The Beatles: Get Back Review

Some things in life are certain. Death. Taxes. Peter Jackson never creating anything under two and a half hours.

With The Beatles Get Back, Jackson not only lives up to this reputation but leans into it by delivering 3 epic segments offering nearly 8 hours of footage featuring how the iconic band crafted their last public appearance. While it’s easy for fans to gravitate towards any new material surrounding the Fab Four, the real test is with average viewers and casual fans, this reviewer included. It is safe to say that even to the most casual fan, there is something truly special with Get Back as it offers such an intimate look into The Beatles’ personalities, songwriting process, and creativity when faced with immense pressure.

Get Back focuses on The Beatles attempt to write and perform all-new songs for a potential live recording with an accompanying tv show or documentary film to follow. Similar to The Beatles, each of the individual episodes of the docuseries have their own personality, with the first centering around the band coming together and settling back into certain dynamics that lead to as much genius creation as tension. The second focuses on the details of the songs snapping into focus while the band deals with looming issues. And the finale contains the anticipated performance as the band enters into a hyper-focused mode in order to complete their project. The docuseries lays a subtle foundation of certain struggles from a group that is on edge and has been left rudderless by the death of their manager and father-figure, Brian Epstein, who kept the members motivated and focused.

This point is not lost on The Beatles’ as they battle their insecurities, public perception, and fear of musical obscurity which is both interesting to digest as a fan but even more fascinating as the group refuses to give in to the pressure of the moment. It is through this pressure that new material and ideas emerge allowing the members to fall back into familiar roles in the name of art. Through this lens, the docuseries is its most electric as the viewer is granted access to simply exist in the same space as McCartney tinkers on the piano forming the structure to “Let It Be”, Lennon helps shape the lyrics to “Get Back” when he sees Paul struggling to find the right landing, or Harrison revealing his new music to the group after being inspired by ballroom dancing on television. During these moments, there are little subtleties from each band member that speaks louder than any dialogue and that is where the true beauty of Get Back shines. One of the most notable examples of this is the first time Harrison and Lennon hear McCartney playing “Let It Be” on the piano as they clearly hear the genius of what is to result from it.

Of the near 8 hours of footage shown, there are many times where the band is shown just playing random songs or making jokes in between sessions but the intention to leave these moments into the docuseries instead of simply focusing on the creation of the music is imperative as it allows viewers to experience who The Beatles were as people, their chemistry with each other, what motivated them to succeed, and their desires beyond the band.

Get Back achieves something truly fantastic through its examination of The Beatles’ final public performance. It captures the larger moments that fans will appreciate as they see the formation of iconic songs, the drama between band members, and the finale performance on the rooftop of their recording studio. However, while as iconic as these moments might be, the true heart of The Beatles Get Back can be found in between these milestones through the more subtle instances that are produced when the camera is forgotten to be rolling and we see honesty and openness emerge.

The Beatles Get Back is a must-watch for any level of Beatles fan, delivering an incredibly unprecedented look into an iconic band as they create art in real-time and is easily one of the best glimpses of them put on film.

still courtesy of Disney

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