‘A Complete Unknown’ Is Better Than Other Biopics, Period 

When A Complete Unknown hit theaters toward the end of 2024, it felt like a breath of fresh air compared to other music biopics that have been around in the past few years.

Instead of trying to cram a whole life story into two hours, it zooms in on a short but meaningful chapter of Bob Dylan’s early career. The film doesn’t chase the high drama or flashy concert re-creations. It’s more interested in showing the quiet, uncertain moments that shaped a young artist finding his voice. That kind of storytelling in a genre that’s starting to feel pretty formulaic is exactly what’s needed. 

The Problem with the Greatest Hits Format – ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

Of all the recent biopics, 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the most well-known. Rami Malek gave his all as Queen’s front man Freddie Mercury. Unfortunately, the film still fell short because it glossed over the more complicated parts of the singer’s life and messed with the timeline for no other reason than dramatic effect. Sure, it was entertaining, but it often felt more like a tribute concert than a true story. A Complete Unknown avoids that trap. It doesn’t try to hit every milestone. Instead, it lingers in the in between spaces (the awkward, uncertain, formative stuff), and that makes Dylan feel more human and real. 

Style Over Substance – ‘Rocketman’

Rocketman went in a totally different direction when it hit theaters in 2019. The movie transformed Elton John’s life into a glittery musical, with surreal dream sequences and choreographed dances. To be fair, it worked for what it was trying to do, and Taron Egerton brought a lot of heart to the role. The fantasy style was also a nice way to convey heavy emotional truths. But sometimes, the spectacle distracted from the story. You walked away, remembering the costumes and the choreography, not necessarily the man underneath it all. A Complete Unknown doesn’t rely on flash. It stays grounded and gives Dylan’s world room to breathe. 

Too Much, Too Fast – ‘Elvis’

Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis is the opposite of Dylan’s story in every way. It’s loud, fast, and absolutely packed with information. Austin Butler delivered a decent performance, but the 2022 film tries to cover Elvis’ entire life, from childhood to death, which is a lot. Some scenes fly by so fast you barely have time to feel them. And the story is partly told through Colonel Tom Parker’s eyes, which creates even more distance from the titular star. A Complete Unknown does it better. It slows everything down and lets you sit with Dylan’s choices, conversations, and silences in a space that gives the story power. 

Scratching the Surface – ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’

Whitney Houston’s story deserved a deep, complicated telling, and 2022’s I Wanna Dance with Somebody tried. It had its moments, but it struggled to find a consistent tone. It touched on big events in Houston’s life, her rise to fame, her relationships, and her struggles, but it never quite gave her room to exist as a full, flawed, brilliant human. That’s the danger with trying to cover too much ground. You end up skipping over the quiet moments that reveal character. In A Complete Unknown, those moments 

are the heart of the film. Viewers get to see Dylan doubt himself and rebel against expectations to slowly become the artist he was always meant to be. The story is not about the myth. It’s about the very real man behind it. 

Less Is Always More – ‘A Complete Unknown’

The biggest strength of A Complete Unknown is that it doesn’t try to be definitive. It doesn’t pretend to tell the whole story or wrap everything up neatly. It just focuses on one moment in time – when Robert Zimmerman started to become Bob Dylan – and lets that be enough. It trusts the audience to be interested in the process, not just the product. In doing that, it invites viewers into Dylan’s world in a way that feels personal and honest. 

Chalamet Finds The Soul Beneath The Sunglasses 

A Complete Unknown wouldn’t be worth much without its lead star, Timothée Chalamet doesn’t just imitate Dylan – he disappears into him with a quiet intensity that perfectly captures the restless, poetic energy the singer had in his early days. He’s basically playing a young guy wrestling with who he is and who the world wants him to be.

There’s also something understated about the way Chalamet carries the role like he knows when to hold back and when to let something flicker through. You catch it in the way he avoids eye contact, the way he fingers a guitar string while lost in thought, or how he shrinks a little when someone praises him too much.

It’s all very subtle, but the result is an on-screen performance that feels lived-in, like we’re watching Dylan before he became “Bob Dylan.” And then there’s Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, the slightly fictionalized version of Suze Rotolo, who plays the character a mix of warmth and steel.