Very disappointing...

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

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

Famed rapper Tupac Shakur recounts his own life from the grave using old tapes of his recordings. His Black Panther leader mother was pregnant with him when she was in prison. His father was mostly absent and his stepfather was a gangster. He lived in poverty in Harlem, then Baltimore before moving out west. At times, he attended art school, made friends, and found purpose in performing. Through it all, social justice and the class struggle was never far from his mind. There is something ghostly and haunting about hearing from his voice as if from the other side. It heightens the power and he was also a very charismatic person. I'm sure plenty of his darker side was edited out but it's still a compelling portrait.

Tupac: Resurrection is made such a compelling documentary because rather than a documentarian detail the life, motives, and opinions of the late rap icon Tupac Shakur, old interview compilations, poetry excerpts, excerpts taken from Shakur's colorful music, and much more are played in order for him to tell his own life story despite no longer being with us. This provides for one of the most personal documentaries I have yet to see, especially considering that it would've been much easier to hire a narrator to analyze Shakur's upbringing, rise to fame, untold controversy, and his untimely death in 1996.When Shakur died, he left us with a plethora of content, some of which had been released, some of which would later see a release on his label Death Row Records. Tupac: Resurrection even contains some seldom-heard music from the man himself, and even emphasizes on Shakur's handwritten poetry, which describes his mother, who was a devoted Black Panther, and his father - whom he didn't know until later in his life - who was also an activist for African-Americans. Growing up in an unstable home, where violence was prominent and alternate living conditions were difficult to arrange, Shakur would often emulate the behavior of characters on sitcoms like Different Strokes, which revolved around a big, happy family - something Shakur craved.Shakur had the fortunate circumstance of being exposed to the arts and the theater when we was very young, and read and admired William Shakespeare throughout his entire life. He recognized his good fortune by seeing others in his neighborhood not even know who he was talking about when he would try to hold a conversation with them on plays, art, theater, or what-have-you. After leaving his mom's house as a teenager, Shakur looked to role models on the streets, which helped build the Shakur we know today.The film shows Tupac as a commanding, rugged philosopher, who would always emphasize the word "thug" and his personal motto "thug life." However, the way he defined "thug" was much different than the contemporary dictionary definition of the world. Shakur states that a "thug," in his mind, is a prideful underdog - somebody who has nothing but still holds their head up and works to make something. "What's the difference between me saying, 'I don't give a f***?' and Patrick Henry saying, 'Give me liberty or give me death?,' Shakur asks.Directly after the scenes where Shakur is defining "thug" show Shakur working in efforts to bring the East Coast/West Coast sides of the rap game together in a social gathering that served as a truce in the nineties. Shakur stands tall on stage, rapping his heart out, before imploring the people at the gathering to stop the violence and he'll continue to organize benefit concerts as a token for his appreciation.When Shakur explains his music, however, is when he can be a deeply contradictory figure. Despite his music both equal parts powerful and empowering, Shakur's actual music and his explanations and analysis of his music frequently seemed to come at a crossroads. This isn't as big of an issue as it may seem. Shakur, despite being rugged, tough, and thuggish (the word is employed here with his definition in mind), he was also incredibly vulnerable, and his explanations of his work reflect a more sentimental or compassionate side of him that may or may not have been an afterthought. Regardless, even his perspective on certain issues makes one think more than the average rapper today. In one scene, Shakur tells us that the only reason the Vietnam War ended was because we saw the horror that took place over there; with other wars, we kind of just assumed people were dying in a beautiful, civil way When the time comes for Shakur's brief but significant career as an actor to be discussed, one can see that through his methods of preparation and focus when portraying another character that Shakur was nothing other than a method actor, or somebody that invests in and studies their character for an ample amount of time in order to perfect a role. From his memorably gritty performance as the main antagonist in the street-drama Juice to the sweeter, softer side of him shown in the film Poetic Justice, Shakur demonstrated a diverse, character-actor mentality despite being so young and impressionable in the industry.Finally, Tupac: Resurrection looks at the controversy Shakur endured, not in the form of concerned politicians and talking heads in terms of what music their children were listening to, but how Shakur found himself wrapped up in several sexual assault cases, all of which he vehemently denied. With the aura Shakur had created about himself through his music and ideas, he proved that while you can be one of the smartest thinkers in a dangerous industry, you're still part of a very dangerous industry, which only further proved true as Shakur was shot and killed in Las Vegas in September 1996 in a drive-by shooting.Tupac: Resurrection is a fantastic display of documentary filmmaking by director Lauren Lazin, who allows Shakur to discuss ideas and topics "in his own words," so the film's tagline goes, and provide us access to a great deal of exceptional content from the man himself. It is one of the strongest, most powerful music documentaries i have yet to see.Directed by Lauren Lazin.

