The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Blistering performances.

Just because LA Reid is the handler of Justin Bieber I don't why he puts him in to things when Michael Jackson worked all his life. To me it was a cut & paste film. I prefer the original Michael Jackson short films especially Ghost compared to this one. Granted Mariah Carey was a friend of Michael's but how did she & Bieber end up in this? I as a true fan of Michael Jackson never support anything with Justin Bieber in it. Once again MJ worked hard at his craft not to have it pasted together & a person that may "idolize him" be put in to this. It just makes me ill. LA Reid stop putting Bieber in Michael Jackson projects. I will stick to the original items of Michael Jackson. Thank you.

I had a chance to see 'BAD25' this past weekend at Yale University's Whitney Humanities Center. By the end of the 2 1/2 hour viewing I was in tears. Seeing Michael (not in his last days before his untimely demise) re 'This Is It' but during the momentous development of the followup album to the groundbreaking, record breaking "Thriller" album was a treat for real Michael Jackson fans. An emotional roller coaster that allowed you to laugh out loud at the anecdotes shared in one moment and listen in wonder during another. For real music fans like Spike Lee who grew up surrounded by musical talent and raised by a musician, watching the process for developing this album was a rare treat and a superior lesson in what it takes to harness the genius of an artist. Spike perfectly wove together interviews with Jackson's longtime collaborators: his sound engineer Bruce Swedien, super star composer Quincy Jones, his long time musicians, choreographers and other collaborators with those of present day artists that have been inspired by and owe much of their success to Michael Jackson's influence and legacy. Interspersed between those segments you get to see Michael at work. You witness his work ethic and all that inspired him to entice his audience visually. His short films (not videos) were as dear to him as the music he made. Spike was approached to do this documentary to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the release of the 'Bad' album. I remember where I was when I heard the first single. I was away at school living in Washington, D.C. I remember staying up late to watch his videos. I remember what it was like to hear 'Liberian Girl' for the first time. When you watch this documentary not only do you get to relive each of those moments, but you get to understand why you were so touched and affected by each song and each short film. A tremendous amount of work and nuance went into each recording. Bruce Swedien took us through the simple and yet unappreciated ways in which he was able to help create specific sounds for each song. Many amateurs will lament this approach because they do not understand MJ's influence. People will decry the use of old footage of Michael in concert but if you get to view it again you will understand. The Michael we knew and grew up loving was more himself during that time in his life than he was in the weeks and even months leading up to his death. Michael was suffering terribly from his addiction and was surrounded by those willing to aid him in that addiction. Painfully his family stood by helpless which is typical when dealing with an addict.Spike Lee very cleverly showed the reactions as he asked each person where they were when they heard that Michael Jackson had passed away. I too remember where I was when I heard the 'rumor'. That's what I called it because I did not believe it. Did not want to believe it. And as many said like Danyel Smith, during the interview 'still can't believe it'. Spike spoke to the audience after the viewing ended. He explained why the last segment of the documentary was dedicated to the making of the song "Man In The Mirror" written by the incredible singer & song writer Siedah Garrett. In short he explained to us in so much as when John Lennon died and 'Imagine' dominated the airwaves, "Man in the Mirror" stood out as the song that represented this icon. All of his songs were played but "Man in the Mirror" is the anthem that touches us all. I dare anyone not to tear up during those last 10 minutes. I want to thank Spike Lee for allowing us to revisit 1987. I can not think of a more perfect tribute to MJ and those who were lucky enough to work with him. And I feel especially lucky to have shared the experience of the documentary with my young nephew who loved every minute of it. A budding but true Michael Jackson fan.

Don't get me wrong, I love Spike Lee and I love MJ, but this documentary just isn't that good. I saw it at the Filmfestival in Venice this summer, and was really looking forward to it, especially since Spike was there at the viewing. He was cool. The film let me down a little bit, though. Even though especially the footage of the making of 'Bad' and the origins of other songs were great to see and very interesting, some of the interviews with celebrities were not. People like Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey did not have a lot to contribute, and for me the tear-jerking question 'where were you when you heard about Michael's death?' (followed by a montage of celebrities looking down, tearing up etc) could have been left out. It is important to pay a tribute to the King of Pop, of course, but it could have been done in a tighter and 'smoother' way. It reminded me too much of some MTV 'The Rise & Rise of..' format. The style of the film (talking head, weird cross zoom rotate fade, original footage, talking head) was also part the reason why to me it felt it should have ended about twenty minutes before it did.

It's a nice documentary for Michael Jackson fans who never get enough from this man, there's a lot of unreleased rehearsal and Behind the scenes videos you've never seen before. the best part of the movie was that one about the way you make me feel I really loved it, the least was smooth criminal part, they presented the lyrics as meaningless crab, the short film as a reidea, something that I completely disagree. These particular hit and short film took Michael's popularity to a whole new range around the globe, maybe it didn't make it in US but it was the most international single from the album. I first know about Michael from this short film. for people just curious about how Michael's music process goes, I recommend This is it than BAD25. Maybe I'm a little bit overrating but I give 10 stars for this doc.. Its celebrating a 10 star album, and the all time king of stars :)