Becoming Led Zeppelin ★★★

Released: 7^th February 2025

Director: Bernard MacMahon

Starring: Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham

Led Zeppelin need no introduction, the second biggest selling band of all time and one of the defining British groups of any era. It is remarkable their story has never been given an official documentary or biopic but that now changes with Becoming Led Zeppelin. The film which premiered at Venice Film Festival back in 2021, charts the group from their childhood and an array of influences to first meetings and recording the songs that would make up their first two albums. While it is the first officially sanctioned doc, it is bizarre that it cuts off at 1970, just as they were ascending their own stairway to rock stardom.

Unlike most documentaries of this sort, all the interviews both new and archival in the case of the late John Bonham, are from the four band members. This lends it a sense of authenticity in some regards as they were present at the moments discussed, but can make it feel sanitised and left focusing on film-friendly moments. Still we get a sense of who the four were as youngsters with Plant and Bonham coming from the West Midlands, alongside Page and Paul Jones coming from London and the South East.

Some stories will be rather familiar to fans from Page’s session work with the likes of The Who and Kinks and on the Goldfinger soundtrack, while Paul Johns was a church organist and Bonham and Plant hopped around several previous bands barely making ends meet. The first half of the film covers their origins, with the second really diving into the nitty gritty of the first two LPs and especially their huge success in America.

At over 2 hours it is on the longer side, making you wonder if there are plans for a further film covering their later work, some of which is their most recognisable as the ending feels rather abrupt here.

Fans will be delighted to hear some unreleased audio and concert footage, with audio of John Bonham released for the first time. However, it is hard to decipher who the film is made for with die-hard fans most likely to lap up some of the mentions and influences, perhaps not overly friendly for those less well-versed in the band’s history.

There is certainly plenty that will appeal to fans of 60s-70s music and Led Zeppelin in particular. But the film is a tad safe, only focusing on the earliest part of the band’s history which makes it feel incomplete as a definitive film on their work and legacy. It is worth stating that the songs sound tremendous in cinemas with the film getting an IMAX release.  Ultimately, it is a successful vehicle for highlighting how ground-breaking the music sounds over 50 years on and the singular talents of all four members and their role in shaping music history.