Bad 25

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Bad 25

2012

2h 10m

Documentary

Music

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Popcornmeter

92%

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12 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Filmmaker Spike Lee examines the legacy of Michael Jackson's 1987 album "Bad."

Mikael Wood

Los Angeles Times

On-screen, "Bad 25" moves in the style of a great pop song.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 25, 2012

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Lou Lumenick

New York Post

The posthumous campaign to polish Michael Jackson's tarnished reputation continues apace with this Spike Lee infomercial, commissioned by Sony and the money-grubbing Jackson estate to promote the 25th anniversary of his 1987 album "Bad.''

Rated: 2/4

Oct 19, 2012

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Jeannette Catsoulis

New York Times

Though at times a tad worshipful, the film's tone is ultimately more awed than hagiographic, its commenters too cleareyed and candid to back away from negative publicity or public disenchantment.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 18, 2012

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Jo-Ann Titmarsh

CineVue

A tribute to the master craftsman and musical talent that was Jackson and not a penetrative investigation of the man who made the music.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 2, 2019

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Sophie Brown

Dazed and Confused

[A] thorough and engaging exploration of the cultural phenomenon; a unique explosion in musical history, and insight into the loneliness of the performer, isolated in a fame bubble and devoured by the press.

Oct 14, 2016

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Jason Gorber

ScreenAnarchy

Even if you stubbornly refuse to get down with the heavy, heavy grooves on this recording, you may in fact find a new appreciation for both the record itself and the musician behind the headlines.

Rated: A

Dec 28, 2012

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Marcos Vinicius L

Michael Jackson é simplesmente o maior astro pop que este mundo já viu.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A technical dissection of the creative genius behind one of the most successful albums in history

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

camille l

Bien que beaucoup trop long, le documentaire de Spike Lee sur les 25 ans de l'album Bad de Michael Jackson recèle cependant de quelques moments de grâce et de bravoure parséminés de manière assez égale à travers les 135 minutes du métrage. Les intervenants, d'époque ou interviewés par un Spike Lee qu'on entend peut-être un peu trop, sont de qualités et les rares fois où on voit des images d'archives de Michael Jackson sont plutôt efficaces. Même si la structure du film est particulièrement classique (on va de chanson en chanson, suivant presque l'ordre de l'album), Lee parvient à orchester quelques jolies transitions. Bad 25 a un petit côté publireportage par moments, mais cela ne rend pas le film insupportable pour autant. On a connu Spike Lee meilleur documentariste mais le sujet s'y prêtait peut-être mieux.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A great doc about the best MJ era.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

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Audience Member

The predecessor of Spike Lee's slightly superior documentary "Michael Jackson's Journey From Motown to Off the Wall" still is required watching for all MiJac aficionados: Among many other great witnesses, it features all of the main architects of the amazing "Bad" album (e. g., Quincy, Bruce, Greg), with interesting behind-the-scenes insights and rare demos produced at the Hayvenhurst family villa in Van Nuys (which I once had the pleasure of visiting). Most noteworthy info (IMHO - shared by vocal coach Seth Riggs): Jackson had a three-and-a-half octave range. As demonstrated in sample clips, he could do a strong basso - but, according to Riggs, he just didn't feel like it. He preferred the child-like tenor.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Lee's documentary is one long homage to the great and iconic Michael Jackson's Bad album. It's clearly a labour of love to both Lee and all the interviewees who are diverse, vast and all uniquely interesting. The documentary is both poignant and beautiful to watch unfold, it's just a shame Lee isn't on camera.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Spike Lee examines the legacy of Michael Jackson's 1987 album "Bad."

Director: Spike Lee
Producer: Spike Lee
Production Co: 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks
Genre: Documentary, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 11, 2017
Runtime: 2h 10m

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