Long Strange Trip: The Untold Story of the Grateful Dead (Blu-ray) R

[I]t has the sprawl and generosity of a good Dead show, yet there’s nothing indulgent about it == it’s an ardent piece of documentary classicism.

4 stars out of 4 -- LONG STRANGE TRIP remains an exhilarating and inspiring movie. For a not inconsiderable period, Garcia, Weir, Hart, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and various fellow travelers saw the possibilities that their talents and the times offered them, and made hay of them.

[A] strong piece of documentary filmmaking and not mere fan service....[Bar-Lev] follows a narrative model mastered by Ken Burns, where seemingly minor tidbits from history serve as a way into something larger. -- Grade: A-

[T]his richly-textured film brings the band’s story into living, acid-bright colour.

A bountiful trove of archival images and rare footage sketches their communal life offstage and the counterculture in which they played so formative a part. Crew members, family and fans share memories and lore.