Tupac: Resurrection

There is no doubt that Tupac Shakur is one of the most intriguing, fascinating personalities in pop music history. He is made up of a seemingly endless list of contradictions: ruffian / nice guy, obnoxiously arrogant / sweetly humble, hedonist / activist, "gangsta" / poet. And most interesting is that none of these "sides" of him seem at all false. He really is that complicated.

Being a fan of his, especially his acting, ("GRIDLOCK'd" is one of my favorite movies) I choose to remember the admirable parts of his personality more often, but I know that he was no angel, and I'm glad that "Tupac: Resurrection" doesn't try to paint him as a hero.

Made very much in the style of last year's great documentary "The Kid Stays In The Picture" (so much so that I was surprised there is no connection), it combines seamlessly edited footage, photos that "float" around to look 3-dimensional, well-chosen music, and fluid narration to create a dreamlike and slightly eerie portrait of one person's lifetime in his own words.

Unlike "The Kid Stays In The Picture", though, in "Tupac: Resurrection" the narrator telling his life story is dead.

Tupac is the one and only narrator of this film (through an edited collection of insightful interviews), and it's a distinctly poignant and eerie experience to hear it, almost like he is, "Sunset Boulevard"-style, telling you his story from beyond the grave. Adding to the "Sunset Boulevard" feeling is that the story starts in Las Vegas where he was killed, and then rewinds to the beginning of his life. But sadly, you know it's eventually going to end up in Las Vegas again.

This is an extremely well done, gripping documentary that I highly recommend even to people who don't care for rap music. Tupac's life story is a true American tragedy, and anyone can learn from those.

Gangsta' Rap artist Tupac Shakur was gunned down on the streets of Las Vegas in 1996, the end result of the life he led and the people he knew. He was 25. The documentary 'Tupac: Resurrection' takes an unusual and interesting approach to its subject, allowing the deceased singer to speak to us, as it were, directly from the grave. The film begins with him commenting on his own murder, then tracing back over the events of his life as a means of both setting the record straight and trying to make some sense out of all that happened to him in his very brief time here on earth.

The film, directed by Lauren Lazin, relies primarily on interviews Tupac gave throughout his short career, supplemented with some additional commentary from those who knew him best. Though he became a lightning rod of controversy due to both his criminal activities and his provocative (i.e. violent, sexist) lyrics, Tupac saw himself more as a 'voice of the people,' using his music as a vehicle for reaching out to and connecting with the downtrodden, impoverished blacks living in the kinds of ghettoes from which he himself sprang. However, even many well-known black leaders and spokespersons had trouble accepting Tupac's rather rose-colored definition of himself. What's most interesting about 'Tupac: Resurrection' is the dichotomy it establishes between the violence, drug use and criminal activities which played so prominent a part in Tupac's life, and the genial, reflective, almost apologetic tone of so much of what we hear him saying. It's hard to know just how much of what has found its way into this film is really raw truth and how much is sugarcoated revisionism designed to 'resurrect' and burnish a man's posthumous image and reputation. His views on women come out particularly incoherent and unresolved. Yet, 'Tupac: Resurrection' is an intriguing documentary because it gives us a glimpse not only into a strangely conflicted individual but also into the even more bizarre world of corporate thuggery he inhabited. Like many artists who have attempted to speak for the 'little people,' Tupac became a victim of his own success and celebrity, living the kind of pampered lifestyle that most of the people he was singing about would clearly never know. It's a conflict as old as art itself, and it is one that Tupac, for understandable reasons, was never able to resolve in his own life. Interestingly, however, his brutal death at the hands of murderous rivals, demonstrated that he never made it quite so far from his roots as his lavish lifestyle might otherwise have suggested.

