Tupac - Resurrection [2004]

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Customer reviews

review by: adam ham date: 2008-06-17 rating:
epic
beautifully done

takes the emotions of how pac thought. a great insider remembering 2pacs great music.

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review by: s.vernon date: 2007-11-26 rating:
A COMPELLING DOCUMENTARY
Gangsta' Rap artist Tupac Shakur was gunned down on the streets of Las Vegas in 1996, the end result of the life he led and the people he knew. He was 25. The documentary 'Tupac: Resurrection' takes an unusual and interesting approach to its subject, allowing the deceased singer to speak to us, as it were, directly from the grave. The film begins with him commenting on his own murder, then tracing back over the events of his life as a means of both setting the record straight and trying to make some sense out of all that happened to him in his very brief time here on earth.

The film, directed by Lauren Lazin, relies primarily on interviews Tupac gave throughout his short career, supplemented with some additional commentary from those who knew him best. Though he became a lightning rod of controversy due to both his criminal activities and his provocative (i.e. violent, sexist) lyrics, Tupac saw himself more as a 'voice of the people,' using his music as a vehicle for reaching out to and connecting with the downtrodden, impoverished blacks living in the kinds of ghettoes from which he himself sprang. However, even many well-known black leaders and spokespersons had trouble accepting Tupac's rather rose-colored definition of himself. What's most interesting about 'Tupac: Resurrection' is the dichotomy it establishes between the violence, drug use and criminal activities which played so prominent a part in Tupac's life, and the genial, reflective, almost apologetic tone of so much of what we hear him saying. It's hard to know just how much of what has found its way into this film is really raw truth and how much is sugarcoated revisionism designed to 'resurrect' and burnish a man's posthumous image and reputation. His views on women come out particularly incoherent and unresolved. Yet, 'Tupac: Resurrection' is an intriguing documentary because it gives us a glimpse not only into a strangely conflicted individual but also into the even more bizarre world of corporate thuggery he inhabited. Like many artists who have attempted to speak for the 'little people,' Tupac became a victim of his own success and celebrity, living the kind of pampered lifestyle that most of the people he was singing about would clearly never know. It's a conflict as old as art itself, and it is one that Tupac, for understandable reasons, was never able to resolve in his own life. Interestingly, however, his brutal death at the hands of murderous rivals, demonstrated that he never made it quite so far from his roots as his lavish lifestyle might otherwise have suggested.

As a document, the film traces Tupac from his early years as the child of two Black Panther members ( a pedigree that, he believes, set him on the path to social crusader early on), through his youth in poverty, his exposure to literature and drama at a performing arts high school in Baltimore, his early attempts at performing, his meteoric rise in the music industry, his years as a controversial celebrity, his burgeoning film career, his continuing battles with police, the first attempt on his life, his conviction for rape, his time in prison, and, finally, to the rivalry between his own West Coast label, Death Row Records, and the East Coast label, Bad Boy Records, which ultimately led to his untimely death. For that little bit of history alone, the film is worth watching.

As someone who knew very little about the life of Tupac - and even less about his music - before watching the movie, I found him to be both appealing and repellant, frightening and charismatic. The film leaves the audience feeling as conflicted as the subject - which is what a truly successful documentary should do after all.

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review by: bel_78 date: 2006-08-14 rating:
This is the kind of film Tupac's fans will adore, and spectators that don't know about him will appreciate...
"Tupac: resurrection" (2003) is a documentary that tells us about the life of Tupac Shakur, a rapper that became an icon, and that was murdered in Las Vegas in 1996, when he was only 25. I am far from being a fan of rap music, but I don't regret watching this documentary, as it is interesting and informative, the kind of film Tupac's fans will adore, and spectators that don't know about him will appreciate.

To start with, the director (Lauren Lazin) managed to get Tupac to speak from the grave, thanks to the careful edition of many interviews he gave during his lifetime. We get to know about his childhood, his relationship with his mother (a Black panther, and one of the producers of this documentary), and his beginnings as an artist. We are also allowed to hear his point of view about many issues, the kind of things he did to help his community, and the mistakes he made. Most importantly, we can hear his songs, the controversial music in which he expressed what he felt and who he was.

On the whole, I think that this documentary is outstanding. Notwithstanding the fact that it is subjective, it manages to entertain and inform at the same time. And even though you must not expect to know the whole truth about Tupac after watching "Tupac: resurrection", I'm confident you will have a pretty good idea of why we is remembered by so many even now. Highly recommended...

Belen Alcat

PS: For parents --> take into account that this documentary is not adequate for children, as it contains strong language, images of drugs, violence and sex.

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review by: l9iam date: 2005-03-19 rating:
This DVD is excellent!
This is the best DVD about 2pac I have ever seen! It gives you a really good insight into tupac's life and death row, and whats more it is narrated by the man himself! The special features are really good as well, with Snoop, Jada, Treach and members of his family giving good interviews which told you what he was really like.


review by: reviewer_192 date: 2004-10-11 rating:
Tupac Resurrected
A brilliant movie about Tupac's life and the truth about his time on Death Row Records.

The hidden features are fanatic, they are absolute proof that he still lives!.

I have one issue with the English version, it has four minutes less movie than the US version. The English version also has some different footage from the US version, in my view the movie seems to have been dumbed down for English audiences.

In my opinion you should buy the American version of Tupac Resurrection, if you don't have a multiregional DVD player than you should still buy the UK version, you just won't get the best version of this great movie.

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