Recommendations of the Editorial team
“Becoming Led Zeppelin,” the first authorized documentary about the hard rock pioneers, is getting a new collector’s edition on Blu-ray. The Special Collector’s Edition will be released on April 14th as a 2-disc set in 4K UHD and Blu-ray and is available for pre-order now.
In addition to the film, the set includes a wealth of extras: exclusive photocard prints, two limited edition guitar picks, a jacket patch, a vinyl guitar case sticker and a letter to fans from director Bernard MacMahon. The box set comes as a SteelBook – with a metal-coated cover instead of the usual plastic case.
Creation and cinema release
The film had a long history: announced in 2019, it premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2021, but was not released in cinemas until 2025. The documentary combines concert footage, contemporary interviews with the surviving band members and a previously unpublished, rediscovered interview with the late drummer John Bonham. The film focuses specifically on the band’s early years – it ends in 1970, right at the moment when Led Zeppelin made the leap to world fame.
The archival work is particularly impressive given the dearth of early footage of the band. Director MacMahon and writer-producer Allison McGourty managed to include previously unseen concert footage of early performances at the Fillmore West in January 1969 and at the Texas Pop Festival in August 1969.
The focus on the early years was no coincidence. MacMahon told ROLLING STONE last year: “Until 1970, everything that happens is unique to them: the combination of these four personalities, the specific things they do, the decisions they make, and how they become a huge success. Once that is achieved, the events that follow are often similar to countless other success stories.”
The criticism in ROLLING STONE
Reviewing the film in ROLLING STONE, critic David Fear wrote: “For viewers, the experience of having the origin stories of these rock heroes presented in this way feels planned to the point of exhaustion at times” – but added: “But damn, what kind of footage do you get here, especially when the band actually forms? It’s a revelation, even if you already know live versions of these songs – and it’s simply stunning.”
