Moonwalker
- 1988
- Tous publics
- 1h 33m
Anthology movie by, and starring, Michael Jackson in his prime, combining a number of music videos from his bestselling "Bad" album with a fantasy tale of Michael's confrontation with a ruth... Read allAnthology movie by, and starring, Michael Jackson in his prime, combining a number of music videos from his bestselling "Bad" album with a fantasy tale of Michael's confrontation with a ruthless drug dealer known as Mr. Big.Anthology movie by, and starring, Michael Jackson in his prime, combining a number of music videos from his bestselling "Bad" album with a fantasy tale of Michael's confrontation with a ruthless drug dealer known as Mr. Big.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 2 nominations total
- Katie (segment "Smooth Criminal") (segment "Come Together")
- (as Kellie Parker)
- Dancer (segment "Smooth Criminal")
- (as Jeffry Adkins)
Featured reviews
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)
The trouble is, viewed as a movie this decision isn't hard to understand - "Moonwalker" isn't so much a movie as a collection of music videos, all varying in quality. The bits dealing with Michael's younger years are truly fun, and so are some of the special effects throughout (like Will Vinton's work in "Speed Demon"), but the centrepiece of the short film "Smooth Criminal" (pint-sized villain Joe Pesci, as "Lideo" [get it?], wants to get all the children in the world hooked on drugs, and guess who has to stop him? Clue: His name appears 45 times in the credits) doesn't work, in part because the story stops dead to allow for the "Smooth Criminal" video to be shown in its entirety.
The movie's unending and unquestioning adoration of Michael Jackson gets its fullest flower there, although the video for "Leave Me Alone" (in which he basically exploits his life in song while at the same time telling us to go away, something he would later take even further in "Stop Questioning Me" and "Black or White," which set new standards for self-serving BS topped only by Geri Halliwell and Jennifer Lopez) comes close. Even at the time it seemed a bit much, and viewed today... well, remember how ill-timed the joke in "Addams Family Values" about a kid screaming at a poster of Michael Jackson was? The entire movie nowadays has that same feel magnified; plus it feels like a relic from another age.
The shame of it all now is that it reminds you that MJ really was a wizard once upon a time, but it's all changed now.
Did you know
- TriviaMichael Jackson originally wanted the movie released in theaters in the United States, but budget problems forced him to make it a straight to video release. However, it was released in theaters internationally.
- GoofsWhile Michael is performing "Come Together" his white shirt is ripped to his chest, then to his pants, then not ripped at all, then ripped to his pants, and so on throughout the whole performance.
- Quotes
Young Michael: What is he wearing?
Agent: A Prince t-shirt and red sneakers.
Young Michael: *Prince* t-shirt?
- Alternate versionsMTV and VH1 have shown this film many times, and although it isn't a long film they have cut it, specifically the "Smooth Criminal" segment (the showpiece of the film): The dance segment in Club 30's is heavily edited, as is the scene where the kids' dog is returned to them by Michael's manager (leaving one plot question unanswered!) The "Come Together" performance is also shorter. The more recent VH1 Rock and Roll Picture Show airings cut the film down even more, most noticably in the Retrospective sequence.
- ConnectionsEdited from Michael Jackson: Speed Demon (1988)
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Badder
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $22,000,000 (estimated)