"Oasis: Supersonic" (2016 release from the UK; 122 min.) is a documentary about the early years of Britain's biggest band of the 90s. As the movie opens, the voice-over mentions that the band went in less than 3 years from signing to a label to headlining Knebworth 1996 in front of 250,000 fans, and the footage shows us the mega-madness that event was. We then go back in time, to the childhood of Noel and Liam (5 years younger) and oldest brother Paul, and how Noel and Liam end up in music. At this point we're 10 min. into the movie.
Couple of comments: this documentary is directed by Mat Whitecross, a Brit who's directed other music-related documentaries. More tellingly, the movie is executive produced by Asif Kagadu, who last year directed the brilliant and Oscar-winning Amy Winehouse documentary "Amy". This documentary made a number of very smart choices, including: (1) it focuses ONLY on the early years (nothing beyond 1996 is covered or mentioned), and the bulk of the film is about 1994-95, when the band reached it critical and commercial peak with the first 2 albums and the many related singles and B-sides from that era; (2) the sibling rivalry between Noel and Liam is not neglected but neither is it overplayed. I loved Noel's observation "I am like a cat, while Noel's like a dog. I am independent, while he craves attention and begs 'play with me! throw me the ball!", ha! (3) the documentary contains some amazing footage, including of Oasis' very first gig (8/18/91, when Noel hadn't even joined yet) and the infamous gig in Glasgow (5/31/93) where they were spotted by Creation Records co-owner Alan McGee, who promptly signed them. (And Noel comments about that gig: "There were 7 people there, and he (McGee) was 2 of them. So yea, we were an overnight sensation, 2 1/2 years in the making." The rest, as they say, is history. There are a lot of funny moments sprinkled throughout the film as well, which really keeps the overall mood quite light, and that is a good thing. Bottom line: if you are a fan of Oasis, as I was from the beginning, you absolutely do not want to miss this.
I saw "Oasis: Supersonic" at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati last night, when the movie was shown in theaters across the country for a one-night-only showing. The theater here was PACKED, somewhat to my surprise. I guess there is a pent-up demand (nostalgia?) for the good ol' days of the 90s Britpop. Much of the crowd roared with delight at the funny bits, and seemed completely into the movie (as was I). "Oasis: Supersonic" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
