Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars review – Bowie concert re-release is an extraordinary time at the movies

The concert movie of David Bowie’s very last gig as Ziggy Stardust has been gifted a suitably flashy and glamorous re-release on the occasion of the concert itself’s 50th anniversary, this revival of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars landing with quite the glitzy bang. Introduced (live from the venue formerly known as the Hammersmith Odeon) by Bowie’s bandmates and some of his famous fans and given an extended runtime to allow for the reintroduction of Jeff Beck’s bits, it feels like a real event in a way that very, very few re-releases ever do.

With a fresh coat of remastered paint, the late D.A. Pennebaker’s footage is still fantastic, from the intimate dressing room chats to the most iconic tracks – it’s especially impressive that none of this feels cinematically redundant in the rather recent wake of Moonage Daydream. Of course, the music itself remains phenomenal, and Pennebaker is almost as religiously reverent of it as the totally rapt audience that he occasionally cuts to.

His camera worships Bowie and his band, capturing the performance in both a physical and spiritual fullness; sexy, cheeky, slightly mournful, and crackling with an electric energy. Not every moment is as exciting on screen as it must have been live (Mick Ronson’s massive guitar solo really does drone on), but seeing this in the cinema with an audience will be an absolute must for any Bowie fan.

As is now legendary, the most extraordinary moment is saved for last as Bowie makes the surprise announcement of the end of the Ziggy era and a crowd, who had previously barely been able to keep their clothes on, let loose a wail of grieving shock. As the gig closes out on a soul-shaking rendition of “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide,” suddenly the line between human and rock god is blurred – a piece of musical history that hits almost as hard now as it did half a century ago. It’s the perfect tribute to a perfect performer.

Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is re-released in UK cinemas on 3 July.