On the occasion of Michael Jordan's second retirement, the NBA were again tricked into thinking it was final and made another video to sum up his career and impact on the game. Looking back at his return a few years later with the Washington Wizards it was perhaps just as well because this film is able to feel like the man went out at the top of his game with great timing rather than having to deal with the issue of the misjudged return.
I saw this film after watching a few other of the NBA-produced Jordan films (Air Time etc) and a bit narked that the film yet again takes the "corporate video" approach with a narration that is overly earnest and heavy. I've said it before but you cannot help but feel that this and the others would have been better with someone with passion and proximity to the subject delivering a narration. Watching the film though, it is easy to understand why the failings in this area are here as they were in most of the NBA/Jordan films and the reason for this is that His Airness is essentially "Air Time", "Come Fly With Me" and "Above & Beyond" edited together into one film. There really isn't anything that new in this film for those that have seen those other films and for me I found it a bit frustrating.
I suppose one could look at it from the other point of view, which is that this replaces the other films and means you only have to watch this one but then consider what it means in context. The leading light of the NBA, a global superstar and global bland, has just retired at the height of his powers, how do you mark this occasion on film? I ask because, if it was me, I probably wouldn't have edited together the films I'd made a few years ago as if I was doing an amateur tribute on You Tube! I'm maybe being a bit harsh but consider how it looks in that light and tell you you're happy with it.
Regardless though, the film is really only worth seeing for the collection of clips which does feel like an endless highlight reel of his skills and moves. Despite these though the film shares the "corporate promotion" feel that it shares with its predecessors and I couldn't shake the feeling that it is all a bit lazy and careless to simply rehash old films into a new one rather than at least shooting new interviews just seems like he deserved a more lovingly crafted tribute.
