Is Elon Musk the most evil person in the world? Is he a visionary or a madman…an evil madman? Alex Gibney’s Musk leaves no doubt where it stands: he’s the evil madman. Musk wastes no time making its point. Right up front, it presents Elon Musk as an evil trillionaire and asks a pointed question: how did we, as a society, let this happen? Musk, the movie, indicts Elon Musk, the man, who refused to be part of it. When Gibney asks for an interview, Musk calls him a douche, knowing it will be a hit piece, and Gibney mocks the exchange within the first five minutes. So, with no Musk, Gibney goes with the next best thing: AI Musk, an uncanny, video-game-looking avatar that only says what the real Elon Musk has said in public.
From there, the doc traces Musk’s history, from South Africa to Zip2, PayPal, Tesla, SpaceX, and Starlink. His father, Errol Musk, and his first wife, Justine Musk, weigh in on Elon’s not-so-virtuous qualities as a son, husband, and father. The film points out that Musk didn’t actually found Tesla, despite what he wants people to believe. According to the actual founders, he invested in the company, dressed as an engineer, and took the title. There’s a section on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving, including the story of a person who died during one of the tests. Every time Musk buys a company and takes it over, Gibney cuts to a video-game recreation of him zapping employees out of existence.
Then comes a 10-minute intermission, countdown clock and all, because this movie runs way too long. The second half opens with Musk buying Twitter, but first, two women give a tour of the old headquarters, complete with a closet full of “Stay Woke” shirts, an adult play area where employees did cartwheels, and a restaurant with more people working than eating. From there, Musk turns X into his own megaphone, teams up with Donald Trump, and, as head of DOGE, takes a chainsaw to USAID. Protesters start destroying Teslas in the streets, and Ashley St. Clair, the mother of Musk’s 13th child, turns down a reported $40 million NDA to tell her side.
Elon Musk raises both arms in front of an American flag at a Donald Trump campaign rally in Musk.
“Right up front, it presents Elon Musk as an evil trillionaire and asks a pointed question: how did we, as a society, let this happen?”
There’s one thing I hate about political documentaries, and it doesn’t matter if they come from the left or the right. They make presumptions. Alex Gibney’s Musk assumes the people watching already know Donald Trump is the evil orange man, that Republicans are at his beck and call, and that Elon Musk is one of those people. Then, for the next four hours, we find out that everything Elon Musk has done is bad and done for evil reasons. Watch the whole thing, and you’ll conclude that Elon Musk can do no right.
Let me explain. Remember that section on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving? A person died during one of the tests, so it can’t be trusted. It’s evil. I’m going to say more people died in drunk-driving accidents this past weekend than have ever been killed by a self-driving Tesla. The man has done more for the environment than any environmentalist, yet Teslas are evil, and we should be looking more at Fords. When Musk bought Twitter, that’s when all the Nazis came back. When he took over DOGE and USAID went away, millions of people died. I’m pretty sure they’re stacking the bodies now. It’s one hit piece after another, told from one point of view, using only the clips and evidence that prove he is the most evil person in the world. This is not how you make a political documentary. This is how you make propaganda.
Look, Elon Musk is not a saint. He has issues, and the number of children and wives he’s had raises real moral questions. I know defending the man makes it look like I’m just worshiping Elon Musk. I’m not. I recognize he’s imperfect, and I also recognize the good things he’s done for humanity, but he’s not the devil incarnate this movie makes him out to be. All I’m asking for is a little critical thinking, and this documentary has none. It just assumes you agree and tells you how to think. If you believe Trump and the Republicans are evil people, you will really enjoy this documentary, and I’m not kidding. Everyone else will see it for what it is: a 100% hit piece made for the midterms. Take my advice and skip it.
"…When Gibney asks for an interview, Musk calls him a douche…"