As a document, the film traces Tupac from his early years as the child of two Black Panther members ( a pedigree that, he believes, set him on the path to social crusader early on), through his youth in poverty, his exposure to literature and drama at a performing arts high school in Baltimore, his early attempts at performing, his meteoric rise in the music industry, his years as a controversial celebrity, his burgeoning film career, his continuing battles with police, the first attempt on his life, his conviction for rape, his time in prison, and, finally, to the rivalry between his own West Coast label, Death Row Records, and the East Coast label, Bad Boy Records, which ultimately led to his untimely death. For that little bit of history alone, the film is worth watching.

As someone who knew very little about the life of Tupac - and even less about his music - before watching the movie, I found him to be both appealing and repellant, frightening and charismatic. The film leaves the audience feeling as conflicted as the subject - which is what a truly successful documentary should do after all.

I liked the movie very much. The documentary summarized 2Pac's life. It's very informative and it educates us. You could learn a lot by watching this movie. I'm a big 2Pac fan. I've listened to his music, read his books, and watched, heard and read his interviews and speeches. He is a standout from all the other rappers I've seen and heard throughout the years. He is more than just a rapper. He is a poet, prophet, revolutionary, activist, actor, singer, intellectual, leader, orator, and artist. He is a man of many accomplishments. That's why many fans and rappers strive to be like him. But I don't think that we will ever see another one like 2Pac. There is only one 2Pac. He was so different from the rest of us. It's a shame that he was taken from this world at such a young age.

Documentaries, more than scripted movies, have to be about a topic you're interested in and/or people you're interested in. As much as I love documentaries, if there was a documentary about cabinet making or Kim Kardashian, I'm not wasting my time (though I'd choose cabinet making over KK anyday). So, you'd have to have at least a passing interest in Tupac to watch "Tupac: Resurrection." As for me, I was in high school and fully immersed in hip-hop when Tupac was at his zenith, so I have more than a passing interest in Tupac.

"Resurrection" pulls the curtain back. More than simply going into place of origin, important people, and important events, it goes deeper into who Tupac was in his own words. And as much as he was a controversial figure with some unflattering tendencies, he was fairly conscious. Some of that consciousness showed in songs such as "Brenda's Got a Baby," "Dear Mama," and "Keep Your Head Up." And at the same time his baser side is displayed in too many of his other songs which only means he was a flawed human being like we all are.

Unless you're a super Pac fan or a Tupac historian, "Resurrection" will give you some new information about Tupac you never knew, it will clarify things you were misinformed about, and the rest will be a refresher and a means to hear Tupac once more.

First of all, let me say that I am biased, I think the world of Tupac. That said, this is his (and his mother's) mission statement for his life and death and everything in between. I have followed 'Pac for almost 10 years now, and my obsession for him has only grown deeper and deeper as the years, months, even days have passed since his departure from the music game.

When I first heard about this film, I thought it was going to be another video release accounting his legacy and mystery. I had no idea that it had a theatrical release date until a few months ago. Then I started hearing the hype behind it, and really started to anticipate it strongly. I informed all my friends and anyone else who shared the same passion of 'Pac as I, of it's existence and when it was close to release. After reading some very positive advance reviews from "Rolling Stone" and a few other publications, my anxiety only increased. It hits it's peak when I saw that ROGER EBERT gave it 3 1/2 out of a possible 4 stars. I saw the film tonight at an 8:00 showing fully prepared sportin' my 'Pac t shirt, ticket stub in my hand, and an unmistakable grin of happiness of things to come. One word: OUTSTANDING. Afeni, Mtv, and Paramount were really, really, really seriously devoted to this project!

I don't want give anything at all away to either serious 2pac devotees or casual fans, but EVERYTHING you ever needed to know, or wanted to know about him, is presented in ACES. I rated this documentary a 9 out of 10 stars on the Imdb scale. To sum up, I really and truly believe it is an enormous shame that some people just don't understand or "get" how iconic and influential Tupac was on both the music industry and to a certain extent society as well. He was WAY, WAY more than just a "rapper", he was an IMPACT!

2PAC FOR EVER.