'Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition' Review: Headbanging Worthy Rock Music Documentary
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Jack Ransom - May 12, 2026
"Oh well, wherever, wherever you are, Iron Maiden's gonna get you, no matter how far!"
Spanning five decades, Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition charts their iconic rise to become one of the biggest bands in music history.
I want to say that there is certainly a degree of bias here as Iron Maiden are one of my favourite bands of all time. They were my first introduction to 80’s metal (after my Dad played me Run to the Hills & The Number of the Beast), are one of the handful of bands I’ve seen live where I have genuinely shed tears of joy when watching them and some of my strongest music collecting memories are picking up their vast discography every few weeks when I’d save up enough and go into HMV.
Anyway, I’m here to review the film not my personal experience with the band. Firstly, it’s great that we are getting more concert, tour and documentary films popping up at cinemas regularly (you could double bill this with Billie Eilish’s 3D flick right now!) and I was buzzed to see metal getting represented at my local cinema. Obviously this will appeal more to fans of the band, but if you are into music docs then this is a comprehensive and overarching retrospective that should deliver to hook in the average viewer with the power of riffs.
The film gallops as powerfully as Steve Harris’ bass-playing along its runtime. Charging through the band’s early pub and club days and swift rise with the late Paul Di’Anno at the helm (those first two albums still absolutely rule), before the legendary Bruce Dickinson joined and shot the group into legendary heights (truly an untouchable run in the 80’s). The spotlight also shines on the band’s iconic mascot Eddie and the abundance of love and importance the band’s connection with their fans is. A particularly stirring sequence showcases them visiting Poland (at the time behind the ‘Iron Curtain’) where the group are absolutely (and lovingly) mobbed. The film also doesn’t shy away from the low blip of the mid-late 90’s with Blaze Bayley on frontman duties (unfortunately two mediocre albums but with a handful of decent tunes) and how both Maiden and Bruce lost that career momentum.
One of my only gripes is that the band (and their direct management) don’t appear themselves and just provide context and narration which is a little bizarre. However, the multitude of unseen footage, live performances, photos and passionate guest speakers make up for it. Famous faces include Javier Bardem, Lars Ulrich, Gene Simmons, Chuck D, Scott Ian and more. There also fans from around the world and music industry journalists, promoters and touring crew members. Lastly, the Eddie interludes are an excellent showcase of stop-motion and CGI effect combinations.
Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition is a headbang worthy rock doc that will no doubt put a smile on the face of metal-heads and provide interesting viewing for the casual viewer. It captures the drive of the band, the passion of the fans and how iconic and important of a mascot Eddie is. Up the Irons!
'Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition' is out now in cinemas.
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