Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger Film Review

In Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger, Liam and Noel Gallagher put their differences aside in a compelling study of forgiveness, putting their fans in the front row.

Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger opens with archival footage chronicling the meteoric rise of the 90s English rock band Oasis led by brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher. The Manchester native’s debut album, “Definitely Maybe”, became the fastest-selling debut album in British history at the time of its release in 1994. The band was a sensation, led by frontman and lead singer Liam, with all their songs written by guitarist Noel. However, they soon became infamous for the Gallagher brothers’ blow-out fights that would result in major show cancellations. 

In 2009, the brothers would have one final brawl at a concert in Paris, where it was announced before the show started that not only would they not perform that night, but that they had permanently broken up. What came next was 15 years of silence between the brothers and endless chatter about what could have been the final straw to estrange them. 

In August of 2024, much to the shock of fans worldwide, Oasis announced they were reuniting for an arena tour that would take place over three continents in 2025. The rehearsals for this tour are where filmmakers Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace picked up cameras and began to document in real time the much-awaited Oasis band reunion. For both Liam and Noel, the mission of the tour was plain and simple: rewriting the narrative of who Oasis is. 

More than anything, Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger is a film about forgiveness. What starts off as a tepid reunion between Liam and Noel slowly reveals itself to be a nervousness about getting this moment they can feel the hype around right. They stay distant from each other in rehearsal, putting a highly entertained Bonehead physically in between them, and don’t run on remotely similar schedules. Noel is first at rehearsals and first out of his dressing room for the show, whereas Liam attends rehearsals every other day and pulls up to the stadium 20 minutes prior to the show starting. 

Through both the archival and recent footage shot for Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger, it’s clear to viewers why the brothers clash with one another. However, it’s Southern and Lovelace’s interviews with the Gallaghers that shed light on the inner workings of their minds, revealing both to be more self-conscious about this reunion than anyone might anticipate. 

It’s through these conversations that we see the different ways the brothers process their stress about getting this tour right and see through one another’s facades in a way no one else in the world can. Their ability to acknowledge one another’s tells in the face of nerves and mounting anxiety shows that even though the bond might be damaged, it’s held through the 15 years of no communication. 

The film does a brilliant job of acknowledging the shortcomings within their relationship while displaying their genuine, yet awkwardly charged, desire to have this tour be impactful. There’s a tragedy in the way the brothers speak so highly of one another only when the other isn’t looking, but it makes the reason for their clashing and stubbornness all the more understandable. However, the film pushes the narrative that sometimes we need to completely fall apart in order to fit together.

While the Gallaghers are set on fixing the narrative of Oasis through this tour, Southern and Lovelace’s focus is also on the fans coming to their sold-out shows. This spotlight on the fans, who have waited long for the day they’d see the name Oasis on a stadium’s marquee again, adds a needed connection to the concept of legacy, which creates a deeper nuance to the band’s reunion. While the brothers were so set on setting the narrative straight, throughout the film you see them come to understand just how much they mean to the people who love their music and how deeply their work has touched people for years.

Seeing the fan reactions before, during and after the concerts serves as not only an acknowledgement but a love letter to the people who connect so deeply with Oasis’ artistry and have long awaited their return. It also strikes an unexpected cord with the Gallaghers themselves, Noel at one point saying he forgot just how much Liam means to these people. 

Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger gives us rare access to a vulnerable side of the Gallagher brothers. While the band themselves don’t seem terribly concerned with their legacy, more so their narrative, Southern and Lovelace’s work to include the fans as much as possible in this project highlights just how strong the band’s is. The documentary serves as a loving look at the community that has gathered to celebrate the return of Oasis that demonstrates how sorely they have been missed.

Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger had its World Premiere at the 2026 Venice Film Festival on September 5, 2026. The film will be released globally in theatres on September 11, 2026.