A little too much hazy cosmic jive

MOONAGE DAYDREAM Director: Brett Morgen Rating: (M) ★★+

In what is shaping up to be the most disappointing year for cinema in a long time comes the most disappointing rock doc I’ve seen for a while, and I say this as an unabashed David Bowie fanatic going back most of my life.

Moonage Daydream (Rialto, Reading) aims to take an original approach to its subject, even if it’s authorised to the point of hagiography. Writerdirectoreditor Brett Morgen, who made the very good Cobain: Montage of Heck, was handed hours of audiovisual material from Bowie’s estate, and eschewing the traditional formula has moulded it into an experiential collage of sorts, trying to capture the essence of the great man rather than simply hitting the expected biographical beats.

Your mileage will certainly vary however, and the initial rave reviews this is getting from overseas put me squarely in the minority. The problem is, at two and aquarter hours, it’s numbing and exhausting, never letting up with its hyperactive pacing while simultaneously offering little in the way of insight. Fans will already know the story and newbies, if any exist, will likely be bemused.

Not to mention, this is a big, big screen experience, made to be seen in IMAX, with deafening Dolby Atmos sound, and it’s simply not the movie we’re seeing down here. Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?

Maybe I would’ve loved this more as a Bowieobsessed teen but the whole thing left me with a sour taste. On a positive note, at least Bono doesn’t make an appearance.