the mighty Zeppelin? It does accomplish its objective in cohesively covering the early years, and keeps us engaged with interviews, unseen clips and photos, but somehow manages to stray without a satisfactory conclusion. Still, I'm glad it exists, but could use a re-edit.

A brilliant and insightful documentary, saw it at the Olympic Studios cinema; watching footage in the actual room they recorded Led Zeppelin I was fantastic, (In Dolby Atmos too it's was LOUD!) Their love of their craft shone through and the archive footage is phenomenal, the editing and montage sequences have painstakingly been put together and gave a real sense of a place and time, the raw live performances also hit hard and showed what fantastic musicians they were individually and as group, the candid interviews and audio clips of John Bonham were really powerful, just wish they'd make one for the next stage of their career.

Thoroughly enjoyed Becoming Led Zeppelin. Keep in mind this is about how the band rose to fame quickly, the old-fashioned way by touring relentlessly. No Internet, just word-of-mouth, kind DJs and radio play. What they achieved the old-fashioned way in less than 15 months was simply amazing. The film reveals how four people who virtually never played together discovered a magic within themselves and the vision Jimmy page had for their future. Never before seen footage and audio clips were awesome. Keep in mind this documentaries about the bands rise to store them early in their Career. Try to see in an IMAX theater or equivalent.

I loved it. The second album was always my favorite, and I'm glad they went into depth on all the songs. Ramble On & What Is And What Should Never Be got the love they deserved.

I wasn't alive to get to see them perform (I'm 18 😭) but in the middle of high school I discovered all of their music and fell in love with them. This movie gave me everything I wanted, and there was a lot I didn't even know about. I as I stated before, I really hope they make a 2nd part, just because I want to see them go into Physical Graffiti.

Anyways I wanted to write a review to support the movie and tell you all to go watch, you won't be disappointed! I'm sure it's the closest you can get to being in one of their concerts.

As a Led Zeppelin fan for the past five decades, this was an amazing trip, hearing all the stories of how four incredible artists happened upon each other to make rock history.

With genuine and thoughtful interviews from the survivors of the band and a really sweet and funny interview from the late John Bonham, (a happy voice from the past) this exciting and well crafted doc had wonderful historical footage and photos showing us how Led Zeppelin became Led Zeppelin.

If you can see it in IMAX, it's amazing. Some of the live footage is absolutely fantastic and the sound quality is remarkable.

Overall, this was a really fun ride down memory lane. I just wish I were 10 years older so that I had had a chance to see Zep before John passed.

Definitely a must see for any Led Zeppelin fan!