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Watching what was possibility the world's finest athlete, it transcends all barriers in cinema innovations and film appreciation. Basically the movie is a chronicle of the 1998 playoff run of the Chicago Bulls, which regrettably was Michael's swan song. The text of the movie was your basic highlight reel fodder, (which, with this little black duck was A.O.K!). It's certainly not one to be analyised in film studies, however, if you are a hoop nut or Jordan fanatic you will relish this presentation.

The IMAX screen itself is inspiring, combining a variety of technological innovations: special cameras, projectors, wide screens and a theatre structure utilizing steeply raked seating. The 65mm negative stock was simply awesome. When admiring the 66-foot aerial shots of the Chicago skyline juxtaposed with footage of the Chicago Transit system was a visual feast. These unique views would lead me to recommend this film to non-basketball, non-Jordan fans alike. It showcased his daily routine. His Airness lives under a microscope and yet he never falters on the hardwood. This film, like the man, is a winner.

The movie covers, but does not dwell on negative aspects of Mike's life, (apart from his t-shirt tucking problem, but lets face it, he doesn't get paid in excess of 30 million a year to dress well.) A constant thread through the movie is how Mike uses his power of Zen-like concentration to focus on the target and forget about all the little troubles in his life. While the editors use matrix like special effects to show MJ's famous "Air Jordan" dunk, the single most amazing scene has to be MJ's final shot which won the '98 Championship. That single shot, displayed in IMAX, on the full wall of the theatre, bigger than life, sums up the entire career of Michael Jordan.

Narrated by Lawrence Fishburne (Apocalypse Now, Deep Cover), from
childhood on through his high school failures, through to his historic last shot at North Carolina College and his dynamic career in the Chicago Bulls, the film shows he has remained firmly grounded in himself, (kinda…). The cinematography is superb, with giant size pictures of Jordan making his great shots. Much of the film is not actually shot in IMAX. The editors cut regular images together as a montage in order to show the earlier highlights from high school up. While disappointing, the IMAX people certainly weren't following Michael Jordan around during high school. The editors do manage to pull it off however.

The filmmakers shot the 1998 final series in IMAX. The film basically could be described as a highlight film...but oh what a highlight film. The highlights are so much more incredible when seen on IMAX. Each shot has appeared in any number of a hundred highlight films and they are still fresh and amazing on IMAX. Also worth mentioning was the superb dramatic effect created by eliminating basic crowd noises and simply accentuating the on court noise, you could hear every drop of sweat hitting the floor.

I will admit that the film does candy-coat some of the things that happened throughout Jordan's career. The death of his father is quickly brushed over, and his stint with baseball makes him appear a bit like a martyr (he did it for his father). And no, gambling is not mentioned in the film either. Yet despite this the film gives you a perspective of how it might be to run up and down the floor of a packed NBA arena. It is almost as if you are on the court with these talented athletes. Seeing the action from such a close perspective is a must-see for fans of the game and non-Jordan fans alike. Does this little black duck recommend this film? I've flown south to watch it again!

To try to summarise his gigantic aura, when returning from an early retirement it was questioned if he would simply walk back into the starting five line up. The reply aptly came from Jordan's running mate, Steve Kerr, " Look, when you've got your own statue outside the building, yeah, yer' in the starting five!"--Virginia Murray

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originally posted: 12/10/00 18:03:37
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