Disco de Michael Jackson: “Moonwalker”

While I can admit that Moonwalker is not a great film, as a Michael Jackson fan, it's always held a special place in my heart. It's a series of music videos (or short films) strung together with a pretty loose plot. Scrutinize it and it will fall apart, but if you don't take it too seriously, it can be very fun.

With that said, if you're looking up import blu ray editions of the movie, you're likely a big enough fan of it (or Michael Jackson's music) that you don't need anyone to write a review telling you about the film itself. So instead of going into detail about the movie, I'll focus exclusively on the blu ray.

Assuming Amazon keeps my review on the right page (I've seen reviews get tussled around to related items), the edition I'm referring to is the UK blu ray of Moonwalker. At present, there is no US version (nor was there an official US DVD edition) so I bought this to upgrade my import DVD and I was quite impressed with the results.

First, let me say that this is a region-free blu ray, so it should work on any US blu ray player or PS3 and the packaging is entirely in English (with the exception of a little bit of Spanish on the disc art itself).

The film itself is in full 1080p 1.85:1 widescreen, keeping it in its original theatrical aspect ratio, and the print looks beautiful. I've never been impressed with the A/V of Jackson's DVD releases in the past, but Moonwalker is very clean, preserving an 80s film-like look without any noticeable damage or dirt marks on the print. Colors are vibrant and contrast is consistent with the original look of the movie... if every Jackson release in the future looks this good, we could consider ourselves lucky.

The audio, presented in DTS-Master Audio 5.1 surround, was just as impressive. I didn't find myself blown away by directional effects, but compared to past Jackson releases, as well as other movies of the era, this track certainly does the movie justice. Where it especially shines is when it's playing one of the music videos which, thanks to the higher bit rate blu ray provides over CD, has become my preferred way of listening to these songs (even when I'm not in the mood to watch the rest of the film).

The only negative thing I have to say about this release is that it was censored. I've had the VHS and DVD of this movie (both were left uncut) and now, for the first time, a line toward the end of the film, where Pesci's character Lideo threatens to get the kids high while holding a needle, was cut. I can't say that I particularly loved the line, but as a purist, it was kind of annoying for me to see anything cut. However, at the very least, the cut is handled in such a way that if you didn't know where the line was supposed to go, you likely wouldn't notice it. Other references to drugs (from Pesci's character) were left intact and there is no option to watch the original version of the film.

A theatrical trailer is provided in anamorphic widescreen, and although its print is quite dirty, I was still very happy to see it on the disc. Generally, Jackson DVDs leave special features on the cutting room floor so, at the very least, it was great to have something.

For the clean, clear and vibrant presentation with a great audio track and a bonus trailer, I'd have easily given the UK blu ray edition of Moonwalker a 5/5, however, I can't in good conscience give it a perfect score when the film's been cut... especially after Jackson's death when he is no longer around to have had a say in the matter. So I'll leave it with a 4/5, and a very high recommendation to fans nonetheless.

When Michael Jackson's "Moonwalker" was released on video in early 1989... Michael Jackson was still the king of pop. If anything, this could be the final stand of this amazing chapter of his career (beginning with the release of Thriller and ending here).

Michael Jackson's "Bad" album was a great record, while it wasn't as good as Thriller or Off The Wall, it was still as satisfying a followup one could expect. He had 7 big hits (5 #1's) off this album and a massively successful world tour. This video montage was released as his tour (which included a very young Sheryl Crow) was winding down, and it provided a big treat for his fans...

Here's what was included:

- Man In The Mirror - a live performance of the #1 hit (the music video for the song only had about 5 seconds of MJ)

- a classic MJ video montage - a neat little megamix going from the Jackson Five days through the Bad album.

- Badder - a remake of the Bad video but with kids featuring Brandon Adams as a mini-MJ. Cute but not one of the highlights of the set.

- Speed Demon - a mini movie making great usage of the claymation boom of the late 1980's (ie. California Raisins). MJ fighting against Claymation paparazzi and animated as a rabbit. The highlight of the video is the end when motorcycle clad MJ and the bunny have a dance-off.

- Leave Me Alone - music video that got plenty of MTV/VH1 airplay back in the day. MJ basically saying what he feels about the tabloids by opening himself up as an amusement park.

- Smooth Criminal - the centerpiece of this collection. An extended mini-movie also featuring Joe Pesci (right before Lethal Weapon and Home Alone took him to the next level and made him an A-list star) as an evil drug lord intent on pushing drugs to kids. Great special effects, including Michael morphing into a car as well as a spaceship in the climatic finale.

