Often documentaries open me up to things I know very little or nothing about. It feels great to learn these other perspectives, or to see someone shine a light on an underserved community or a special interest topic that doesn’t get enough attention. Then there are the documentaries shaped around famous people, so you have a passing knowledge, or maybe even some super fan level of obsessed knowledge of your subject. while I absolutely know Led Zepplin is a band, I never could have told you a song they did, or who was in the group. So, an offer to “become” them seemed intriguing.

Being released by Sony Pictures Classics, this music doc starts out as an introductory tool to the formation of the band, and where the members came from. It reminds us that this isn’t a garage band, and these wildly talented musicians were playing other gigs before teaming up for this legendary rock group. once the film puts them together, we do start to embrace the music a lot more than advancing the story of the band or its members, and are treated to full length performances of their songs. I prefer a better balance, like in the recent Janis Ian documentary,that managed to get me to fall in love with her as an artist and a person. This seems to stop just short of going deep so fans can learn more about these guys when they aren’t rocking their faces off.

I think this is a little like moon Age Daydream, the recent David Bowie documentary that was almost as much a psychedelic celebration of his music as it was him as an icon. Here, super fans will love the extended performances, and be less bothered about the lack of depth in revealing details. Those less familiar with the band, could be won over by the music, or perhaps not. It’s a balancing act, to decide how much of what to include.

I really enjoyed the audio description because it actually tries to describe the band when they play their songs. Instead of assuming we’ve come to sit and just let the music wash over us, it attacks this as a film, and not a soundtrack, describing little things the band does while they play. It helps bring back the visual aspects, as there is quite a bit of music, and it could get lost if the narrator just treated the music as a narrative impossibility. For musicals,where the singing advances the story, it can be a dangerous choice to wade into, but here, it is just contextualizing a jam session.

I didn’t enjoy this as much as some other like minded documentaries, however, my bias going in is not initially being a fan of Led Zepplin. i think that fans will enjoy this a lot more, and I’m choosing to reflect that a little in the grade.

Fresh: Final Grade: 7.1/10 Audio Description: B+