★ 8 / 10
I don't know how many music documentaries I
CinemaSerf
I don't know how many music documentaries I have started to watch only to find that every time a song starts, ten bars in we get some waffle - usually from…
I don't know how many music documentaries I have started to watch only to find that every time a song starts, ten bars in we get some waffle - usually from some hitherto unknown music journalist - that completely obscures the song. Well not here. Right from the opening, Brett Morgan makes sure we know this is about David Bowie and not about those observers with (usually all too adulatory) opinions on him. His flamboyance, his vision, his flaws, his character and his creativity are entertainingly demonstrated by what we see, and by what we hear. Frequently it is his own voice supplying the voice-overs; the clever audio editing allows his songs to be delivered using a catalogue of his own performances on stage, on video or on vinyl - all demonstrating the huge array of talent presented not just by Bowie himself, but also by the musicians and supporting people surrounding and inspiring him. It's also testament to archives the world over who have contributed widely to allow us all to revel in this man's work meticulously preserved over the years. This review doesn't need to be long or any more praiseworthy, and I am not a great fan of David Bowie - but as a piece of captivating cinema this works better than any other of it's genre I think I have ever seen. Big screen with big sound is vital to get the best from this chronology, and it is certainly well worth watching.
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“[This film] is not about David Bowie. It's
Jace Bain
“[This film] is not about David Bowie. It's not about David Jones. It's Bowie in quotations. It's meant to be a mirror so that you, the audience, can see your…
“[This film] is not about David Bowie. It's not about David Jones. It's Bowie in quotations. It's meant to be a mirror so that you, the audience, can see your own Bowie and reflect back upon your own life. Because, to me, the most exciting thing is that you can go and see a film about David Bowie and learn how to be a better parent or learn how to lead a more satisfying life- not that he went into the studio [with] [...] Freddie Mercury." - Brett Morgen to NME, 2022
Does anyone remember that David Bowie biopic, "Stardust", that was released in 2020? After being viciously ripped apart by fans and having its wide-release ruined by Covid-19, all to be critically massacred: I don't blame you. I tracked it down upon its small release and let's just say...it's very bad. There is little to no music included (none of which was written by Bowie!) and proved to be a massive failure on every level. In my initial review, I made one thing clear: no one involved with the film truly understood what David Bowie was or stood for. Duncan Jones, filmmaker and son of David Bowie, warned fans upon the trailer's release: “If you want to see [this] biopic [made] without [...] the families blessing, that’s up to the audience.” Jones' dad was very outspoken in his lifetime about never wanting a film made about his life, the most notable example being 1998's "Velvet Goldmine". It starred Johnathan Rhys Meyers as David Bowie, until the screenplay was changed to a David Bowie-adjacent rocker.
I had no idea about "Moonage Daydream" until I saw its galvanizing trailer in the theater. The film is directed by Brett Morgen, who directed the shockingly intimate Kurt Cobain documentary "Montage of Heck". Morgen met with David Bowie in 2007 and pitched some similar film ideas, though it didn't go well, ending in both men harshly critiquing the others' work. The idea was picked back up upon David's death in 2016. This led to years upon years of screening the Starman's film and music archive, leading to over five million pieces of media being discovered. Now, it's here: "Moonage Daydream" is available in theaters worldwide this weekend. Being the first and only film endorsed by the Bowie Estate, "Moonage Daydream" has been called "the greatest rock film of the decade" by Esquire Magazine.
I traveled approximately three hours to see the film twice in its IMAX setting, which was available for one week only, but the recommended version from Director Morgen. I agree, the film is made for IMAX, to the point where seeing it in a normal theater might just hinder the experience. We open on a black screen as the voice of David Bowie travels across the array of speakers, delivering a monologue about time. "One of the most complex expressions," he says. After this, we're shotgunned into a compilation of silent film footage while the 1995, electronic deep-cut "Hallo Spaceboy" plays. A gripping introduction into an overall hypnotizing film. This Baz Luhrmann-esque, fast-paced editing style does not go away, but I enjoy it. Equally enthralling as it is exhausting. There is no new footage or interviews, only Bowie himself narrates and stars, using edited lines and video from previous film appearances, concerts, etc. Surprisingly, there are a lot of philosophy and religion discussions in the film, which intrigued me. It's absorbing to hear how both David's thoughts and opinions changed throughout his career, all the while being painted on such a bright, colorful montage of video canvas. The film explicitly captures Bowie's essence in both cinematography and sound design. Every song used, live and in studio, was remixed/remastered by Bowie's longtime collaborator Tony Visconti, and of course they sound great. The companion album, Moonage Daydream - A Film by Brett Morgen, features some really cool "deconstructed" mixes, such as "DJ" and "Modern Love". These are definitely worth checking out. Hearing elements of these songs I had never heard, yet here they were- clear as day in the IMAX setting...blew my mind. Time and time again there are truly striking visuals. My favorite was a mature, 90's David Bowie staring at himself as a child while "Space Oddity" plays in a seemingly empty room, which is revealed to be a concert performance. Constant chills and excitement.
In contrast, the film has no direction, plot, narrative, or quite literally much of anything. It's quite pretentious. Morgen debated this criticism to CREEM Magazine and DEADLINE: "My hope [is] that people would experience the film the same way they listen to a Bowie album. We don't learn about David [...], we learn about ourselves. What can I offer that you can’t get in Wikipedia?" As there is no timeline, the viewer is left floating in a most peculiar way- which is immensely off-putting. Quite honestly, "Moonage Daydream" continuously borders on incomprehensible. That is why I decided to see it twice. I'm disappointed to report that it didn't help. Quite too long, I believe 30-45 minutes (if not more) could have been cut. In the same vein, though- it doesn't even cover or highlight main points, such as the making of and footage from the iconic Blackstar album (there's about two or so clips from anything post-1990) and has one, 3 second clip from "Labrynth". Leave it to "Moonage Daydream" to mention David Bowie's guest role in one episode of Spongebob Squarepants before his starring role in a major motion picture or any song from "The Best of Bowie". It feels like talking to an obnoxious member of r/DavidBowie, questioning how I didn't already know about his brother's schizophrenia. Give me a break! I strongly believe that the influx of musician movies in the past decade have been designed to educate a new generation on past talent and this film doesn't (want to?) do that.
Taken from my review for RSURADIO.com.
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