Moonwalker

In 1988, Michael Jackson was literally on top of the world. His 1987 album Bad had set a record for the most number one singles to come from the same album. Add to that the fact that his previous albums had all set records for sales, to the extent that not even an organisation as powerful as the RIAA could withhold his rightful share of the money. To cut a long story short, Jackson was the King of the musical world, and even to an old cynic like myself who was raised on Black Sabbath, it did not seem undeserving. So when Michael Jackson asked for more than twenty million dollars to make a series of fantasy viginettes based around his songs that basically portray him as the saviour of the world, the last thing the combined powers of the MPAA and RIAA were willing to say was "no". But then the 1990s hit, and Michael Jackson's reputation in the world's consciousness changed from that of an eccentric billionaire to a worn out circus freak. Let that be a lesson to all budding musicians - if it can happen to Michael Jackson, it can literally happen to anybody.

It appears that Warner Brothers now own the rights to this rather odd piece, so it has finally seen the light of day on DVD-Video. This time capsule of the late 1980s is as odd now as most of the rest of the Michael Jackson material that came after. As you can expect from a film that mostly consists of viginettes put together to the specifications of an eccentric millionaire, unifying themes are hard to come by. The first thirty-five or so minutes of the film is a quick recap of Jackson's career up to that point, followed by what is essentially an extended pair of music videos that satirise the cannibalistic fascination the press had with Jackson in the 1980s. It is after this thirty-five minutes that the material finds a real focus, and in spite of the high bar set by the earlier material, it manages to get even stranger than before.

The plot of Moonwalker proper concerns itself with a non-specific future world where we follow three children living in a dirty world of squalor. As a hit squad makes an attempt on the life of Jackson, who is playing himself, we get a flashback to happier times that ends in a weird explanation of why the world we see is now so dirty. Joe Pesci portrays an embodiment of evil by the name of Frankie Lideo, whose ambition is to have every child in the world taking drugs. Given that Ritalin and such torture pills were still popular at the time, Jackson's vanity project takes on a scary level of accuracy I doubt he intended. Of course, the whole thing is just a transparent Just Say No message that gained Jackson a few points with the Reagan administration at the time, and doubtlessly got the nod from Bush senior, too. Not least because of Joe Pesci's immortally embarrassing line about how his troops have to stop "them" praying in school. I do not know whether Jackson or co-writer David Newman came up with this crock, but it is a good thing Jackson ran out of favours with the Republican party during the 1990s. Otherwise, who knows what kind of propaganda we would have to tolerate today?

To be fair, the new footage of the film is skilfully edited, shot, and choreographed. Being one of the few films shot with a 1.33:1 aspect ratio in mind, it is surprising how dynamic some of the shots are. Joe Pesci chews the scenery like he was previously on a hunger strike, while Paul Reubens gets a cameo as a voice and claymation puppet that will amuse the adults in the audience. The cinematography of the main event is actually quite tight. The special effects more than justify the budget. At the time, the twenty-two million dollars used to make the film was consider extravagant, even by Michael Jackson's standards. The claymation is far from seamless, and some of the effects are dated, but considering the advances in film-making technology since, it does not look too shabby at all. Had Michael Jackson intended to make a coherent musical rather than a loose framework for music videos, there is no telling what might have resulted.

While RIAA-endorsed music has only got worse since Michael Jackson's fall from the limelight, it is somehow considered cool or hip to rag on the man and his music. I do not know the truth of all the allegations made about Jackson. I really think they are best left to those making them, and the man himself. So when I see the film depicting him playing catch in a park with a small group of children, I do not get the sense of alarm bells so many others describe. The video game based on this film is a whole other story, but video games were considerably cruder in those days. The is a reason why Bad yielded no less than six number one singles (from a track list of eleven, no less). Jackson was at his creative apex, both writing songs and conceiving music videos that neither he nor anyone else endorsed by the RIAA have matched since. The next time you hear someone try to tell you that creativity was dead in the 1980s, this, along with some videos from the likes of Devo, will set them straight.

When all is said and done, I gave Moonwalker a five out of ten. It is as self-indulgent as you would expect from a man who could afford to light his cigarettes with hundred dollar bills. Much of it is unnecessary, even crap, but when it falls back upon its strengths, namely the music, it shines. This is the kind of time capsule that the culture of the 1980s really deserves.

Besides from the seeing the new "This Is It" and saying Im a huge Michael Jackson fan, I thought I would prove it and see a movie he actually did back in his time. "Moonwalker" breaks all rules, laws, and scripts in the film making history. It's completed in a phenomenal fashion all leading up to the highlight of the film. A triumph comic-book texture short entitled "Smooth Criminal" which Ill discuss later.

