Thriller 40

I have been looking forward to this for years after the excellent Bad 25.

Unfortunately it didn't deliver.

Way too much focus on the opinions of newer folks who weren't there. Instead of Misty Copeland why not interview Jeffrey Daniel or the NY Undercover guy who was in Beat It? First hand opinions by people who were there.

No historical interview footage of Rod Temperton or Bruce Swedien yet tons of Usher and Will I Am giving the exact same interviews they have all over youtube a thousand times. These parts pull down the good elements of this film as they look and feel like filler material. Yes these are great artists who were influenced by Thriller but not directly relevant to the subject at hand as they were probably children back then so all they can contribute are opinions.

I was really hoping for the definitive story of this incredible album by the people who created it but it feels like an homage created for YouTube.

Bad25 in contrast did a fantastic job of keeping the story very focused on the actual creation of the record by the people who were there.

Good to see Greg Phillinganes and a few others but this feels very incomplete with some glaring omissions. Yes some of the main players are sadly deceased but there is a ton of historical interview footage by people who were there that could have made a much more cohesive and definitive telling of the story.

Unfortunately I felt like this didn't really tell the full story which an album as genre defining as this still deserves.

Always worth remembering that Jackson was acquitted in life from 14 charges in a gruesome trial where 'previous bad acts' where allowed and that the FBI never found anything incriminatory in an investigation that spanned 13 years and that included three thorough surprise raids of Neverland.

These are facts and you can look them up.

The documentary is a bit all over the place in terms of structure but is emotionally resonant.

It takes us to a time when Jackson was transitioning from teen to man, or from Michael Jackson to MJ, as he put it down in paper.

It excels at documenting this passage and at bringing us back when we watched in awe his inmense talent.

It takes.

This is one of the best MJ Documentaries of all time, gives us a taste of how Michael Jackson's mindset was set towards success even after several challenges, as he always will be considered the World's King of Pop for all time. I hope there is another part or documentary continuation as that would be great to see more rare archival footage of mastered qualities and people that have worked with Michael to explain how MJ was as a musician. I would love to see more old live performance footage, more rare Behind-the-scenes clips, actions, dancing and close-up conversations. Michael has recorded in more depth and length in future Michael Jackson Documentaries.

The album Thriller has a special place in my heart and this has probably to do with the fact that like everyone who happened to live in the last few decades of the 20th century, the album would hold a deeper meaning. For those that grew and lived during this time period, little did we anticipate that this album would continue to remain popular well into 21st century and we would still be enjoying this album as we become older and greyer. What's more interesting is that the current generation are enjoying this masterpiece and this will hopefully be the trend in the decades to follow. Big up to the mastermind.

I was 11 when I first got stepped into the magic world that was Michaelmania. It's hard to describe how that felt. Michael was all around and he was indisputably the pinnacle of pop around the globe. Like mentioned before by many, it was like or must have been like Sinatra, the Beatles and Elvis. This documentary did a very good job in getting very close to that energy and excitement, for people that were born after the album came out and are witnessing it today for the first time.

The format is something we've seen before in official documentaries like 'the legend continuous' and many more, starting with the very beginning, seeing Michael as a kid being the lead singer of the J5 and the Jacksons. Instead of it being a showcase or marketing his back catalogue, it really built up to why and what he wanted to prove; making Thriller the best selling album of all time.

Would've loved to see more of Quincy and his team behind the succes, since it was promoted as more about the art, than the artist, but to me it was more about the impact it had on a cultural level.

A lot of never seen before footage, private audio fragments and a very good insight into his thinking, his strategy and his philosophy makes it a must see for everyone who wants to understand the creative, the business and the cultural impact it had and still has today on contemporary artists and even beyond.