24 Minutes Ago: Netflix Unveils New Era — It’s Time: The Definitive Documentary on U2 and The Joshua Tree’s Legendary Journeys

A monumental new chapter has arrived in music storytelling, as Netflix officially unveils its latest masterpiece — It’s Time: The Definitive Documentary on U2 and Joshua Tree’s Legendary Journeys. The streaming giant has taken on one of the most profound, influential, and emotionally charged eras in modern rock history, offering fans an intimate exploration of the band’s most iconic album and the transformative years that defined their legacy. For both lifelong U2 devotees and newcomers eager to understand why this Irish band reshaped global music culture, this film promises to be the definitive account of artistic ambition, faith, loss, and triumph.

The documentary opens with haunting desert imagery, sweeping across the Mojave, the same landscape immortalized on the cover of The Joshua Tree in 1987. As Bono’s voice echoes softly — reading lines from “Where the Streets Have No Name” — viewers are transported into the heart of a creative and spiritual odyssey. Through rare archival footage, never-before-seen behind-the-scenes clips, and fresh interviews with the band, producers, and friends, It’s Time delves deep into the making of the album that turned U2 from post-punk heroes into global icons.

Netflix has long been known for its ability to humanize legends, and in this production, U2 is stripped of myth and presented in raw authenticity. Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. each reflect on the pressures and passions that fueled their most ambitious work. Their words carry the weight of four decades of experience, tracing how their youth, faith, and politics converged to produce an album that became both a prayer and a protest. Viewers are shown the sleepless nights in the studio, the philosophical debates about fame and meaning, and the long, silent drives through American deserts that inspired the songs still echoing in stadiums today.

The documentary doesn’t just revisit history; it revives it. Through immersive sound design and remastered recordings, Netflix brings The Joshua Tree to life like never before. Hearing “With or Without You” in Dolby Atmos, while intercut with newly restored 1987 tour footage, evokes both nostalgia and reverence. Fans who were there will feel the rush of youth again; those who weren’t will finally understand what it meant to be part of something transcendent — a movement disguised as a rock tour.

One of the most compelling moments in It’s Time arrives when Bono recounts the emotional burden of success. The band’s sudden global fame after The Joshua Tree wasn’t just exhilarating — it was suffocating. Bono admits that he often questioned whether the band could sustain their purpose in a world increasingly consumed by spectacle. “Fame is a loud room,” he says quietly on camera. “We had to find silence inside the noise, or we’d lose ourselves.” That line becomes the emotional anchor of the film, setting the tone for a reflective journey that explores not only how U2 built a cultural empire, but how they fought to keep their souls intact while doing so.

The Edge’s contribution, meanwhile, is introspective and precise. He walks viewers through the technical evolution that shaped U2’s sound — the shimmering delays, ethereal tones, and atmospheric layers that gave The Joshua Tree its distinctive voice. But more than a musician, he comes across as a philosopher of sound, someone who saw guitars not as instruments, but as vehicles for emotion. His recollection of experimenting with “Bullet the Blue Sky” and how its aggressive textures mirrored the political unrest of the 1980s gives the documentary a visceral energy. The music becomes not just art, but testimony — a reflection of the times.

Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton bring grounding perspectives that balance the film’s spiritual tone. Larry recalls the band’s brotherhood, forged in Dublin’s small rehearsal rooms, and the relentless drive that carried them through grueling tours. Adam’s reflections are particularly poignant; his honesty about personal struggles and the cost of fame adds a depth rarely seen in rock documentaries. “We were chasing something bigger than us,” Adam says, “and sometimes that meant losing parts of ourselves along the way.”

As the film unfolds, it expands beyond the making of The Joshua Tree to explore its enduring impact — on fans, on music, and on the world. Interviews with fellow artists like Bruce Springsteen, Chris Martin, and Billie Eilish underscore how U2’s legacy continues to inspire new generations. One memorable segment shows a young fan in Mexico City describing how “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” helped her survive loss and rediscover faith. It’s moments like these that elevate It’s Time beyond biography into something spiritual and universal — a meditation on longing, belief, and the human condition.

Netflix’s direction, led by visionary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, is masterful. Known for his sensitivity to human emotion in documentaries like He Named Me Malala, Guggenheim approaches U2’s story with reverence and restraint. He avoids clichés of rock excess, focusing instead on the vulnerability behind the spectacle. The camera lingers on faces — wrinkles, smiles, glances — capturing a quiet intimacy between bandmates who have seen the world and each other through every storm. Each frame is alive with light, shadow, and memory, painting not just a portrait of a band, but of time itself.

The middle act of It’s Time dives into U2’s famous 1987 North American tour, where the band’s ambition met the vastness of the American landscape. The documentary revisits their unforgettable performances in Los Angeles, Denver, and Tempe, intercutting live footage with present-day commentary. Bono’s narration ties the desert imagery to themes of exile and hope, drawing parallels between the biblical “promised land” and the restless pursuit of meaning in a modern world. The shots of vast highways and empty horizons remind viewers why The Joshua Tree remains timeless — it is both a mirror of America and a reflection of humanity’s eternal search for purpose.

But It’s Time doesn’t shy away from conflict. It chronicles U2’s disillusionment with the very fame they once sought, their experimentation with reinvention in the Achtung Baby era, and their later return to roots. This honesty makes the film deeply human — a reminder that even legends wrestle with doubt. In one emotional sequence, the band gathers around a table, laughing and reminiscing about their early days, only for silence to fall as Bono recalls losing close friends and questioning whether the world still needed U2’s message. “Maybe the world didn’t,” he says, “but we still did.” It’s a confession that strikes to the heart of every artist who’s ever struggled to remain true to their calling.