with insights by the band’s former members and friends, this film takes its job seriously; This is a great documentary about people who are serious about music and serious also about art, and what it means to live as an artist
Todd Haynes' music documentary is a dazzling historical collage; It turns the VU's story into a bohemian kaleidoscope, probing their mystique more than their music; it's a fascinating study in how necessity becomes the mother of invention
Todd Haynes' cinematic valentine to underground rock’s most influential band; The Velvet Underground is exactly the movie the Velvet Underground deserves
Todd Haynes refreshingly crafts this movie as its own work of art, inspired by the title band's unique creative vision; "The Velvet Underground" is both an appreciation of a great band and an explanation of why they were great
over the years, the Velvets' slim but potent catalog has been elevated into the pantheon of classic rock, but only now Todd Haynes has appropriately enshrined their deeds in a rock documentary as dark, dizzying and decadent as the band itself
Haynes's docu paints a jagged, revelatory portrait of the New York avant-garde scene of the 1960s; As a documentary, it's wonderfully informative. It's also a jagged and powerful work of art in its own right, one that turns archaeology into prophecy
a brilliantly told story, which causes hearts to soar and break in equal measure. Haynes' evocation of the band and the time is vivid and loving. If you love music then you'll love this film
"The Velvet Underground" is hypnotic but clear-eyed, finding a different way to put a musical biography on film. And for all its radical formalism, it never forgets to be entertaining
by Joel Selvin [San Francisco Chronicle ]
