Elon Musk Documentary Trailer Goes All In on the Billionaire’s Biggest Contradictions

Elon Musk has become one of the most talked-about and controversial people in the world, so it was only a matter of time before a major documentary tried to capture the full story behind the billionaire. Now, that documentary is finally getting ready for its big debut. Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney has directed a new film simply titled Musk, and its first teaser makes one thing very clear: this is not going to be a simple celebration of Musk, but it also does not look like a straightforward attack on him. Instead, the trailer puts wildly different opinions about the billionaire next to each other and lets the audience decide what to make of them.

The teaser itself is only 48 seconds long, but it packs a lot into that short runtime. It combines images of rockets and spacecraft with voices describing Musk in completely opposite ways.

Some people in the trailer sound almost amazed by him, while others describe him as dangerous and deeply troubling. That contrast appears to be one of the main ideas behind Gibney’s documentary, which is expected to spend a huge amount of time examining Musk’s career, personality, influence, and public image.

The trailer starts by presenting Musk as an extraordinary inventor and businessman. One voice calls him “possibly the greatest living inventor,” while another compares him to “the real-life Iron Man.” Someone else describes him as “one of the greatest builders of all time.” These comments immediately create an image of Musk as a larger-than-life figure whose achievements have changed multiple industries. His work with SpaceX, Tesla, and other companies has certainly made him one of the most influential business figures of the modern era, and the documentary clearly wants to acknowledge that side of his story.

However, the mood changes quickly. The same teaser then introduces a much darker view of Musk. One description calls him “chaotic, random, capricious, manifestly cruel and selfish,” while another person goes even further by simply saying, “He’s a fascist.” The trailer does not spend time explaining which voice is correct. Instead, it puts these statements directly against each other, showing just how divided people have become over Musk. For some, he represents innovation and ambition. For others, he represents the dangers that can come with giving one individual enormous wealth, influence, and power.

The final moment of the teaser makes that contrast even stronger. As a spacecraft crashes into the ground and bursts into flames, a voice says, “Elon is a nuke.” It is an intentionally dramatic ending, and it gives viewers a clear idea of the kind of documentary Gibney appears to be making. The film is not interested in giving audiences an easy answer about Musk. It wants to show why the same person can be viewed as a genius by one group and a threat by another.

That approach makes sense considering Gibney’s previous work. The filmmaker has built a reputation for documentaries that investigate powerful people, organizations, and controversial subjects. His earlier films have examined Scientology, Enron, and the Catholic Church, among other major topics. Musk is another figure whose influence reaches far beyond one particular industry. His companies have changed transportation, space exploration, technology, and social media, while his involvement in politics has made him an even more controversial public figure.

The documentary is also a massive project. Musk is expected to run for nearly four hours, making it one of the most extensive documentaries about a living public figure in recent years. It will first premiere out of competition at the Venice International Film Festival before moving on to the Toronto International Film Festival. Bleecker Street has also acquired the movie for a theatrical release in the United States, giving the film a chance to reach a much wider audience after its festival debut.

Adding even more attention to the project is an original song by David Byrne, the frontman of Talking Heads. The song is titled “Let Me Sell You a Dream,” which feels particularly fitting for a documentary about a man whose career has involved selling huge ideas about the future. Rockets landing on Earth, electric cars becoming mainstream, and ambitious plans for new technology have all been part of Musk’s public image, and the song title adds another interesting layer to that story.

Musk has known about Gibney’s documentary for years. The filmmaker confirmed that he was working on the project in 2023, and Musk responded by predicting that the movie would simply become a “hit piece.” Gibney pushed back against that accusation publicly. That disagreement gives the documentary another important layer because Musk is not just the subject of the film. He is also someone who has already made his feelings about the project known.

The teaser suggests that Gibney is not interested in making Musk look completely heroic or completely villainous. Instead, the documentary appears ready to examine the contradictions surrounding him. That could make the finished film much more interesting than a basic biography. Musk’s supporters and critics already have strong opinions about him, but the documentary seems designed to explore how both sides arrived at those opinions.

With its long runtime, major festival premieres, and already controversial subject, Musk is shaping up to be one of the biggest documentary releases of the year. The teaser does not tell viewers exactly what conclusion they should reach about Elon Musk. It simply presents the wildly different ways people see him and leaves the audience to wrestle with the contradictions. After nearly four hours of Gibney’s examination, viewers may leave convinced that Musk is a visionary, a dangerous force, a complicated mixture of both, or something else entirely.

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