Style Over Substance, but Not Without Soul

Read Time:5 Minute, 34 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan & T. Rex
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Genre: Documentary, Music
Year Released: 2022, 2025
Runtime: 1h 39m
Director(s): Ethan Silverman
Where to Watch: in select theaters beginning August 5, 2025, and on digital September 5

RAVING REVIEW: A tribute with tenderness, ANGELHEADED HIPSTER captures the swagger, pulse, and mythos of Marc Bolan, yet leaves just enough out to make you wish for more. It's a film as much about the idea of legacy as it is about glam rock itself—how music is remembered, reimagined, and reinterpreted by those along for the ride. Ethan Silverman’s documentary navigates a delicate balance between reverence and reinvention, presenting a kaleidoscopic blend of archival footage and contemporary covers that feels like a glitter-dusted eulogy set to a relentless beat.

At its best, the film bursts with electricity—especially when the original performances cut through with Bolan’s signature flair. The archival material, from Top of the Pops to grainy home movies, does more than just illustrate a moment in time. It reminds you why Bolan mattered: his fearless androgyny, poetic lyricism, and infectious grooves pushed rock into glam territory before it had a name. These moments carry weight, particularly when juxtaposed against the pandemic-era studio footage of artists trying to channel this energy.

But this is where the film gets a little messy—in a way that’s both intentional and occasionally frustrating. The structure doesn’t follow a strict timeline. Instead, it's built more like a concept album, letting Bolan’s songs guide the tone. Some may find it freeing, while others may find it disorienting. For every transition that works, there’s one that feels abrupt or unfocused, especially when the film shifts from emotionally resonant archival clips to stylized, sometimes overproduced modern covers.

Hal Willner, the album producer and late musical icon who passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic, is the ghostly glue holding much of the project together. The film is, in many ways, as much about him as it is about Bolan. His influence is evident throughout, from the wildly diverse artist lineup to the musical arrangements that span genres and generations. And that cross-pollination works beautifully in theory.

When Nick Cave takes on “Cosmic Dancer” or Joan Jett infuses her edge into Bolan’s silky swagger, the connection feels authentic—one artist channeling another with purpose. But other renditions, even when performed by respected names, struggle to bring something new to the table. Some covers feel stripped of the very grit and chaos that defined T. Rex. It’s the paradox of tribute: in trying to honor a sound so unique, you sometimes dilute it.

Still, ANGELHEADED HIPSTER isn’t aiming to be the definitive word. It’s a curated reflection—stylized, heartfelt, and rooted in admiration. Director Ethan Silverman adopts a patchwork visual approach, utilizing vérité studio sessions, dreamy re-enactments, and retro sequences to evoke Bolan’s psychedelic persona. That mixed-media style doesn’t always land, but it does contribute to the overall feeling that the film exists somewhere between a concert and a hallucination.

Bolan’s story isn’t fully told here. We get glimpses of his early rise, his camaraderie with David Bowie, his rise to glam stardom, and his tragic death at 29—but always through the lens of the music, rarely through a personal or psychological deep-dive. There’s no heavy-handed narration spelling things out, which helps keep things fluid but may leave some viewers wanting more context. The film assumes you either know Bolan’s story or are content to discover it through fragments. While I fell into the group of people who knew of him, that was about as far as my education went; I wasn’t familiar with his past or much of his discography.

And yet, that decision to skip over certain aspects doesn’t feel careless. It’s part of the film’s broader ethos: let the music speak for itself. Let the performances—good, bad, or revelatory—stand as echoes of the man who wrote them. Not every song lands. Not every moment makes sense. But by the end, what sticks with you is the feeling that you’ve witnessed something intimate and oddly powerful—a collage of tributes wrapped in glam glitter and reverence.

For fans of Bolan and T. Rex, it may feel like a reunion with a friend—one you admire, but who isn’t quite captured in full. For newcomers, it’s a tempting first taste, albeit with some uneven seasoning. The passion behind it all is undeniable. Even when the covers falter or the pacing lags, you can feel the pulse of something bigger: a film born of grief, reverence, and the desire to pull a forgotten name out from under rock’s glittering rubble.

ANGELHEADED HIPSTER might not catapult Bolan to mainstream remembrance, but it plants the seed. Whether through a jaw-dropping archival clip or an unexpected modern performance, the film insists that Bolan’s legacy is worth fighting for. It doesn’t always hit the right note, but that's not necessary. It’s a celebration—a tribute. And like Bolan himself, it refuses to be categorized.

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