Sundance 2016 – Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall

Michael Jackson, in my opinion, is the greatest showman ever to grace a stage.  He could sing like no one before or after him, his dance moves were effortlessly complex, and he knew how to put on a show.  In director Spike Lee’s documentary Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall, we get to see how brilliant Jackson was and a track by track look at one of his best albums.

This isn’t a normal Michael Jackson documentary.  Lee focuses on the time in Jackson’s life when he and his fellow Jackson 5 brothers were ruling at the world at Motown records and then their transition to Epic Records, where Jackson would eventually break away from the group and make his first solo album, Off the Wall.  We then here a slew of celebrities and producers talk track by track about the album, much like Lee’s last Jackson documentary, Bad 25 (2012).  Each song is broken down from how it was made, to its importance, which gives us a true idea of what Jackson was thinking while making the album.

Using a combination of found concert footage and interviews with Jackson and current celebrities, Lee paints a crisp picture of Jackson as an artist and the state of music in that era.  We also get an understanding of what Jackson and Off the Wall meant to black culture and the black community.  He gave them a voice and a face in the predominantly white music scene in the 70’s.

The concert footage Lee got is incredible.  Most of the footage, and the best footage, comes from his Triumph Tour in 1981.  This concert was incredible and Lee gives us a front row seat.  Seeing Jackson rock a bedazzled shirt, dance his heart out, and sing classics like “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” is something to behold.  His performance of “She’s Out of My Life” gave me goosebumps.

Most people want to focus on the negative aspects of Jackson’s life rather than his artistry.  That is the best thing that Lee did with this film.  He doesn’t focus on any of the drama in his life and we don’t need it.  We are here to see the artist, the legend that is Jackson and we see him at his best.  It is a testament to his brilliance and proves without a shadow of a doubt why he will forever be The King of Pop.

MY RATING – 4/4

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