Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Supersonic charts the meteoric rise of Oasis from the council estates of Manchester to some of the biggest concerts of all time in just three short years. This palpable, raw and moving film shines a light on one of the most genre and generation-defining British bands that has ever existed and features candid new interviews with Noel and Liam Gallagher, their mother, and members of the band and road crew.
Supersonic is a well-crafted music documentary that benefits enormously from the charisma of its subjects — the Gallagher brothers — and rich archival footage of Oasis's explosive rise. The candid interviews, particularly with Liam and Noel, give it genuine warmth and humor. However, structurally it follows a fairly conventional music doc format: rise, conflict, triumph. The cinematography blends archival material competently without doing anything visually distinctive. Novelty is moderate — the Oasis story is singular in British pop culture, but the documentary approach itself is standard talking-heads-plus-archive. Acting is not applicable in the traditional sense but the subjects' on-screen presence is engaging. The ending, covering Knebworth, is emotionally satisfying but predictable for fans. A solid, enjoyable documentary that doesn't transcend the genre.