Elon Musk Documentary Gets Perfect Score After Film Festival Premiere, Trailer Shows Criticism of ‘Real-Life Iron Man’
A highly anticipated documentary about the world’s first trillionaire Elon Musk made its worldwide premiere at the Venice International Film Festival. Musk has called the film a "hit piece," but early reviews indicate the film from Academy Award winner Alex Gibney may be worth watching.
"Musk" Trailer and Reviews
Gibney’s film has been in the news a lot lately thanks to comments from Musk and from news that Talking Heads frontman David Byrne contributed an original song to the documentary that fits the rules to be nominated for an Academy Award.
New trailers for the film paint a critical picture of Musk and share some of the subject matter covered in the nearly four-hour film.
"He’s possibly the greatest living inventor. He is the real-life Iron Man. He is one of the greatest builders of all time," a voiceover in the trailer says, as reported by Variety.
The trailer also calls Musk chaotic, "cruel and selfish" and alleges he could be a "fascist" in the trailer.
The film made its debut at the Venice International Film Festival this week and the early reviews are in. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a perfect 100% Tomatometer score from 10 reviews.
Among the reviews include one from Deadline:
"Alex Gibney has made a lot of vital documentaries. This is his most important."
The Hollywood Reporter’s coverage of the film premiere and trailer highlights the quote that it’s "insane a person this chaotic has so much power."
What the Film Covers
Labeled as "the definitive story of the world’s richest man," the film tries to cover as much of Musk as it can in nearly four hours.
According to Deadline, the film covers Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) and its years of safety claims for self-driving and battery range. The film’s release comes at a time when Tesla has Cybercab robotaxis on the road, and the company or its investors may not like seeing past claims of accidents caused by self-driving brought back into the spotlight.
"Musk" also covers romantic relationships Musk has had over the years, including an interview with Ashley St. Clair, who had a child with Musk in 2024. St. Clair turned down a financial settlement that would’ve required an NDA and speaks freely in the film. Among her commentary is talking about how Musk seemed so confident in President Donald Trump winning the 2024 election.
Trump’s role in the Department of Government Efficiency is also covered in the film, with criticism of his cuts at USAID. The film claims that Musk’s real goal of getting a White House-level position was to access data on Americans to help further his AI goals and ambitions.
What’s Next for "Musk" Film?
Following the film’s premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, "Musk" is set for a showing at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 14.
Bleecker Street is helping bring the film to movie theaters with an expected wide release date of Oct. 16.
The film will also hit HBO in 2027 with an unannounced date, but that release could end up becoming a hot topic. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD), HBO could change hands in ownership if the Paramount Skydance (NASDAQ:PSKY) deal goes through before the film premieres on the cable channel.
Paramount Skydance is backed by Larry and David Ellison, the father-and-son duo who are friends with both Musk and Trump. It’s possible they would try to put a stop to the film making its way onto HBO.
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