On the one hand, you’ve got Jack White, who literally tortures himself discovering which sounds come from which guitars and in what way. On the other, you’ve got The Edge, who uses whatever physical and electronic tools are necessary to make the sound from his guitar match the sound in his head. And in between, you’ve got Jimmy Page, a man who can just pick up a guitar and make playing like a legend look so damn easy.

All of these men are accomplished musicians and gifted artists with guitars, which makes their respective life stories intriguing to watch unfold. Moreover, their backgrounds and creative processes are so completely different that comparing and contrasting their stories is simply engrossing. For example, Jimmy Page and The Edge walk us through their influences and favorite songs (including a memorable scene where Page is air guitaring to one of his favorite 45s), while Jack White focuses mostly on the musicians that he one day hopes to be on par with (turns out the big one is Son House).

This movie covers a ton of music history shown through still photos, old video clips and the minds of our three subjects. We also see the tools and the tricks that they use while performing and songwriting. In between, unfortunately, we get chapter breaks, short animations and some rather baffling editing choices (the analogy about a managed forest comes to mind). Basically put, the director and editor weren’t as inconspicuous as they should’ve been, if that makes any sense.

All the same, I came out of this movie feeling enlightened and that’s all you can really ask from a movie like this. If you’re a musician or a music geek, this should be considered mandatory viewing. Otherwise, there may not be as much for you here.