Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

I've been revisiting my Michael Jackson video DVDs and wanted to share a review on Michael Jackson's Video Greatest Hits History. This DVD can be purchased at music shops, on-line retailers such as Amazon (dot com), and places like Best Buy and perhaps even Wal-Mart. It costs around $15, but I have seen it for less recently. It's a one-sided disc (unlike History Vol 2, which is double sided) and runs for 1 hour and 29 minutes. There are options where you can turn (English) subtitles on and off, for those who want the words of the sings displayed, and it also has a Chapter Selection so that it's easy to skip around and go to your video of choice. The only extra this DVD has is a Discography, that shows various album covers.


The videos/short films included are as follows:


Brace Yourself - This is just a montage of Michael Jackson footage including scores of fans and how excited they were (some to the point of passing out), and it shows various concert scenes. It is the same exact "Brace Yourself" that is on the ending of History Volume 2. Still, it's a good way to start the video.

Billie Jean: This is not the Motown 25 performance, but instead is the full length music video. It shows Michael going from Point A to Point B while a detective or investigator follows him trying to get the scoop on him about, I assume, Billie Jean. As he makes his way along, the walk lights up underneath each footstep, and I remember reading recently that the tech guy had a time with working those lights in perfect timing because Michael was so fast in his movements. It's a great song, one of his most popular, and the video doesn't disappoint.

The Way You Make Me Feel: This version of The Way You Make Me Feel is the full short film version, shown in it's 9 minute and 30 second entirety. The video seen on TV is the same, but there are a few extra minutes in the beginning of this one that show men trying to pick up women and talking back and forth amongst themselves about their lack of scores. Then Michael comes around and a guy calls him over and talks to him, telling him that he shouldn't "act like those boys, and should be himself. 'Cause you can't be nobody else. You can't be them. You don't wanna be them." Then, he sees the girl, and decides to "be himself", and then we see the video we are familiar with. He tries to pick up the girl with his dance and song telling her "the way you make me feel...you really turn me on.. you knock me off of my feet." The audio is perfect, but the clarity isn't as great as it maybe could have been.

Black or White: Now, this is the controversial "Panther" version of Black or White. It starts as the exact same video that was shown on TV every now and again (even here recently) with little Macaulay Culkin (of Home Alone) playing his music too loud and then blasting his dad off to Africa with his guitar. I love the video because of the dance scenes with the different ethnicities and the cultural dances. It's a song with a great message, about equality, anti-racism and anti-prejudice (if you look underneath the pop sound). It also has the morphing of different sexes and races (Caucasian girl turns to African American man who turns to a Chinese woman, etc). The ending though is "the panther scene" and after the morphing, out comes a panther (or, black leopard) which turns into Michael Jackson. He then dances around a lot, doing the "grab on himself" that he was famous for, while destroying windows of buildings and vehicles that have racist sayings written all over them. He does a lot of tap moves in this segment, and then he turns back into the panther. It's pretty cool to see, but I could see how it was controversial. Oh, and the ending shows none other than Bart (and Homer) Simpson, clad in his Michael Jackson t-shirt.

Rock With You: This is the first single off of Michael's Off the Wall album. I'm not a fan of the disco sound, but I do like this song. The video is pretty generic but it's because of the time it was shot in (when pretty much everything looked generic by today's standards). He wears his full sequin outfit while lights strobe behind him and he sings of wanting to "rock with you..all night..." and "dance the night away".

Bad: This is the full length short film of Bad. (the 18 minute version). It shows Michael leaving school for perhaps Holiday, and then riding the train back to his home. Apparently Michael (or, I should say "Daryl" since that who he is play-acting) made it out of the "ghetto" and was enrolled in a fancy private school, trying to change his life. He meets up with his old buddies (one of them Wesley Snipes) and since they sense the change, try to bully him into robbing someone. Eventually, he begins the song Bad. The end of the song has him accapella singing "who's bad" over and again with his backup dancers/singers and telling his buddies that they're "doing wrong". I like the video not only because it plays like a movie, but because the song is so danged catchy. There's a part towards the end where the backups are singing "and the whole world has to answer right now..." and Michael is doing his "Whooo"'s several times. I tell you, I eat that up. There's also a scene I like with a guy doing a stand-still Moonwalk while on roller skates. It's just a video that he'll (Michael Jackson) probably always be remembered for.