According to AMG.com, "2Pac became the unlikely martyr of gangsta rap, and a tragic symbol of the toll its lifestyle exacted on urban black America. At the outset of his career, it didn't appear that he would emerge as one of the definitive rappers of the '90s — he started out as a second-string rapper and dancer for Digital Underground, joining only after they had already landed their biggest hit."This 2003 documentary film, "Tupac: Resurrection," directed by Lauren Lazin, is about the life of slain rap artist Tupac Amaru Shakur, and is both a testament to his career and legacy and is also an insightful look into 2Pac, the man behind the controversy.There's no question of the impact of 2Pac's legacy on rap music, and all of music in general. He's sold almost as much posthumous material as Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix combined. As a fan of the hip-hop culture and rap music, I have nothing but love for 2Pac, even though my greatest admiration of him has always been his music and his message, never his media-exaggerated persona and seemingly contradictory philosophies.But at the same time, it's very distressing for me to realize that he is best remembered for his death, much rather than his life and achievements, such as his "Thug Life" code and "One Nation" project, which was aimed at squashing East/West beef and curiously enough still hasn't gotten off the ground."Thug Life" and Black Panther political rhetoric were his signature. His "don't-give-a-f**k" attitude permeated his early rap career on records like "2pacalypse Now" (1991) and "Strictly For My N.I.G.G.A.Z." (1993), all of this following his brief stint with rap/"P"-funk heroes Digital Underground. His black militancy stance did of course catch the furor of every moral-minded politician in America, as he did also join the ranks of every other rap artist who came under fire by the anti-rap circles active in this country.Even after seeing this film, I'm reaffirmed in my beliefs about 2Pac's depth and message as an artist. He was one of the most gifted rappers that the industry has and ever will see. His performances in films like "Juice" (1992) and "Above the Rim" (1994) were thematically deep, intense, and incredibly "real," almost too real for some people to handle.Of course, 2Pac and his friend, the Notorious B.I.G., had beef, put their respective coasts on the map, and were both killed seven months apart from another - 2Pac died on September 13, 1996 (the day after my 11th birthday that year), six days after being wounded in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting; the Notorious B.I.G. was killed in a Los Angeles drive-by on March 9, 1997. Both men came to be recognized in subsequent years as the tragic symbols of the East Coast/West Coast rivalries between artists and a lesson to future generations about not just mo' money and mo' problems, but the entire industry as well.They both died so other artists could continue in hip-hop. I can recall television interviews from the time with other prominent rap artists, such as Nas, or Lord Jamar of Brand Nubian, both of whom seemed hardly overcome with any kind of grief over the murder of 2Pac, but were lamenting the fact that people were now idolizing him because of the fact he was dead.Lazin's film offers some careful and thoughtful insight into the slain rapper's revolutionary and troubled life, from being born a month after his mother, former Black Panther Afeni Shakur, was released from jail after having to face a laundry list of bogus conspiracy charges, to his impoverished upbringing, his rap and film careers, and finally his death and resurrection, as 2Pac himself narrates his own story from beyond the grave.2Pac wasn't perfect and I think that was something he frequently acknowledged and this film, using hours of archive footage and his songs, allows for the audience to see the different sides to his personality. Even in today's world of 2005, I'm still a bit angry with him because of the so many mistakes that he made, and letting his ego and emotions get the better of him especially when he seemed to know better.He made a number of contradictory statements in his songs and image, and committed a number of harmful actions against himself and others, many of which may or may not have played into his death. For me, it was his getting involved with Marion "Suge" Knight, Death Row Records, and the whole East/West rivalries that brought about his downfall, and 2Pac seemed to recognize that his own demise was imminent.Also, his frequent court troubles, like the alleged sexual sodomizing of a female fan in 1994 and his fight with the Hughes Brothers on the set of "Menace II Society" (1993), were also detrimental to his character and image. But again, I still respect 2Pac because he took the time out to acknowledge his mistakes and at least try to correct them.Lauren Lazin has directed a skillful and poignant film that lets its deceased subject matter speak for itself. The life of Tupac Amaru Shakur is an intense study of progress and change seen through the life of a revolutionary artist who tried his best to change himself and the troubled world that he lived in.10/10

Tupac Resurrection is a MUST SEE. Regardless if you know who Tupac is or not, this film gives a deep and interesting perspective on the life of Tupac. A TRULY GREAT Portrayal OF A LEGENDARY FIGURE. This documentary/film looks at how Tupac was brought up and how his life has changed many. It is all explained in Tupac's own words, which helps add to the feel of the film. In many ways the autobiography he never got to write, Tupac: Resurrection features the artist in his own words, examining his complicated life and the controversial decisions that plagued him while he was alive. Tupac: Resurrection captures, as never before, his boundless passion, searing honesty, and stunning intelligence, and showcases a range of never-before-seen writings, letters, screenplay ideas, lyrics, poems, photographs, and personal effects, and stands as an indelible testament to the artist's astonishing cultural legacy.