In a way, the directors of Don’t Look Back In Anger have set themselves an impossible task.
The Oasis reunion shows of 2025 have created memories of a lifetime for hundreds of thousands of people. The incredible nights, or as some might say, biblical gigs, saw friends and loved ones grinning or crying tears of joy as they witnessed something they feared would never happen again.
With their film, creator Steven Knight and directors Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace are trying to bottle that up and recreate the greatest musical comeback ever seen in Britain on a flat screen. But then, this isn’t any old concert documentary.
It tells some of the story behind the Oasis tour and then it also allows you to relive some of those moments again. And just when you think it might be flagging a bit, they have a joint interview with Noel and Liam which is entertaining and also illustrates how their relationship has come full circle.
The tour rehearsal footage is dynamite, adding scenes of tension and comedy. As the band wait for Liam to arrive, Noel paces nervously and technicians look edgy.
Liam is then portrayed as some kind of gun slinging cowboy pushing open the saloon doors as he strides in. No sooner is he inside than the band are off and Liam is belting out the hits and attacking the microphone as if his life depends on it.
And then, almost as quickly as he stormed in, he picks up his black Adidas bag and leaves again, with the rest of the band almost in a stunned silence at this whirlwind they are working with.
Noel must have had doubts at this point about if the tour would go smoothly, but he admits despite some last minute drama he was wowed by Liam’s performance in Cardiff.
And for the majority of fans who weren’t at the Principality Stadium on July 4, 2025, the footage and sound used gives you a real taste of what that moment felt like when the Gallaghers walked back on stage holding hands – a moment that even took Noel by surprise.
It is an iconic moment, and they capture it brilliantly, leaving me close to tears as I recalled one of the greatest nights of my own life.
Lots of captivating footage is then given over to different gigs around the world and the filmmakers have found fans with poignant and interesting stories about why they love Oasis and are going to see the shows.
There’s also time for a touching tribute to their friend Mani from the Stone Roses and a section about Don’t Look Back In Anger taking on extra meaning after the 2017 Manchester bombing.
But the documentary really excited me again when it revealed Noel and Liam sat next to each other for a joint interview, the first time in two decades. It can’t compete with some of their old chats with Steve Lamacq on Radio 1 after an afternoon of cigarettes and alcohol, but Liam and Noel are older and wiser now.
However there are still some great lines and fun to be had. Liam jokes about his two hip operations and is glad he stays still rather than running around like Mick Jagger on stage.
Noel admits he would look stupid with a tambourine on his head but his brother makes it look the best thing ever. And then at the end there is the forgiveness and signs of a new chapter for the Gallagher brothers.
“The music brought us back together,” Liam says. Noel agrees things are “fixed” and admits for the first time in their lives they regularly text each other. The bond even goes way beyond them as their kids are now all great mates and enjoyed getting hammered at the Oasis gigs.
The Gallaghers are not looking back, but forwards, and the anger between them has gone. Rather than betray the Oasis memories I made or compete with them, I tried to let the songs wash over me as much as I could. The film allowed my mind to flash back to last summer, and hopefully it will for other fans too.
It is definitely worth going to the cinema to watch it too for the sound quality, as streaming it at home is unlikely to be the same.
As Oasis fans, all our dreams were made in the Summer of 2025, and this documentary is filled with reminders of that. It ensures those wonderful memories live forever on screen.
It’s also the perfect appetiser for when tickets go on sale shortly to do it all again in 2027.
* Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger opens in IMAX and UK Cinema on September 9.