Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Daft Punk Unchained is the first film about the pop culture phenomenon that is Daft Punk, the duo with 12 million albums sold worldwide and seven Grammy Awards. Throughout their career Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo have always resisted compromise and the established codes of show business. They have remained determined to maintain control of every link in the chain of their creative process. In the era of globalisation and social networks, they rarely speak in public and neither do they show their faces on TV. This documentary explores this unprecedented cultural revolution revealing a duo of artists on a permanent quest for creativity, independence and freedom.
A solid fan documentary covering Daft Punk's rise and ethos, with good access to collaborators and archive footage. The talking-head format is fairly conventional for music docs, and 'Acting' here reflects interview subjects who vary in charisma and depth. Cinematography is competent but unremarkable. Novelty is moderate — the subject is genuinely fascinating and the duo's mystique lends intrigue, but the documentary form itself is well-trodden. The ending feels somewhat abrupt without a definitive concluding chapter for the duo's legacy.