Thriller: This is the 14 minute version (also seen on History Volume 2) by director John Landis. It shows on-screen Michael turning into a werewolf (that looks like a giant cat, to me) and then movie-goer Michael with his date who walks out of the movie, afraid. As they walk home and Michael sings "Thriller", the zombies come (with a "rap" by Vincent Price) and Michael himself turns into a zombie (that dances of course). The girl freaks out, runs away, and the zombies come after her. In the end though, everything seems okay. That is, until Michael faces the camera and we see his yellow eyes. Spooky.  But, it was super cool for it's time and pretty unique for a music video.

Beat It: This is the same video that is shown on History Vol 2.  It shows several gang members meeting up and getting into a knife fight while Michael shows up and is singing about how they shouldn't fight. "No one wants to be defeated, showin' how funky strong is your fight, It doesn't matter who's wrong or right, Just Beat It" So, instead of fighting, they all just break into a dance with Michael instead. It's not a bad video, and the song is really fun and catchy.

Remember the Time: This is shot as an Egyptian video/short film and has guest stars Eddie Murphy, Iman, and Magic Johnson. Also, it was directed by John Singleton (Boyz in the Hood). It starts off with the Queen (Iman) saying how bored she is, so the Pharaoh (Eddie Murphy) calls for entertainment. The Queen hates them all until Michael comes in. Apparently he and Queenie had a thing back in the day, and he starts singing "Remember the Time" ("Do you remember the time...when we fell in love...do you remember the time.when we first met, girl.")  One of my favorite parts of the short is when the Iman starts looking at Michael like "I want you", and Eddie sees he interactions and gets all wide eyed looking back and forth at them like "Wait a minute now! What's going on!"This video is great in that it's not just singing and dancing, there are other things going on and it plays out like a story (hence the term "short film"). The whole while, the Pharaoh's army are trying to get at Michael on his orders while the Queen is recalling the feelings she had for Michael. It's a pretty decent video, and there are a lot of segments where Michael dances with a group of people.

Don't Stop Til You Get Enough: This is another Off the Wall single and shows Michael in a 70's tux with a big black bow tie as he sings the title song. It's a disco song, which isn't exactly my cup of tea, and the video is what I call "generic". In a couple of spots, there are several of him on screen singing and dancing. The best thing about the video , to me, was that he was smiling the entire time like he was having a blast. This is possibly my least favorite video on the DVD, but Off the Wall fans may appreciate it.

Heal the World: This is the music video (not the Super Bowl performance as seen on Dangerous) and is such a pretty song. The video shows several shots of children on cots in an orphanage at first and a child's voice is heard saying,

"Think about, um, the generations, and say we want to make it a better place....for our children and our children's children...so that they know it's a better world for them. I think they can make it a better place."

Then, Michael starts singing this song about healing the world and making it a better place by having tolerance, love, and understanding. He's not in the video. Instead, it shows different shots of children, and soldiers. Several moving images include a soccer ball that kicks beside a tank, crosses burning in someone's yard, and children playing around soldiers armed with guns.  But then, the children start coming up to the soldiers, bringing them flowers, sharing smiles and love, and the soldiers eventually decide to drop their guns. The kids, you see, have made the world a little bit of a better place. It's just always been such a touching song, to me, and the video is so moving. "Heal the world we live in, Save it for our children" Also, this video was shot for his Heal the World Foundation.

Well, that's it for the DVD. I do prefer History on Film Volume II over this one, but it is still a great set of videos/short films. If you're a fan of Michael Jackson, the DVD is worth owning just because the videos are full length and not chopped-down-for-TV versions. It features some of his most popular songs, and being able to turn the lyrics on is a great feature for those who don't know the words to the songs and may want to sing along.  If you even remotely like Michael Jackson's songs, you can't go wrong with this DVD.




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Other Films You May Enjoy:

Michael Jackson Live in Japan (Concert)
Michael Jackson History on Film Volume II
Michael Jackson's Dangerous: The Short Films
Michael Jackson Number Ones
Michael Jackson Live in Bucharest (Concert)
Michael Jackson Moonwalker (VHS)
Making Michael Jackson's Thriller (VHS)
Michael Jackson's This Is It 

CDs:
Michael Jackson Number Ones
Michael Jackson This Is It

Books:

The Michael Jackson Tapes: A Tragic Icon Reveals His Soul in Intimate Conversation 
Moonwalk by Michael Jackson

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older