In January 1969 a film crew followed the Beatles as they tried to write and rehearse a new album in a few weeks, ending on a London rooftop. Half a century later Peter Jackson went back to that footage, restored it and cut it into The Beatles: Get Back, a three-part documentary that landed on Disney+ over Thanksgiving weekend 2021 and runs close to eight hours. Critics mostly loved it, though nearly all of them had something to say about the clock.
What critics loved
The big takeaway was how close it gets you. Chris DeVille at Stereogum called it arguably the most intimate look at the band there has ever been, and Steve Pond at TheWrap said it is thrilling to be in the room as songs take shape. Both found the sessions warmer and funnier than the band's breakup legend suggests, with Stereogum pointing to John Lennon's clowning and the lift that arrives with Billy Preston.
British critics were especially generous. The Independent gave it five stars and called it "a seven-hour masterpiece", while The Times described a "deeply moving flashback epic". Empire saw a celebration of music, creativity and friendship, and praised the care Jackson put into restoring the old film. Variety said that the longer you watch, the more it becomes addictive, and The Hollywood Reporter felt the series builds a real cumulative power.
Where critics split
Length was the one complaint almost everyone shared. The Telegraph gave it four stars but called it "too long and winding", Empire used the same joke, and The Hollywood Reporter thought three long episodes might be too much for anyone but completists. TheWrap's Pond called it "exhaustive and it's exhausting", found the first episode scattershot for casual viewers and felt Jackson had trouble leaving anything out.
The sharpest dissent came from The Guardian, which gave three stars and called it "so aimless it threatens your sanity", with good moments lost in hours of idle chatter. Stereogum also noted that, for all the joy, it still lands on familiar breakup storylines.
The consensus
QC sits high because critics agreed the restoration is gorgeous and the access is unlike anything fans have seen before. Fun lands lower because so many reviewers, even admiring ones, warned that the series meanders and asks a lot of anyone who isn't already a devoted Beatles fan. Those who are devoted were promised a treasure.
Sources
- Smooth Radio: The Beatles: Get Back review round-up (The Guardian, The Independent, The Times, The Telegraph, Empire, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety)
- Stereogum: The Beatles: Get Back review (Chris DeVille)
- TheWrap: Peter Jackson's 3-part doc is great, and there's too much of it (Steve Pond)