- Come Together - the end of Smooth Criminal leads us to a live performance of the Beatles classic, which didn't appear on a MJ album until HIStory six years later.

- The Moon Is Walking - over the closing credits, is another video with MJ and Ladysmith Black Mambaso.

If I were to take a trip back to my childhood, the aptly-named "Moonwalker", the brainchild of Michael Jackson, would be one of the prominent stops. Even back when I wasn't necessarily an MJ fan (I am now), this movie captured my imagination. Rather than a whole, cohesive movie, it's a collection of mini-films, for the most part well-woven together. The first part is a performance of "Man in the Mirror". The second is a retrospective on Michael Jackson's career, with clips from his music videos and performances from his early career to his "Bad" days (which is the era when the movie was made, and it shows). The third is a re-enactment of the "Bad" video by a younger counterpart of the cast. The fourth part is a mini-movie which features Michael Jackson escaping from maniacal fans and press by racing a motorcycle as a rabbit-man and eventually doing a dance duel with him (you really need to see it to believe it). The fifth is a video for "Leave Me Alone", and the sixth and final part is a noir/sci-fi film where Michael and three young kids on the streets who have befriended him try to escape a drug lord (Joe Pesci) who wants Michael's head after the latter discovers his plans to get all kids addicted to drugs.

"Moonwalker" never made it to theatres in the US (it did, however, in Europe and South America), but that didn't stop the VHS release to be sold in over 800,000 copies within a year of the movie's release. It is a truly engrossing trip through the imagination of the legendary musician/entertainer. While many musicians have tried their hands at filmmaking and only succeeded at showing that they have no talent at it, Michael Jackson surprises. Not only does he show that he has as much feel for staging and visual storytelling as he has for music, he manages to make this movie his own, weaving into both the collage and story some truly imaginative moments.

Take the midway point, where we sort of hit the "present". The "Bad" video is reenacted by younger actors, in a truly hilarious but nonetheless competent spectacle. After that, Michael Jackson emerges onto the 'streets' of Hollywood and is hounded by an assortment of stark-raving-mad, claymated fans and press. An attempt by a humoured Michael to escape his chasers ensues, but as he finds out, trying to hide out in Hollywood studios (especially when you're Michael Jackson) is about as easy as hiding the punch at a banquet.

But his way out of this situation is possibly my favourite part of the movie. Disguising himself as a leather-clad rabbit man, he manages to escape the studios on a bicycle, which transforms into a motorcycle. At this point "Speed Demon" kicks in as the rabbit-man drives at breakneck speed down the highway, ocean and sky. And still the relentless fans and media are hot on Michael's tail, his disguise not fooling them. This all makes up a truly stunning piece of claymation, both excellently-paced and delicious to behold. Driving out into the desert, Michael takes off his disguise only to have the rabbit disguise reanimate itself, and the two do the best dance duel I've ever seen. It's especially stunning to see the claymated rabbit dance like MJ, and Will Vinton and co (who were responsible for the claymation segment, while Michael himself is live-action) truly deserve an applause for this as well as Michael.

Following is the video for "Leave Me Alone", a truly imaginative, satirical portrait of the mass hysteria the media attribute to Michael. Michael humorously visualises this as an amusement park constructed on top of him, while a miniature version of him goes through a has-to-be-seen-to-be-believed tour, frequented by lots of dogs in suits. This video may feel like a filler but its imagination and vision more than make up for it.

This is when the 'movie' itself begins. My favourite part is when Michael steps into a 30s-style club and "Smooth Criminal" kicks in, resulting in a truly artistic music-video sequence, climaxing in the middle, when the music dies and the club-goers chant, for almost a minute, before the music kicks back in. I won't spoil the rest of the movie for you, but these are my favourite parts.

If you are a Michael Jackson fan then this belongs in your collection for sure. Whether or not you are a fan, if you want to see a really imaginative, creative journey through Michael Jackons's imagination, I can also recommend this. One thing is for sure; the tagline couldn't be more correct. This truly IS a movie like no other.

I was on the fence about buying Moonwalker on Blu-Ray at first. I remember renting the VHS tape when I was 6 years old, staring up at the fuzzy image in my parents' bedroom and getting up to sing and dance along to Smooth Criminal. As with most things Michael did, it was magic! But would it still have the same impact today?

