Becoming Led Zeppelin, 2025.
Directed by Bernard MacMahon.
Featuring Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham.
SYNOPSIS:
A documentary tracing the journeys of the four members of the legendary rock band through the music scene of the 1960s and their meeting in the summer of 1968, culminating in 1970.
When it comes to globe-straddling rock behemoths they don’t come bigger or more excessive than Led Zeppelin, the band formed by guitarist Jimmy Page after his former group The Yardbirds split in the late 1960s. Yes, The Beatles may have been the most influential and the Rolling Stones the so-called ‘bad boys’ (although they weren’t really), but it was Led Zeppelin who encapsulated the spirit of rock n’ roll decadence, taking the template of blues rock laid down by the likes of the Stones, Cream and Hendrix but adding their own unique spin, pushing the limits of sonic experimentation and inadvertently helping to change the face of heavy music (but don’t ever call them heavy metal, because they’re not) along with Deep Purple (who also are not) and Black Sabbath (who are).
With hindsight, and to those who were not there at the time, Led Zeppelin come across like a bit of a caricature, as they featured a strutting peacock of a lead singer with a huge wailing voice, along with a super-cool lead guitarist, a quiet bass player keeping it all together and a drummer who behaved like a wild animal both on and off the stage, but Zeppelin were all of this before The Muppet Show, Spinal Tap and Bad News made them stereotypes. They were the real deal, and this film – the first authorised documentary the band have agreed to, although it is independently made – traces the steps of how they came together in a music scene that was changing from the mainstream bubblegum pop of the early 1960s to the darker, heavier and more progressive sounds that were filtering through from the underground.
What comes across immediately from the three surviving band members – frontman Robert Plant, guitarist/producer Jimmy Page and bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones – is the passion for music that hasn’t diminished over the years. It is well known that Page and Jones were highly regarded session musicians in London during the 1960s – both actually played together on various notable recordings, including Shirley Bassey’s iconic ‘Goldfinger’ Bond theme – but seeing Page flick through his diary and note the albums he played on during that period is the sort of nerdy detail that makes this film so rewarding for fans (although Page does note that he did not contribute to any Beatles recordings, probably the only big name UK artist he didn’t play any sessions with).
Drummer John Bonham died in 1980, effectively ending the band, but he is represented here by a previously unheard interview which is being played not only over the footage but also to the other band members as they are being interviewed, and seeing the reactions on their faces as their fallen colleague speaks as if he were in the room adds a level of poignancy to their story. The quality of the footage that the filmmakers have assembled here is nothing short of amazing, as twenty-something Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham are seemingly brought to life again in startling clarity, both visually and sonically.
Page, Plant and Jones are interviewed separately here, and although getting their collective reactions and reminiscences could have been an interesting way to go it also highlights that the story of Led Zeppelin is not only one of celebration and success, but is also full of controversies and tragedies, and given that this is an authorised biopic one imagines that each band member had to think carefully about what they could say. That said, the big takeaway that shines through it all is that not once do any of them say anything about fame, money or celebrity, with Jimmy Page emphasising that it was only ever about the music and making music that hadn’t been heard before. He and notorious manager Peter Grant – who is probably a subject worthy of a documentary on his own – insisted that Atlantic Records didn’t release singles, and when he explains why it all makes sense, and in the media-savvy, social media-obsessed 2020s it is probably the most refreshing thing you could hear a band say, or not say, as the case may be.
It is true to say that as we sit here in 2026, the surviving members of Led Zeppelin will probably never set foot onstage together again. Not because of any bad blood or ill feeling but because that chapter is closed and, much like the music scene that spawned them, is never to be repeated, so this is as close as we are going to get to a coda to their career. The documentary ends in 1970 after the release of their classic sophomore album ‘Led Zeppelin II’, so to get a follow-up film covering the rest of their career, their later groundbreaking albums, the private jets and everything else would be tremendous but, much like a reunion concert, is unlikely to happen due to the dubious nature of how they achieved what they did and the salacious stories of what happens when you have everything you could ever want, so there is an air of unfinished business about it despite the focus of this film being how it began.
Music documentaries are always a tough sell because you have to be into the band in question for it to resonate on any level, but Becoming Led Zeppelin is more than just three old men telling you how they conquered the world with music. It is a snapshot of an era, beginning in post-WWII Britain and detailing how the country rebuilt itself with new ideas, new politics, fashions and, yes, new music. Led Zeppelin as a recording unit don’t actually form in this story until about an hour in, so whilst it helps if you are already a fan, you don’t have be to see the wider picture that is being painted, and if you are not a fan then this eye-opening and passionate look at the origins of one of the greatest cultural exports this country has ever produced should be enough to convince you that it takes more than Saturday night TV talent shows to make it.
If that doesn’t sell it to you then the collector’s edition packaging might just swing it, as this 4K UHD/Blu-ray set comes in a groovy Steelbook along with two guitar picks, four art prints, sew-on patch, stickers and a letter from director Bernard MacMahon, but even without the extra goodies, Becoming Led Zeppelin is an essential rockumentary.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Chris Ward
