Moonwalker
I have loved this film since I was a nipper. It was on constantly in our household with a bunch of Disney movies that my sister and I played repeatedly much to our parents’ annoyance. I know it off by heart, I know which songs come first, which part would make me happy and which part would terrify me.
Our household was always a big Michael Jackson fan with my older sister bearing most of the obsession even to this day. My mum had been to his concerts and his songs were played a lot. So its safe to say that Moonwalker ranks extremely high when it comes to favourite childhood movies. So I recently re-watched the movie for this article and it is safe to say that we must have all been on crack. Because the movie is just so damn weird.
There is no real plot. It is a film about Michael Jackson by Michael Jackson. That is all you need to know.
Why Is It Bad?
Moonwalker is billed as follows; “from the imagination of Michael Jackson comes a movie like no other.” That’s right, this is a movie right from Jacksons mind. It’s fairly safe to say that from the weird dot we are going to be in for a rather strange mind. Choosing to flit from concert shots to elongated music videos, the extremely self-indulgent Moonwalker could have been held up as a brilliant testament to the unquestionable music legend. And then it, well, it jumps the shark.
I can’t really describe it. Not that I’m afraid of giving anything away. There is a simple train of thought when it comes to Moonwalker. It goes as follows;
“Oh hey that’s cool, a collection of his hits with some concerts we couldn’t go too and some press stuff, that’s awesome. I love Michael Jackson.”
“Ok so that was a really sweet thing to make the Bad video with kids. The steam bit was weird and the Claymation fan bit was interesting, if that is the word to use. And he pretends to be a giant Claymation bunny rabbit? Ok…well…ok so the Claymation rabbit just did Michael Jackson moves with Michael Jackson….and turned into a mountain to wink at him. Well, it was awesome to see those dance moves I guess. Still a bit odd though.”
“Erm so somehow, it is a children action movie where Michael Jackson is best friends with three kids and they are homeless and trying to find him because he has disappeared after Joe Pesci tried to kill him. Yes, Michael Jackson is trying to kill Joe Pesci. Oh there is a flashback. Oh slow motion through woods. Oh a creepy abandoned laboratory with lots of spiders. Ok, we’re back to the homeless kids. Oh Smooth Criminal!
“Ok, Michael Jackson just turned into a car, a robot and a plane. I’m out of here.”
Why Is It Good?
Erm, it’s Michael Jackson. You do not question a God. I really shouldn’t have to explain much more to it other than the King of Pop is pretty much a legend. Hell, he couldn’t have done a movie of him wiping his own arse just as long as it had his epic music to it, nobody would have minded. He is untouchable, even after his death. Now after his passing, this video serves as a reminder of what made him brilliant (and insane.) This crazy attempt at a film is forgotten about because his songs are incredible, his dancing his amazing and his legacy that people are not going to forget.
Moonwalker is by far one of the strangest films I have ever watched and being a mistress of cult and guilty pleasure movies, that is really saying something. And some will see it as a black mark on cinema cursing the day someone told Jackson that a film would be a great idea. That being said, though, Moonwalker has everything we loved about the singer and it really does get inside his head. It’s Michael Jackson and how he saw himself; the movie speaks the pain of his fame, the naivety of his mind and true extent of his talent.
TTFN
Cookie.