Bad 25 (2012)

People sometimes forget that Spike Lee is as accomplished of a documentarian as he is a feature film director. His non-fiction snapshots of the black American experience, such as "4 Little Girls" and the Emmy-winning Hurricane Katrina exploration "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" belong in any conversation of Lee's greatest work alongside his narrative and fictional accounts of black life in the U.S.

Lately, Lee's documentary work has been appearing on the small screen, most recently this past Thanksgiving with an airing of "Bad 25," a look back at the making of and stories behind the collection of songs that made up Michael Jackson's landmark album "Bad," released in 1987 (hence the "25" in the title, to mark the release's anniversary).

Spike and Mike go back a ways, most notably when Lee was tapped to direct Jackson's "short film" (he never - we learn in the film - referred to them as "music videos") for "They Don't Care About Us," an angry, machine-gun punctuated rhythmic track from Jackson's "HIStory" double-disc. And while Lee's vision and cinematic voice was perfect for realizing that particular track, it's a bit odd to have to say that his work here on "Bad 25" bears little of his auteur character. Maybe it's because the film aired on television (after premiering at some film festivals), but I couldn't shake the sense that I was just watching an extended version of a VH-1 "Behind the Music" episode, just assembled by someone with a lot more class.

TV previews for the airing of the documentary stated that "Bad 25" would be a track-by-track look at the "Bad" album, and I'd read previously that Lee chose to explore the tracks out of sequence, placing "Man in the Mirror" at the end of the film for obvious dramatic and emotional impact as the film concludes powerfully with many of today's top stars (Kanye West, Mariah Carey) and Jackson insiders reflecting on the loss of Michael with an obvious pain that can still bring them to silent tears even years after his passing.

But there are still gaps. Stevie Wonder, for example, is particularly absent from the proceedings, even though he famously duets with Jackson on "Just Good Friends." Yes, that track is one of "Bad's least memorable cuts, but it was still the merging of two musical giants and Jackson's obvious attempt to trump the work he did with Paul McCartney on "Thriller." And considering that every move in making "Bad" was a thinly-veiled attempt to top "Thriller," it seemed like a moment that should have been included and wasn't. Since Lee sells himself as such a Jackson connoisseur, the omission is glaring.

At least bits and pieces of 10 other tracks from "Bad" are explored in "Bad 25," often centering more around the creation of the short films for the tracks than the tracks themselves, and allowing Lee to bring in the likes of Martin Scorsese for interviews. It's still somewhat mind-blowing to think that Scorsese, king of the gritty New York film, would have agreed to direct the short film for "Bad." But it also makes sense that Jackson would select Scorsese to legitimize what amounted largely to an ode to "West Side Story," and it's touching to watch Scorsese reflect on Jackson with such fondness and even a detectible sense of awe.

Many of the most magical elements of "Bad" are merely dropped in for quick references rather than being explored in satisfying detail, such as the mind-blowing choreography of "the lean" in the "Smooth Criminal" video. And there was never enough footage in "Bad 25" that got inside of Michael's head in terms of why he created a particular song or what it was all for or about. As a huge Jackson fan, I certainly relished those moments when Lee actually had access to footage of Jackson explaining anything in that kind of depth.

The underlying foundation of Jacksonian history explored at least in subtext throughout "Bad 25" is that "Thriller" was Jackson's greatest work, never to be topped. But I never enjoyed "Thriller" from start to finish the way I enjoyed "Bad" (or even "Dangerous," for that matter), and I appreciated the sense I got from this film that I'm not alone in that thinking. Yes, the best tracks on "Thriller" are probably the best MJ tracks ever ("Billy Jean" chief among them). But my favorite Jackson song has always been "Smooth Criminal," and I enjoyed the footage of a nonplussed Quincy Jones expressing his confusion over just what it was that Michael saw in the track, because it didn't do much for him.

"Thriller" clearly set the sales benchmark, but "Bad 25" reminds us of the chart history set by its follow-up, the first record to spawn five Billboard number one singles. An unbelievable nine of the album's 11 songs were released as commercial singles, seven of them charting in the Top 20. Surely "Bad"'s ultimate appeal likes in Jackson's quixotic quest to best himself.

"Bad 25" comes off as more worshipful than candid, a thrilling reminder to hardcore fans of the magic but not quite satisfying enough in terms of shedding new light on the whys of this era, finding contentment instead on reliving the whats. And yet, having said this, I liked that fact that Lee chose to focus squarely on the genius of this one-of-a-kind legend, ignoring almost completely any of the tabloid-esque debates about Jackson other than to acknowledge how he faced them himself with the great "Bad" track "Leave Me Alone."

I loved every minute of "Bad 25" because I miss Michael Jackson terribly and could feel that Spike Lee does, too. I just wanted more. But then I guess that's how I'm left with Michael now for the rest of my days, always wanting more...

★ ★ ★