Here's a quick rundown of the movie:

-It starts with a montage of live performances of "Man In The Mirror." As you'd expect, the arenas were PACKED with people, and a good number of them cried or fainted during the song. There's also footage of historical figures such as Gandhi and JFK, as well as starving children getting food and medicine, and Michael's charity work. Powerful stuff.

-Next is a retrospective of MJ's career to that point, from the Jackson 5 years to his Bad album. Most of the songs/videos only play for 30 seconds or so, and the transitions are sometimes abrupt, but it's still a well-packaged look at the first half (!) of his career.

-When the montage gets to the Bad era, it transitions into Badder, which is the Bad video performed by children. It's fun to watch, but sadly doesn't include the whole song, and I wish the original video was included on the disc. Actually, that's my major complaint about Moonwalker - that it doesn't include full-length videos for Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, etc...only short clips that leave you wanting more. There ARE three full-length videos in the movie (as well as a sort of "bonus" video at the end); those and the main feature sort of make up for it.

-The first video is Speed Demon. It's a mostly claymation piece that features Michael getting chased by crazed fans and paparazzi. He dons a rabbit head and zooms out on a motorcycle and other vehicles, only to get a ticket himself at the end. It's a bit crude-looking at times, but it's still hilarious and a marvel of the animators' skill (in a time before CGI made animation easy).

-The next video is also really creative: Leave Me Alone. The song is about a girl who broke MJ's heart and won't give him peace, but he reapplied the lyrics to all the tabloid stories and rumors about him for the video. The video has him flying around an amusement park which includes exotic animals, the elephant man and his monkey Bubbles. At the end, we find out the park is built around Michael, and he breaks free from it. The video won a Grammy for Breakthrough Animated Video.

-Now we have the main feature of Moonwalker, Smooth Criminal. At 40 minutes long and with special effects that still look incredible, it's more a mini-movie than a music video. Basically, Michael and three kids find out about a drug lord (evil Joe Pesci!)operating in an underground lair. We move to a 1930's-style city, where Michael has the power to wish on a shooting star and turn into various vehicles in order to get away from/fight the bad guys. In the middle of the video, he walks into a nightclub and performs Smooth Criminal, and wow, it still blows me away today how great it is. From the time he flips the coin into the jukebox to his machine-gunning exit, it's pure excitement! Thanks to the HD presentation, it's even better than I remember, as you can see all the dancers and musicians in the background as they move to the beat. The Blu-Ray is missing a couple things here* but it's not a big deal.

-At the end of Smooth Criminal, Michael comes back to the kids and leads them backstage to his performance of Come Together. This "live" performance is a nice bookend to the video, though I wonder why he chose that particular song.

-The end credits include behind-the-scenes clips while a vocal group sings The Moon Is Walking, followed by the sped-up/blurred music video for Smooth Criminal (the album version).

I mentioned that Smooth Criminal is missing a couple things:

1. At the end of the song part (before he pulls out the machine gun), Michael counts down his steps, spins around and points at the roof. On the Blu-Ray, the music keeps playing, but the vocals for his countdown and "BOW!" at the end are missing.

2. After he leaves the nightclub, there's a couple seconds cut off just as he meets the boys again and learns little Katie is missing.

3. As another reviewer pointed out, a couple seconds are missing where Frankie Lideo (Pesci) threatens to inject Katie with drugs.

Those omissions, as well as the missing opportunity to add bonus videos from Bad, or retrospectives, or even a fan commentary, bring down the disc a bit (the trailer is included, but it hasn't been cleaned up at all). There are also a couple film scratches and marks here and there which could have been removed. Overall though, I'd say it's worth the upgrade to see Moonwalker in high definition. It's more proof (as if you need any!) that Michael Jackson was the greatest entertainer in the world.

Made when Michael Jackson was the biggest superstar in the world and before all that tabloid attention.

To start off with, it features a video medley of all his greatest hits from when he was in the Jackson 5 and his solo career, then it moves on to the actuall hour-long movie, full of music and killer-coriography by non-other than the man himself.

Most of the soundtrack is from his newest album at the time 'Bad', ofwhich 'Smooth Criminal' is the theme tune, though it does include tracks like 'Thriller', 'Billie Jean', Blame It On The Boogie' and 'Man In The Mirror', not to mention an extremly good cover of the Beatles' 'Come Together'.

The entire movie in itself is a bit of a mess, but fans will love it for it's great music and dance.