Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Moonage Daydream 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 9, 2023

Brett Morgen's "Moonage Daydream" (2022) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include audio commentary by the director; filmed Q&A session between the director, Mark Romanek, and longtime David Bowie pianist Mike Garson; original theatrical trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Even some of David Bowie’s biggest fans agree that he was a strange character who lived his life in a strange way. They must because Bowie enthusiastically channeled his strangeness through his work, causing as much excitement with it as he did controversy, relentlessly using both to fuel his creativity. This strangeness defined Bowie as an artist and individual.

But even though the cameras loved Bowie and there was always plenty of material with him to feed the demand for information about his life and legacy, the truth is that it was never enough. There are two reasons for this. First, Bowie was an introverted person who sought solace because it stimulated his mind and too much of what he did when the cameras were not around remained veiled in secrecy. It is why a great deal of mystique developed around him and a lot of people became fascinated by it. Second, Bowie was very smart and did a lot of interesting things to take maximum advantage of the mystique. For example, Bowie intentionally created a lot of controversies, merged them with the mystique, and enhanced his strangeness because he understood its market potential. In other words, while the strangeness defined Bowie, over the years it was also brilliantly managed by Bowie to ensure the longevity of his illustrious career.

Brett Morgen’s Moonage Daydream is a little over two hours long and combines a lot of concert footage and clips from archival interviews to produce an overview of Bowie’s career that won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. It is not a terrible exaggeration to write that its chances of being a universally praised film were slim because Bowie’s controversies have been mischaracterized in a lot of different ways, but its construction has a massive flaw that easily could and should have been avoided. Indeed, whether intentionally or not, the film very quickly creates the impression that its style is as important as its subject matter. (One could successfully argue that it goes even a step further, prioritizing its style rather than its subject matter). As a result, much of the most valuable content, like the interviews where Bowie begins addressing the void that existed between his personal and public life and the reasons behind the seismic shift that occurred in his career after he relocated from Los Angeles to Berlin, never becomes the foundation of a coherent and illuminating story. As odd as it may sound, it feels like filler material in a massive show-off piece that simply takes advantage of Bowie’s strangeness, fully aware of its market potential as well.

A lot of the concert footage is very good but feels mismanaged as well. Indeed, it is edited in a way that makes very large sections of the film look as if they were prepared for a gigantic MTV video or special program. Also, the glue that is supposed to make everything stick together is Bowie’s words -- the recollections, descriptions, and confessions -- but they are not matched properly to make the tone, energy, and style of the visuals come together well. As a result, enduring the film does become a serious challenge.

Ultimately, it is difficult not to concede that an opportunity was missed to deliver a great documentary film about Bowie and his legacy. It may not have been, and most likely would not have been, the definitive documentary on the subject, but it is clear that Morgen had access to plenty of high-quality material that could have been used much, much better. As is, this film can best be described as a very commercial effort with an unmistakable and sadly quite offputting desire to be accepted as an impressive art project. It is quite strange, but this is not the special kind of strange that made Bowie a fascinating artist and icon.

Moonage Daydream 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of Moonage Daydream is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

The screencaptures in our review appear in the following order:

Screencaptures #1-22 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #25-31 are from 4K Blu-ray.

I viewed the entire film in 4K and then sampled numerous areas from the 1080p presentation. The 4K Blu-ray does not provide an option to view the film with HDR or Dolby Vision, but this is understandable given the nature of some of the content that was used in the film and how the 4K master was finalized.

The film frequently looks quite incredible, though I think that a lot of the editing choices are quite strange. Obviously, because some of the footage comes from dated, low-quality sources there are numerous fluctuations in terms of delineation, clarity, and depth. You will be able to tell where the sources are switched by the drops or spikes in density levels and occasionally some inherited imperfections. Colors can be strikingly rich and often overwhelming, possibly even distracting. There are some anomalies that emerge during extracts from standard definition or aged sourced, but they are inherited. What are the discrepancies in quality between the native 4K and 1080p presentations? In 4K, the healthiest footage does benefit from the superior resolution. However, there is so much content overlapping of excellent content and rougher/aged content that a lot of the discrepancies in quality become very difficult to compare. For this reason, I think that the film looks every bit as striking in 1080p.

Moonage Daydream 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English Dolby Atmos and English LPCM 2.0 (Stereo). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed some sections of the film with the Dolby Atmos track and some sections of it with the LPCM 2.0 track. On both tracks, the concert footage usually sounds terrific. However, there is a lot of diverse content where occasionally the spikes in dynamic activity can be quite dramatic. I did not see the film at my local theater and do not know if this is how its soundtrack was finalized, but I assume that it is how it was done. My impression is that on the Dolby Atmos track there is some footage whose dynamic field is noticeably widened, but I like the LPCM 2.0 track a lot, too. To be honest, I think that both tracks are suitable for the film.

Moonage Daydream 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by writer/director/producer/editor Brett Morgen in the spring of 2023. The majority of the information that is shared in the commentary addresses the conception and production of the film, the research work and the materials that were gathered, prepared, and edited. There are some good comments about David Bowie's creative universe as well.

• Trailer - an original U.S. trailer for Moonage Daydream from Neon. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by writer/director/producer/editor Brett Morgen in the spring of 2023. The majority of the information that is shared in the commentary addresses the conception and production of the film, the research work and the materials that were gathered, prepared, and edited. There are some good comments about David Bowie's creative universe as well.

• Trailer - an original U.S. trailer for Moonage Daydream from Neon. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Q&A at the TCL Chinese Theatre - presented here is a filmed conversation between Brett Morgen, filmmaker Mark Romanek, and longtime David Bowie pianist Mike Garson. Jack Black is in attendance as well. The majority of the comments address David Bowie's creativity and working methods. The conversation was held at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood in 2022. In English, not subtitled. (23 min).

• Moonage Soundscapes - in this program, Brett Morgen and recording mixers Davi Giammarco and Paul Massey discuss the construction of the soundscapes for Moonage Daydream. The program was produced in 2023. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• "Rock 'N' Roll with Me (Live)" - presented here is archival footage from a live performance of that was filmed in 1974. (5 min).

• Poster/Leaflet - a poster/leaflet featuring an essay by critic Jonathan Romney and technical credits.

Moonage Daydream 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Because of the internet, there will never be another artist as fascinatingly strange and influential as David Bowie. And yes, you are right, the same can be said about several other iconic musicians and actors, like Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and James Dean. In the internet era, the mystique that surrounded these big names cannot materialize and this means that the environment that is needed to nurture an icon is forever lost. In the present, only enormously gifted athletes, and in just a couple of sports, could become icons but over a long period of time. Brett Morgen's Moonage Daydream offers a most unusual glimpse into Bowie's strange world but I found it quite difficult to endure because of its intense ultra-modern visual style. If you enjoyed the film, you should consider picking up Criterion's upcoming 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack because it offers a very impressive presentation of it. RECOMMENDED to the fans.