Thriller 40

As "Thriller 40" (2023 release; 88 min) opens, talking heads are gushing over the album, and we are reminded along that Thriller was, still is, and always will be the best selling album of all time. We then go back in time to the Jackson 5. At this point we are 10 minutes into the documentary.

Couple of comments: this is directed by writer-musician-director Nelson George (who in fact played on the Thriller album). Here he celebrates one of the best and most iconic albums of all time, with Michael Jackson, then 24-25, at the peak of his creative forces. The talking heads include people like Usher, Mary J. Blige, Maxwell, etc. The documentary really pays off when we get to the actual dissecting of the album tracks and the videos. Watch how current acts like K-Pop's BTS liberally "borrow" many moves introduced by MJ. And last, but not certainly least, there is "Thriller, the short film". Bottom line: I rarely play "thriller" anymore (because all of it has been played to death), but watching this documentary gave me a new appreciation for this, one of the greatest achievements in the history of pop music, and frankly all music, period. Please note that of course "Thriller" the album was released in late 1982, but "Thriller" the short movie was released in late 2983.

"Thriller 40" was released in limited theaters as a one-off on December 2, 2023. It started streaming on Showtime (now part of Paramount+) in late December. I just caught up with it the other night. If you are a fan of Michael Jackson or, say, of the just released "The Greatest Bight In Pop" documentary, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Always worth remembering that Jackson was acquitted in life from 14 charges in a gruesome trial where 'previous bad acts' where allowed and that the FBI never found anything incriminatory in an investigation that spanned 13 years and that included three thorough surprise raids of Neverland.

These are facts and you can look them up.

The documentary is a bit all over the place in terms of structure but is emotionally resonant.

It takes us to a time when Jackson was transitioning from teen to man, or from Michael Jackson to MJ, as he put it down in paper.

It excels at documenting this passage and at bringing us back when we watched in awe his inmense talent.

It takes.

A very good documentary that I wished was even longer. Michael Jackson was a genius and still this day, the Thriller album still remains the greatest and most iconic album ever.

One of the things I loved about the documentary were the rare clips that included the making of the videos and the ones from the Victory Tour in great quality. I hope his estate releases them for Michael Jackson fans and the rest of the public to see in general.

The current generation of artists and fans also need to watch this documentary to see how iconic the Thriller era was and how legendary Michael Jackson was and is still is as an artist. It was well done.

This is one of the best MJ Documentaries of all time, gives us a taste of how Michael Jackson's mindset was set towards success even after several challenges, as he always will be considered the World's King of Pop for all time. I hope there is another part or documentary continuation as that would be great to see more rare archival footage of mastered qualities and people that have worked with Michael to explain how MJ was as a musician. I would love to see more old live performance footage, more rare Behind-the-scenes clips, actions, dancing and close-up conversations. Michael has recorded in more depth and length in future Michael Jackson Documentaries.

The album Thriller has a special place in my heart and this has probably to do with the fact that like everyone who happened to live in the last few decades of the 20th century, the album would hold a deeper meaning. For those that grew and lived during this time period, little did we anticipate that this album would continue to remain popular well into 21st century and we would still be enjoying this album as we become older and greyer. What's more interesting is that the current generation are enjoying this masterpiece and this will hopefully be the trend in the decades to follow. Big up to the mastermind.