At this point, there is no one without an opinion in regards to Elon Musk. There are people who blindly love the man, whether because they worship technology, a political point of view, or some even less savory reasons. At the same time, there are people who despise him, for many of the opposite reasons. Does anyone really understand him, though? For Alex Gibney, figuring out how this particular person holds so much power and sway in America, and the world, is the reason behind making Musk. Having seen all four hours of the documentary, I have more of an understanding about what seems to make him tick, while being even more convinced that he could very well be responsible for our doom.
Musk is an essential doc, to be sure, though it will be a hard sit for some. It’s questionable whether anyone should spend four hours watching a movie that can enrage them, but with humanity at stake, I think it’s necessary. Gibney does too, taking all the time he needs to make his case to the world. Is it arguably too long? Yes. Is it still essential non-fiction cinema? You better believe it.
The documentary looks at Elon Musk’s professional life and history, tracing his beginnings all the way to DOGE and today. At the start, there was a fascination with Musk from all corners, as he was this oddball genius with big plans to evolve and save the world through technology. Slowly but surely, we see how the promise of something like Tesla, which he even wormed his way into, gave way to cutting corners and hiding facts, resulting in literal deaths. From there, it’s on to SpaceX, which is deeply entwined in our own government, and now Twitter/X, which he bought after fully turning into a red-pilled crackpot. Prior to the intermission, he comes off as an especially weird billionaire, though not one too far removed from the others who put dollars above human life. After the intermission, however, he hooks up with Donald Trump, and it’s off to the lunatic races.
The way Gibney works around Elon Musk not participating in the film is to craft a Musk avatar. Using all of his recorded dialogue on a myriad range of topics, he creates a digital version of Musk that can address the audience/camera. It’s very unsettling at first, and it never fully comes together as intended, but it does give a voice to not just some of Musk’s bizarre thoughts, but also the various things he saw fit to say while being recorded over the years.
Alex Gibney is one of our foremost documentarians, so it always felt weird to see him tackle Elon Musk, but the results speak for themselves. I loved Totally Under Control (reviewed here) and thought he tapped into the enraging part of losing so many to COVID, thought here he has even more doomsday to handle, so there’s a bit less emotion to be found. Still, it’s impeccably researched and paced surprisingly well. 235 minutes will never fly by, but the forward momentum here is notable. Gibney presents fact after fact that will infuriate you, but never once do you wish it’s something you didn’t know.
Musk is one of the feel bad films of 2026, but folks, we can’t just stick our heads in the sand. Watching this movie, it’s baffling to consider how some worship Elon Musk as some highly evolved god. The person I saw studied here is deeply damaged, needy, and represents some of the worst that humanity has to offer. Luckily, the Alex Gibneys of the world represent a counterpoint, at leas while they’re still able to be one.
SCORE: ★★★1/2
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