Besides being subject to jokes and media, we need to remember that back in the 80s everyone was into Michael Jackson. So having a movie on him titled by his dance that only a handful knew, Moonwalker. The film is what you would call, a montage of Jackson clips, so Ill have to do separate paragraphs to sort these out so I don't do block writing entirely. Though I may combine some since some are very short.

The movie opens with Michael Jackson singing "Main In the Mirror" at a live concert. He is covered in sweat and singing his heart out just to please his fans. Then it cuts to a kaleidoscopic view of MJ's career leading up till 1988. We see early clips of The Jacksons 5. From "ABC" to "Beat It", it's all there.

Then we get a short clip of "Bad", entitled "Badder". The kids are amazingly talented, doing back flips, front flips, everything while lip syncing key point of the MJ song. It was sort of unnecessary having this on the tape seeing as I didn't want to see kids sing one of my favorite songs. Sure they were lip syncing, but I would like to see my one of my favorite songs sung by the artist. Not pre "Kidz Bop" it up.

Followed by, my favorite of the film, "Speed Demon" which is MJ being bombarded by his fans who are claymation figures. The scene, is overall colorful and very upbeat. MJ acts natural, as if he has done this before (which he probably has). Overall, this is the best thing on the tape, so far.

"Leave Me Alone" is a heartfelt crowdpleaser, showing MJ dancing in front of a crowd, announcing to everyone who can hear him to, well, leave him alone. It's a catchy tune that is definitely and underrated portion of the film.

The next clip, is the main course, and the point of this whole film extravaganza. It is Michael Jackson, playing a superhero trying to stop Mr. Big (Joe Pesci) from drug-dealing crime boss with an army of henchmen. Michael Jackson, at the same time, is protecting Katie, Zeke, and Sean three homeless kids who spy on MJ. After escaping Mr. Big's clutches, MJ goes into the club and begins dancing to "Smooth Criminal" while defeating Big's henchman. Thats all you can say without giving anything away. It is a real standout from the movie and the dance choreography is stunning. Michael is probably the at his most lively stage yet, and not putting himself or dancers into any grueling treatment.

Then the last two segments are minor, though serve a purpose. "Come Together" isn't the greatest thing to come out of the tape. It is a little long, but still not awful. "Come Together" is a song originally written and sung by The Beatles being sung by Jackson here. In my opinion it should have stayed sung by The Beatles.

"The Moon is Walking" and the music video of "Smooth Criminal" closes this heartfelt film. My only complaint is that this movie is unsure of what it wants to be. First, it wants to be a documentary, then it wants to be a compilation of music videos and music clips. It jumps around and at points is confused. But for the most part, "Moonwalker" is a sensational movie that is sure too please MJ's fans.

I was quite surprised to read some of the comments on this work, honestly. Some people were looking for a plot??? OK, when this video came out over a decade ago, I watched it for what it was: a collection of music videos. It's not a movie. It doesn't have a plot, nor a central storyline. It's a rather artistic anthology of mostly long-form videos, all of them rather smartly or creatively done. Michael Jackson may be considered a freak these days, but, after all, this was the man who gave us Thriller (considered by many to be the greatest music video of all time) and set trends with Billie Jean and Beat It. With Moonwalker, he and the filmmakers and artists who collaborated with him once again took his music and dance moves to create some vividly entertaining stuff, incorporating claymation, special effects, live performance footage, and even self-parody (the "Badder" sequence). And for those wondering what Joe Pesci was doing there, this video came out just a tad before he became a household name, and was one of his most memorable appearances on film. And, IMHO, I think the Smooth Criminal sequence (the choreographed section) beats anything else Michael Jackson did up to that point!

If you see this movie, you know you will see an extense video-clip of popular music. But you will find more. Incredible FX, great music and a nice time to enjoy with your kids. If you compare this movie, you have to remember is a pop extravaganza. Clips of "Man In The Mirror", "Leave Me Alone", "Smooth Criminal" and Beatles' "Come Together".

It is very ridiculous that they have tried to force this flick into having a plot. I mean the bit in the middle with Joe Pesci as the bad guy, and Michael Jackson as the hero, is so absurd.

But the collection of video clips, live performances, and montages is great ! good music for sure !

I like the fact that in the F.X. shots, so many different techniques are used. Some look really unsophisticated. But others are just so great (even by today´s standards, remember this is a 16 year old movie)... i mean the sequence were M.J. turns himself into some kind of robot, and then into some sort of spaceship is breathtaking.

I also like M.J.'s version of "come together" (Beatles original)