Film Review: MOONAGE DAYDREAM (2022): Brett Morgen’s New Film About David Bowie is Groundbreaking in Many Ways

Moonage Daydream Review

Moonage Daydream (2022) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Brett Morgen and starring David Bowie.

Seeing Brett Morgen’s ambitious new film, Moonage Daydream, in IMAX is an amazing spectacle to behold. To listen to the film is a whole unique experience in itself but when you combine the sights and sounds of this new documentary of sorts, it’s pure moviemaking magic. That’s because the sound editing, and the film editing are close to perfect in terms of achieving the vibe that Morgen’s film sets out to achieve. Do we learn anything about David Bowie that we probably didn’t know before through this film? Not too much but the look and feel of this movie makes it a monumental achievement in filmmaking despite its flaws.

Bowie’s “Hallo Spaceboy” is the song that plays as the film begins. It sets the stage for a picture that will explore the complexity of a very interesting man in a movie that doesn’t want to give us any easy answers regarding who, exactly, Bowie was in terms of a person. Instead, the movie splices together brief clips of countless movie that it relates to Bowie, the man and the performer. What kind of movies? Disney’s Fantasia and the horror film, Nosferatu, immediately come to mind as two examples. Remember the ending scene of Vanilla Sky where Tom Cruise was jumping off the building and think back to the footage that was on display there. The new Bowie film occasionally shows us similarly edited footage to that which was displayed at the conclusion of Cruise’s picture. However, the scenes in Morgen’s movie are set against the backdrop of fascinating Bowie footage and it’s a surprisingly effective way of capturing the essence of Bowie through exploring his idiosyncrasies.

Then, there’s also real-life footage of Bowie’s appearance on talk shows. Bowie appeared with makeup and shoes on that look like women’s but are, actually, described hilariously by Bowie. David Bowie was a one-of-a-kind entertainer and that’s how he saw himself–as an entertainer above all else. Though he looked to find the meaning of life, his examples of what he, indeed, found throughout his own existence are fascinating. What I didn’t know was how much of an artist Bowie was. The screaming fans of Bowie that the movie opens with are a bit cliched, but the way Bowie spent his life as an artist and a writer was definitely well portrayed in the new Morgen picture. Bowie was always searching to better himself even if he didn’t necessarily always know how to focus some of his more uncertain energy.

What Moonage Daydream didn’t do right for me, and I may be in the minority here, is adequately portray the love of Bowie’s life, Iman, in relation to Bowie’s happiness. It seemed that Bowie was very happy in his marriage, but the picture only briefly touches upon their relationship. This film suggests they had strong feeling towards one another, but those emotions are never really fully explored. With Bowie traveling the world on a never-ending journey, one could wonder the reasons why he finally settled down with Iman. Of course, perhaps, this aspect of his life was one that was not meant to be shared too much with the public in this particular film.

The musical component of Moonage Daydream is breathtaking with songs like Heroes dominating the soundtrack as footage is displayed to the viewer that sheds significant light on what motivated and/or inspired Bowie. There is even a clip or two of Bowie from his much-loved movie role from 1986’s Labyrinth. You really can’t go wrong with the movie’s nonstop relentless editing techniques though they are apparently not for everyone as they could end up giving some less devoted fans a more frustrating movie-going experience. The constant change of events could be numbing to more conventional viewers.

In IMAX, this picture’s footage is extremely vivid and detailed making one completely immersed in the life of Bowie. We see him at different stages of his life, but this is never a movie that moves forward and leaves behind the past. This film always integrates past scenes with the current ones and, in turn, mixes up stages of his life to bring into view a complete picture of how Bowie’s life experiences shaped him into the person who he came to be in his personal life before his eventual death.

Just because one is a fan of David Bowie doesn’t mean this movie is definitely going to appeal to every single fan of his. Bowie’s relationship with his mother is also not given enough screen time nor is the possibility of his present schizophrenia. It’s probable that these events weren’t very crucial in the star’s life so don’t have to be prevalent in the film.

Moonage Daydream is, at its heart, about the great artist’s music. However, there are a lot of heavy-handed scenes of space, the moon and in a less metaphorical sense, Bowie simply being Bowie. He was almost always true to himself in terms of how he presented himself even if he wasn’t always clearly easy to label. This new picture is a way to enjoy the star’s work and to get to see the performer through many different stages of his life. While the movie doesn’t always shed light on all the insights behind what is simply on the surface, it’s an intriguing and visually spectacular movie to behold.

Morgen is to be credited for a mostly probing look inside the work of a man who was so complex, he hardly knew what he was doing in the grand scheme of things. Bowie followed his heart and his passion and led a life of integrity that could inspire generations to come. Even if it doesn’t, Bowie was, without a doubt, a musical genius and Moonage Daydream is a tribute to his life.

Rating: 8/10

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