Moonage Daydream (2022) is a cinematic odyssey which explores musical legend David Bowie and his creative musical journey. From visionary filmmaker Brett Morgen, and sanctioned by the Bowie estate, this movie is a spectacle of visuals and a love letter to Bowie’s legacy.
To truly appreciate this film you must have a certain level of respect and love for David Bowie, this documentary is solely to display his genius and incomparable way of making music. In saying that, Moonage Daydream is less about narrative or particularly sharing moments from Bowie’s life, this film is all about the visuals and the aesthetic. This film is an experience, an immersive kaleidoscope of Bowie’s musical journey from beginning to end. This film is nowhere near your typical documentary, this film is a piece of artwork.
Sadly, despite the visuals and overall concept this film didn’t quite deliver for me. I was expecting more content, I was expecting more of this movie to be about David Bowie as a person rather than an assortment of images and videos. Moonage Daydream was fascinating to watch and although it felt slightly pretentious, I did still enjoy watching never before seen footage of Bowie.
David Bowie was a beacon of art, a pure example of raw talent and I wanted to see and feel more of that. Sometimes, someones legacy doesn’t need to be made into a feature like this, I feel as though we didn’t need this movie, it was just a collection of images and videos pieced together to make something surrealist and unexpected. Of course, the message was trying to convey that Bowie was more than just his music but in reality, Bowie’s music is why we love him and his music felt like a secondary character when it should have been the lead.
Moonage Daydream gave audiences and fans an insight into his many, many talents. Bowie wasn’t just a musical artist, he tried his hand in many forms of art and succeeded in almost all of his creative ventures. It projected a pretentious and untouchable atmosphere, didn’t show us who David Bowie was in reality but only showed us the idea of him. The film didn’t have enough to say, the film was too long and by the end of it I hadn’t really learnt anything new about Bowie. It was simply some images, videos and snippets of narration to form an overall pretty empty narrative.
Overall, I am pleased to see a film which was crafted with respect and love for the artist. David Bowie was a perfectly moulded star who felt close to his fans and appreciated his every success. I have no doubt David Bowie would have adored Moonage Daydream (2021) but for a fan it felt a little to dramatic and overtly pompous. The film should have been made into a book, showcasing all of Bowie’s paintings and his other artistic flares. As a Bowie fan I felt flat after watching and didn’t appreciate the overall aesthetic or intention, it is obvious this film was a visual masterpiece and displayed many beautiful and interesting moments from his life but when judging on entertainment value this film lost my interest pretty quickly. I was expecting more music, the film needed to have music as its focus.
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