The surviving members of Led Zeppelin agreed to make this film on the strength of Bernard MacMahon’s previous work as a director of music documentaries.

Chronicling the rise of the band, from the early Yardbirds years in the late 1960s, the film ends when Zeppelin was on top of the world in 1970. Some of us might’ve preferred to see more of the band’s history, and their tumultuous private lives over the years, but this is primarily an experience for die-hard fans, one that takes the craft seriously and includes a lot of footage (including concert performances) that we haven’t seen before.

Well worth seeing in an IMAX theater for the full force of Zeppelin’s groundbreaking music… but non-fans might find it taxing at times.

2025-U.S.-U.K. 121 min. Color-B/W. Directed by Bernard MacMahon. Screenplay: Bernard MacMahon, Allison McGourty.