A good music documentary is a very special thing. A music documentary that solidly represents its artist, band or era of music in question can take you back to that era and help you realize why you fell in love with that kind of music in the first place. A great music documentary can also make you appreciate a band or era of music that you never thought you’d appreciate.
Now, there’s a new Led Zeppelin documentary on tap, “Becoming Led Zeppelin,” which will screen in theaters in February 2025. The folks behind the film have released official full-length trailer, which is available to watch below.
Led Zeppelin Documentary Promises Rare Footage
What makes this film extra special is that it’s the very first authorized documentary about Led Zeppelin. The show will hit IMAX theater exclusively, counting more than 200 theaters, starting on February 7, 2025. Before the official release, IMAX is also having a one-night-only early access screenings in 18 cities on February 5, 2025. Tickets are available now for both dates.
Director Bernard McMahon has been working on “Becoming Led Zeppelin” years now, and the movie is expected to feature lots of rare archival footage. One big highlight will be a never-before-heard interview with the group’s late drummer, John Bonham. The documentary will also offer brand new interviews with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones, as well as new footage from the group’s earliest performances in America.
“We spent five years flying back and forth across the Atlantic scouring attics and basements in pursuit of rare and unseen film footage, photographs and music recordings,” writer and producer Allison McGourty said in a release. “Then we transferred each piece of media with custom techniques, so that in IMAX, these 55-year-old clips and music would look and sound like they came out of the lab yesterday.”
Expect ‘Psychedelic, Never-Before-Seen’ Clips for Led Zeppelin
According to the movie’s official synopsis, “Becoming Led Zeppelin explores the origins of this iconic group and their meteoric rise in just one year against all the odds.”
The synopsis adds, “Powered by awe-inspiring, psychedelic, never-before-seen footage, performances and music, Bernard MacMahon’s experiential cinematic odyssey explores Led Zeppelin’s creative, musical, and personal origin story. The film is told in Led Zeppelin’s own words and is the first officially sanctioned film on the group.”
In addition, the film’s hybrid docu-concert footage will offer rare and unseen Led Zeppelin performance footage. “The result is a visceral musical experience that will transport audiences into the concert halls of Led Zeppelin’s earliest tours, accompanied by intimate, exclusive commentary from the famously private band,” the film’s synopsis notes.
There’s no denying that Led Zeppelin is one of the most formative bands in classic rock and even metal music. It’s great to see these filmmakers taking such time with this documentary, and it really does sound like an all-encompassing Led Zeppelin experience. This kind of band deserves a lot of research when it comes to a big documentary such as this one, and it appears the experts behind it have put in their work and having something to show for it.
