Great Film overall

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

"I don't think I'm going to make it to 28...I got too much to do." Paraphrased & prophetic, Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child tells his story in his own words w/narration by Parliament's Bootsy Collins, we drop into the bright, momentary fire that was Jimi's life. Using concert footage from Woodstock & other venues & an archival interview w/Dick Cavett, we get a nice insight into the man. A must for any lover of Jimi's music.

This movie pretends to be a documentary, but is full of half truths, outright lies, and Hendrix's "words" are mostly fictionalized. For instance, the section on his abrupt military career is mostly favorably fictionalized. He was NOT honorably discharged, but was booted out for malingering and truancy*. I'm a huge fan of his music, but truth is truth.

Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child (2010) *** 1/2 (out of 4)Wonderfully entertaining documentary taking a look at the career of Jimi Hendrix. This documentary uses interview and concert footage as well as Bootsy Collins playing narrator and speaking the words of Hendrix. The narration segments come from written letters that Hendrix had written during his short life.If you're a fan of Hendrix then this here is certainly a must see because there's some really great footage here. I thought the narration was going to be really bad but this is actually where some of the greatest material comes from. This is especially true early on when we hear Jimi's letters to his father when he was still a young and struggling musician. Getting to hear him talk about life on the road was quite interesting to say the least.The film is full of wonderful concert footage that has Hendrix doing his songs as well as covers of Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Cream. The concert footage alone is worth the price of admission but we also get some interview footage taken from the Dick Cavett Show. If you're a fan of Hendrix then this here is certainly a must see. If you're unfamiliar with Hendrix then this here is a great way to see why he's considered one of the greatest of all time.

The best thing about this documentary is the archival footage of Jimi Hendrix in performance -- from a tricked-up pretty boy dancing alongside Little Richard to the dashiki-clad hipster trashing his guitar on-stage. There are also some great pictures of Jimi as a child and some interesting background material on his upbringing and all the rock stars he met on his way to superstar status. However, the narration of this film raised many questions. There are no talking heads here at all -- the entire voice-over is in the first person as if Jimi is speaking from the grave. Gently voiced by musician Bootsy Collins, we hear about Jimi's wish to avoid controversial topics such as race relations and politics -- although I did like his suggestion that anti-war protesters wear helmets like the cops did -- however, there's practically nothing about his personal life and use of the drugs that apparently killed him. One also wonders where the facts from this narrative come from...How do we know that Jimi would've said all this stuff? A few notes with the opening credits would have greatly clarified such matters. One of the producers of this film bears the last name Hendrix and maybe that explains why so much is left out. It's never clear why "Voodoo" is in the title, and, far more importantly, what about the drugs? Even a news clip shown, which announces Jimi's death in London at the age of 27, makes no mention of the cause of death. C'mon, now! Inquiring minds want to know! Ultimately, this is a diverting and frustrating work.