Musk, 2026.
Directed by Alex Gibney.
Featuring Elon Musk, Justine Musk, Ashley St. Clair, Errol Musk, Kara Swisher, Martin Eberhard, Zoë Schiffer, and Geoffrey Hinton.
SYNOPSIS:
A thorough and unvarnished analysis of Elon Musk, a technology billionaire who serves as the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter.
Told utilizing a first-person RPG video game framework, a creative choice that simultaneously feels brilliant yet also cringe and in the hands of a filmmaker who doesn’t quite fully understand that entertainment medium, revered documentarian Alex Gibney (alongside co-writer Michael J. Palmer) exhaustively (and complimentary) covers the meteoric tech-bro rise of Elon Musk into something resembling a psychotic break during the pandemic, where even those who saw well-intentioned qualities in him watched his worldview flip and fracture friendships.
Of course, this is when Elon decided to purchase Twitter, technically now called X, even though it is akin to the situation with the Sears Tower in that no one actually calls it by its correct branding (perhaps a justifiable societal revenge on him frequently dead-naming his daughter and asserting that his child was killed by what he refers to as the “woke mind virus”), and got in political beds with Donald Trump (and, based on mentions in the files, presumably wanted to get in other beds on a certain island).
This gargantuan four-hour documentary leaves no stone unturned (with an intermission around the 105-minute mark), which one might understandably question if it drags or feels that long. The short answer is that a four-hour movie will always feel somewhat lengthy. However, what’s impressive and keeps the film engagingly moving along is how concisely and efficiently each chapter is tackled (whether it be the early days at PayPal, launching rockets, Tesla, Starlink, his South American origins, determination for multi-planetary human existence, his AI startup including other features such as GROK, DOGE, and on and on), continuously building on the observations of how all of his promises regarding technological advancements are deceitful, primarily intended to skirt around other legalities while securing more government funding. It also takes humorous elements from each of these (who doesn’t remember sighing and laughing that someone in DOGE was a young adult going by the moniker “Big Balls” and lays out the horrifying context.
While Elon was never going to take part in the documentary (Alex Gibney has receipts of the billionaire claiming it will be a hit job, despite some of his own followers remarking on his excellent work), there is another framing device taking various written statements and tweets or spoken phrases, compiling them into interviews using what is supposedly CGI, although the ending credits do mention that some visuals were created using AI (that could refer to other compiled footage, including GROK), there are also compelling interviews from former wives and platonic partners regarding his incredibly creepy mass sperm donation (insisting that women should have more kids and that the world needs more procreation), seemingly to create his own “genetically superior” legion, parading around Little X as his favorite. Unsurprisingly, he seems to have burned almost every bridge with every woman who ever came into his life.
Circling back to Elon’s fears about what this documentary would be, it’s refreshingly far from a scathing hit job. Instead, it’s documentary in its purest form, cobbling together extensive footage of Elon digging his own grave deeper and deeper, with talking-head interviews from those once in his inner circle detailing the methods and intent behind his exploits. It’s an infuriating documentary to watch, especially as it reaches its crescendo in expressing just how much power this one man now has without even being president, but never forces it or takes a particular side.
Musk, as a film, bluntly presents the harrowing truth of a terrifying uprise, a skyrocket that could never compare to one of his own faulty rockets. It’s a riveting four-hour doomscroll of a movie that doesn’t necessarily expose anything new, but should be sought out by those who need the thorough insight and education.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
