An excellent example of its genre, with Pennebaker capturing the excitement of what was a very special, emotion-charged occasion.

It is Bowie's alter ego as the androgynous Martian rock star that remains, 30 years later, his most enduring artistic achievement.

A rare window into the apparatus and limitations of glam-rock.

Musically, it's a mixed bag -- The concert remains more of an historical curiosity than a must-see rock film.

Being released at the same time that Bowie's latest album "Heathen" is being unveiled. Bowie fans who need a reason to celebrate the trajectory of the artist's career can make use of this cinematic Alpha and CD Omega.

For the first time in 30 years, Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars appear on the movie screen as Pennebaker intended. It's almost worth the wait.

Passingly engaging. But you emerge from the film knowing as much -- or, indeed, as little -- as when you went in, and that's not exactly what documentary filmmaking is all about.

As a document of the ever-mutable musician's signature persona, a wraithlike androgyne with a head full of apocalyptic dreams, it's fascinating.

It is billed as a "restored version," though the sound is still fuzzy and the image only occasionally rises to the level of murk.

Somehow poor pacing and this lack of visual variety manage to make a great show seem boring.