TMS Movie Review: Becoming Led Zeppelin

(Big Beach / Sony Pictures)

When it comes to embracing the concept of ‘mystique,’ the classic rock band Led Zeppelin might be the kings of it. 56 years into their legacy, and not a single official memoir, profile or documentary on the nitty-gritty of the members’ personal backstories. It’s a band with public exposure 100% built on just the music and performance. And, as bassist John Paul Jones once joked, “5 minutes is like 5 years with this group.” Which means they take their sweet time releasing upgrades and anniversary related projects. Such as Bernard MacMahon’s new doc Becoming Led Zeppelin, which first had a rough cut screened at the 2021 Venice Film Festival and is only now being theatrically released in final form.

As is the case with anyone who is a longterm fan [like me], a documentary on a famous subject can either be fresh or redundant, and unfortunately it’s more often the latter. I’ve been a Zep lover for almost two decades and know my share of history and lore regarding the band; so nothing in MacMahon’s feature really enlightened me other than learning a bit more on JPJ’s childhood that I wasn’t aware of.

(Big Beach / Sony Pictures)

All the stories told are strictly about the members’ upbringings, early years learning and playing music, and the first two years of the band’s formation in 1968-70. There’s a very brief mention of drugs and groupies by frontman Robert Plant, and the families of Plant, Jones and drummer John Bonham pop up in private pics and video, while guitarist-producer Jimmy Page gives the impression he was a bachelor in his youth. For the most part, the rare and restored footage and photos included are the main reasons to check out Becoming Led Zeppelin, as well as experiencing the iconic music, including ‘Whole Lotta Love,’ ‘Good Times, Bad Times,’ ‘Thank You,’ and ‘Your Time is Gonna Come,’ on an IMAX sound system. A lot of the concert footage was already released on the Led Zeppelin DVD (2003) box-set, which I’m a big fan of and really deserves a Blu-ray upgrade.

Ultimately, Becoming Led Zeppelin isn’t as hokey or silly as Peter Clifton & Joe Massot’s The Song Remains the Same (1976), but still feels like the documentary equivalent of James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown (2024).