Moonwalker (1988)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Directors:

Jerry Kramer
Jim Blashfield

Writers (WGA):

Michael Jackson (story) (segment "Smooth Criminal")
David Newman (screenplay) (segment "Smooth Criminal")

Release Date:

29 October 1988 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Fantasy | Music | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

A Movie Like No Other

Plot:

A combination of live footage of 'Michael Jackson' in concert, as well as a series of fantasy pieces with Jackson as the central character.

Plot Keywords:

Michael Jackson | Parody | Music Video | Concert | Part Computer Animation

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Michael Jackson	...	Himself / Michael
Joe Pesci	...	Mr. Big
Sean Lennon	...	Sean
Kellie Parker	...	Katie
Brandon Quintin Adams	...	Zeke 'Baby Bad' Michael (as Brandon Adams)
Ben Hoag
Bilal	...	Dancer (segment 'Badder')
Brent Kelly
Danial Brown
Jose Chaidez
Garland Spencer	...	Dancer (segment 'Badder')
D.J. Dellos	...	Dancer (segment 'Badder')
Dylan Stewart
Dove Dellos	...	Dancer (segment 'Badder')
Ingrid Dupree

Also Known As:

Michael Jackson: Moonwalker (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Netherlands:6 (DVD) | South Korea:All | Japan:G (re-release) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Ultimate Productions

Trivia:

The bad guy's name is "Frank Lideo". One of the film's executive producers is Frank DiLeo, Michael Jackson's long-time manager.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Michael is taking off the rabbit costume, he pulls down the pants and he has no gloves on, although the next thing you see him take off are the gloves. When he takes off the mask, the gloves are back on. He also has no tape around his fingers when he's taking off the costume, but he has it on when he has the dance-off with Spike (the rabbit, come-to-life), although it is on his fingers when he puts the mask with the other clothes.

Quotes:

Mr. Big: Bugs and drugs. Bugs and drugs. Smooth operation, that's what I got. Smooth operation.

Movie Connections:

Features Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Soundtrack:

Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)

View It For What It Is- A Music Video Collection

I was quite surprised to read some of the comments on this work, honestly. Some people were looking for a plot??? OK, when this video came out over a decade ago, I watched it for what it was: a collection of music videos. It's not a movie. It doesn't have a plot, nor a central storyline. It's a rather artistic anthology of mostly long-form videos, all of them rather smartly or creatively done. Michael Jackson may be considered a freak these days, but, after all, this was the man who gave us Thriller (considered by many to be the greatest music video of all time) and set trends with Billie Jean and Beat It. With Moonwalker, he and the filmmakers and artists who collaborated with him once again took his music and dance moves to create some vividly entertaining stuff, incorporating claymation, special effects, live performance footage, and even self-parody (the "Badder" sequence). And for those wondering what Joe Pesci was doing there, this video came out just a tad before he became a household name, and was one of his most memorable appearances on film. And, IMHO, I think the Smooth Criminal sequence (the choreographed section) beats anything else Michael Jackson did up to that point!