Kobe Bryant's Muse

Kobe Bryant's Muse is about what I expected. I must admit, I only developed an interest in the late legendary basketball player after his relatively recent untimely passing. He is indeed one of the greatest players to have ever played the game, and this movie does a good job of portraying some of the biggest obstacles he faced in his professional and personal life. I feel like I know more about his struggles on and off the court after watching this documentary.

The film's driving plot amidst the non-linear storytelling outlining Kobe's career and love for the game is his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon injury at the tail end of the 2012-2013 NBA regular season. The injury came to be the first of many that would ultimately lead to his retirement in 2016, the year after this film was released. This is an interesting although not entirely original approach. However, too much emphasis is placed on the injury, making the movie drag.

As stated by other reviewers, literally the only person interviewed is Kobe himself. This is a fresh approach to the sports documentary genre, although it would have been nice to have gotten other perspectives as well from people who watched Kobe grow. While he goes into great detail about his relationship with his wife Vanessa, his relationships with notable teammates (i.e. Shaq, Pau Gasol) and coaches (i.e. Phil Jackson) are left almost completely ignored.

From a cinematographic perspective, the movie offers an intimate portrait of the basketball legend. However, certain scenes of Kobe shooting baskets all alone that are supposed to be artistic and graceful come off as slightly boring. On the other hand, the editing, music, etc. Are all quite professional and in good taste.

Overall, while this film offers a glimpse into the factors that contributed to Kobe's passion for the game and incredible work ethic, I was hoping for more. In the context of his death, this movie could have explored much more. His achievements as an athlete and his overall legacy seen underplayed. But of course, none of the filmmakers at the time of this movie's production knew he would not be with us much longer. I would recommend this film to die-hard Kobe fans wanting to know more about the struggles he faced. I personally would not watch it again though.

I can't hold back my tears when I watch this.

Kobe. GOAT. Mamba. The glory. That's what the media likes to call him in order to generate popularity.

But the Kobe in front of the camera here is the most raw and Kobe-like Kobe. A superman who's a human with badges on his front and scars on his back. The lonely kid sitting in the corner. The dreamer who believes in his dreams. The passion. The drive... That's what most people associate with when they mention Kobe.

But what cracks me into tears is when he said "I failed miserably." That's what truly makes a man great, the ability to see through his own weakness and failures and recover from that. That's what we do.

The pain and sacrifices right in front of your eyes. I can't stop my tears. This is the real Kobe. This is the real superman.

The director did an amazing job. Action speaks louder than words. This is the beauty of a motion picture. No words. Just background music. A physical therapist is working on Kobe's foot. Drop down a box of marbles. Kobe has to pick them up with his injured foot. I can't stop my tears.

Raw. Very Kobe. Nothing to envy about. The emotion. The highlight. The pain. The struggle. Behind his 30K pts and 5 rings. Thank you Kobe.

With love, Your fans

Really hit different watching this after his passing, but overall great documentary.

Great documentary. Just found this on Prime and watched it here a few months after his passing and that made it kinda sad. What an incredible athlete and competitor this guy was. I had no idea his father played in the NBA for 8 years as well. The Black Mamba is a legend. RIP Kobe...

As a documentary filmmaker I must say that this is a very well made film. From a filmmaker view the film did a great job at providing a clear storyline. I really enjoyed going from present to past, interlocking the injury recovery of Bryant and his life. The black and white color choice was a great one for the present part of the film. I hadn't really been a fan of Kobe Bryant because he was so good that he just came across as a very cocky individual. After watching this film and learning of all that he was going through in his career and personal life I can now say that I am a fan of Kobe as a person. I felt that he did a very good choice on being honest in his thoughts. I do feel that the sexual assault part of his life was danced around and those that don't know of that will be a little confused when that part of the film is discussed during the year of 2003. For him being as honest as he was with everything else, I do feel that there would have been a stronger impact on the film if he hadn't danced around that part, but had attacked it straight on as he did with everything else. This left me inspired to be a better person and to understand why the Kobe Bryant I have seen play basketball always was so cocky. A must watch.