Documentaries about well-known public figures are often a bit on the fluffy side, glorifying their subjects’ work rather than actually probing too deeply into the meat of the issue at hand. However, that is not the case with Phoenix Jones: The Rise and Fall of a Real Life Superhero, as filmmaker Bayan Joonam manages to tell this story in a way that is both entertaining and surprisingly thoughtful.
What is Phoenix Jones: The Rise and Fall of a Real Life Superhero about?
Phoenix Jones: The Rise and Fall of a Real Life Superhero tells the story of the eponymous masked vigilante who went viral for his commitment to protecting the streets of his hometown of Seattle. We follow him from his comic-book-like origin story to the dramatic fall from grace he suffered after his true identity was revealed, along with his attempts to resuscitate his image by standing up to modern-day injustices.
Phoenix Jones: The Rise and Fall of a Real Life Superhero Review
Unsurprisingly, the central question of The Rise and Fall of a Real Life Superhero is whether the brand of crime-fighting and outside-the-law justice practiced by the subject is ethical. And while we hear from the legal experts who give us the cold hard facts of what the system says, along with Super and The Office‘s Rainn Wilson, the focus is more on Jones and his teammates/accomplices, and the effects it has on them, many of which are more negative than one might expect.
One of the most impressive things about Phoenix Jones: The Rise and Fall of a Real Life Superhero is its willingness to ask the hard questions. Joonam’s movie does not shy away from the darker elements of Jones’ life, and credit to Jones — he’s genuinely willing to engage with his flaws. Although it’s clear that Jones is set on defending his decisions, he doesn’t deflect responsibility in how you would expect a subject being challenged on topics like these to, nor does he end his participation in the film in a way that most people wouldn’t blame him for doing.
By no means is this documentary the most flattering portrait of its subject. In the final moments of the moive, he even says so himself: “I hope you learned something. It’s a cautionary tale.” By the end of the movie, you certainly won’t hate Jones, but you will feel bad for the real-life person behind the mask, and maybe even a bit concerned for his mental health.
The biggest mistake that The Rise and Fall of a Real Life Superhero makes is that it’s simply too long. The runtime nears two hours, and while there is certainly a lot of story to be told here, it feels slightly unfocused and goes on too many tangents. The film’s substance doesn’t come from its extensiveness, but from the way in which it engages with its subjects. As a result, there is probably a 90-minute version of this that is one of the year’s best documentaries.
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Still, Joonam infuses the movie with an undeniable style and polish that allows the film to feel consistently exciting despite its bloat. The editing is extremely kinetic, making many portions of it seem like you are watching an action flick rather than a documentary. Even the interviews are shot in an extremely cinematic way, with a warehouse background and shadowy cinematography that makes you feel you are stepping into the secret lair of a comic book character.
Is Phoenix Jones: The Rise and Fall of a Real Life Superhero worth watching?
If you are looking for an entertaining documentary that plays out like an action-packed thriller — just one that happened in real life — Phoenix Jones: The Rise and Fall of a Real Life Superhero delivers the goods. Like many nonfiction films, it could have used a bit of a tighter edit, but the story is so compelling and its subjects willing to engage with its nuances that the result is mostly very gripping.
Phoenix Jones: The Rise and Fall of a Real Life Superhero is screening at the 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival, which runs March 12-18 in Austin, TX.
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