Critic Reviews

• Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

  Freed of the unflattering contemporary distractions offered by This Is Spinal Tap, Pennebaker's Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars captures Bowie at perhaps his purest, punkiest rock 'n' roll peak.

• Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

  The concert remains more of an historical curiosity than a must-see rock film.

• Gary Dowell, Dallas Morning News

  A colorful snapshot of an early chapter in the story of an accomplished performer.

• Jonathan Perry, Boston Globe

  Pennebaker doesn't break any ground here, in what is essentially a linear concert film. But he doesn't need to. Bowie's brilliant -- and, by today's stadium-size standards, intimate -- performance does that for him.

• Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

  An excellent example of its genre, with Pennebaker capturing the excitement of what was a very special, emotion-charged occasion.

• Richard Harrington, Washington Post

  Looks like a bootleg concert video made by a gifted fan.

• Bryan Reesman, Citysearch

  While "Ziggy" is obviously more of interest to hardcore Bowie fans than anyone else (some critics have trashed it for that reason), it should be required viewing for rockers-in-training who really want to learn about good showmanship.

• Shawn Levy, Oregonian

  Certainly of interest, if only for its vintage. But the film is drab and slight.

• John Patterson, L.A. Weekly

  Somehow poor pacing and this lack of visual variety manage to make a great show seem boring -- which is, I suppose, an achievement of sorts.

• Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews

  Even the non-Bowie fans...will be entertained with this finale perf as the alien-like Ziggy [Stardust].

• Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews

  what truly awes in the realization of Bowie's completely mature command of both his voice and the stage so early in his career

• Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

  Despite the silly costumes, poor stage presence and the rest of it, the songs have not aged.

• Pam Grady, Reel.com

  The sound is muddy and so is the picture, but, nevertheless, Bowie and company glitter -- occasionally like fool's gold, but more often like diamonds.

• Rob Blackwelder, SPLICEDWire

  A mediocre and muddy 'digitally remastered' print. Bowie does little more...than absent-mindedly pace the stage song after song.

• Gregory Weinkauf, New Times

  The best available film of one of this master showman's several creative peaks -- a peep-show into the past.

• Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide

  As a document of the ever-mutable musician's signature persona, a wraithlike androgyne with a head full of apocalyptic dreams, it's fascinating.

• Brandon Judell, PopcornQ

  It, however, wasn't until years later when his former wife Angie wrote her memoirs did we learn that she once found Bowie in bed with Mick Jagger.

• Phil Freeman, culturevulture.net

  It's just a really good rock concert. In 1973, that was enough.

Read all 18 critic reviews