THE STORY – A thorough and unvarnished analysis of Elon Musk, a technology billionaire who serves as the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter.
THE CAST – Elon Musk, Justine Musk, Ashley St. Clair, Kara Swisher, Martin Eberhard, Zoë Schiffer & Geoffrey Hinton
THE TEAM – Alex Gibney (Director/Writer) & Michael J. Palmer (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 232 Minutes
It’s reasonable to assume that the most notable global figures will have their lives heavily documented. In some regards, there’s a natural curiosity to explore their biography and learn more about that personal history. Sometimes the necessity goes beyond that. On those occasions, the interest serves a broader good: to inform the public about just how far the reach of a single individual has extended. Few people have ascended to the heights of such a podium quite like Elon Musk. He’s been a ubiquitous figure for some time, and his stamp on not just American infrastructure but that of the world has been substantial. It makes sense why Alex Gibney, a man obsessed with analyzing significant events in modern culture, would be drawn to figuring out this man’s psyche. That is what he sets out to do with “Musk,” another compelling effort that also tries to carve out a new perspective on a familiar topic of conversation.
It’s hard to find somebody not familiar with Elon Musk in some capacity, and the film tracks the points of familiarity the public may have with this notorious figure. There’s the businessman from the early internet days who made a good fortune from internet dealings. There are his ventures with SpaceX, a company whose mission was to use the private sector to help stimulate a struggling space program and push that innovation further. Of course, there is also Tesla and the great push to get electric vehicles mainstream attention. It was a foundation that made him a respected and well-regarded engineer. However, even those ventures were clouded with half-truths and controversies that plagued his companies. It wasn’t long before his attitudes shifted further once amassing wealth became secondary to holding influence over the world’s most powerful people. Musk’s goal of pushing humanity towards his own destructive vision is shown in a terrifying light, all while exposing the true monster that has always lurked within.
Gibney has always been a filmmaker who can take on hot-button topics and make them engaging. He brings a flair to his projects that infuses his documentaries with kinetic energy, and you can feel the same here. As the story traces Musk’s rise to his involvement in the White House antics, it builds a captivating throughline that tracks his evolution. The quick cutting and fast pace keep the momentum up, and the use of clips from popular films helps sell the storytelling (a discussion of space travel briefly cutting away to “Moonraker” induces a smile). The vast array of interview subjects also offers unique insights into this erratic psychology. A portrait is constructed of a massive egotist who never takes responsibility and obscures any line of fault that could come back to him. Still, it is interesting to see the early days when progressive voices championed his commitment to space exploration before his ideology turned so toxic.
However, Gibney eventually runs into an issue that would be sure to come up for someone who has dominated headlines for so many years. Much of Elon’s life has been extensively covered, and the press has well covered his recent meddling in the United States government in real time. These aren’t actions from decades ago that require further context. It’s very recent history, and such detailed, extensive analysis helps shed light on the situation. But the information isn’t particularly revealing or novel. There are opportunities to explore new territory. The creation of DOGE, which sought to cut government funding for numerous social services, is a cruel act indeed that many press outlets have thoroughly covered. His dealings in other governments’ politics, like the far-right rallying cries championed in Germany and the United Kingdom, were also harmful for those national environments but are hardly explored. Despite the sprawling runtime, the focus would have been better suited to investigating less scrutinized activities rather than events many are already fully aware of.
That isn’t to say nothing that Gibney analyzes is completely unworthy of the showcase. Some of the most damaging aspects of Musk’s career involve the Autopilot system Tesla implemented. It’s part of his biography that already has nefarious elements at play, particularly his disputed status as the company’s founder, but the multitude of fatal accidents that occurred because of misleading advertisements and suspected criminality make for a fascinating exposé. It’s one of many damning facets to his background, and this one gets a proper amount of dissection. Less so for his philosophy about fathering as many children as possible, an ethos which he has also discussed on many occasions. The perspective we get from his romantic partners also doesn’t fully explore their own conflicted moralities, like Ashley St. Clair’s fraught relationship with him as a father, which went largely undisturbed as she continued working in MAGA media.
Perhaps the most confusing oddity that has been included in the piece is Gibney’s decision to utilize an AI generated version of Musk who occasionally is directed to provide his own commentary. It stems from a failed attempt to secure him to participate in the film, but the execution is bizarre. The image of Musk never looks great; the proportions look immediately off, and whatever supposed insight it is meant to convey is just a combination of previously recorded quotes that are already known. Also, to align with his fascination with video games, animated segments are shown that are meant to represent either his psychological viewpoints of the world or his pernicious reign of terror when it came to cutting workforces. It’s an artistic flourish that’s too indulgent and distracting, not to mention softening the carnage seen in the types of games it’s emulating to a degree that further deems it unnecessary. Some might get a kick out of listening to the David Byrne song that plays, which undercuts the chaotic destruction with lyrics inspired by Musk’s real-life quotes, but it hardly justifies so many sequences.
Given its nearly four-hour runtime, it’s safe to say the “Musk” covers a lot of territory. It is a highly detailed account of his personal and professional history, and it does paint a terrifying picture of a man with far too much influence on the world. However, it’s hard to find much evidence here that feels completely undiscovered. His father is interviewed, but the insight given into his time growing up in South Africa is minimal. His meddling in other political movements also gets only lip service. There’s a dangerous implication of election interference that’s quickly brushed aside. The film seems to focus on what it wants to expose, and much of it is information anyone who has even paid slight attention has already heard. There just isn’t much to uncover here that is unfamiliar or new. As usual, Gibney crafts an engrossing watch, but this one struggles to stay consistently engaging in the areas it chooses to highlight.
