Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
The individual journeys of the four members of the band, as they move through the music scene of the 1960s, playing small clubs throughout Britain and performing some of the biggest hits of the era, until their meeting in the summer of 1968 for a rehearsal that changes their lives forever.
A well-crafted music documentary tracing Led Zeppelin's early formation, 'Becoming Led Zeppelin' benefits from rare and previously unseen archival footage that gives it genuine freshness for fans and newcomers alike. The narrative structure — following each member's individual journey before their fateful 1968 convergence — is engaging and coherent, earning a solid Plot score. Acting is not applicable in a traditional sense; the 'performance' here is the subjects speaking for themselves through archival interviews, which is competent but not exceptional. Cinematography is respectable given the constraints of working with vintage footage, though restoration quality elevates it somewhat. Novelty is above average thanks to the exclusive archive access and the band's long refusal to participate in documentary projects, making this a genuinely anticipated and somewhat singular release — though the format itself is fairly conventional for music docs. The ending, capturing the band on the cusp of global stardom, is satisfying but not especially resonant or surprising.