Tupac: Resurrection

Though he died when he was only 25, on the evidence of this florid documentary rapper/actor Tupac Shakur talked a great deal about himself on tape and film before his death. In fact, Shakur's own words comprise the entire script of Lauren Lazin's Tupac: Resurrection, essentially a chronological account of Tupac's life, put into some context by reference to wider social and cultural trends, including the black power movement in which his parents were involved. But while the implication is that his later rap message sprang from that revolutionary atmosphere, perhaps the most interesting revelation is that Shakur spent a number of his teen years in the resolutely middlebrow environment of an arts high school, suggesting that the thug persona he eventually adopted was as much a calculated career move as a natural progression. The later stages of his life are treated from a nearly hagiographic perspective, ending in his violent death and a sort of apotheosis in which a disembodied Tupac appears to float serenely above the clouds. But even if the warts are reduced to mere blemishes in this reverential portrait of the artist as a young man, the film still provides as full a picture of this talented musician-actor as one can expect in an authorized biography. Recommended. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include audio commentary by Tupac's mother Afeni Shakur, director Lauren Lazin, family members, close friends, and surprise guests (including Shock G of Digital Underground), four deleted scenes (4 min.), a nine-minute exclusive Christmas interview (9 min.), a three-minute interview with Tupac and Snoop Dogg at the 1996 Video Music Awards, a six-minute speech at a Malcolm X Grassroots Movement banquet in Atlanta, a seven-minute 1995 deposition, about-the-soundtrack segments for three songs (featuring two by Eminem and one by 50 Cent), two music videos, the 17-segment “Remember Tupac” section (17 min.) featuring “Where Were You When Tupac Died?” and interviews with Afeni, Snoop, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mary J. Blige (and others), a three-minute interview with Tupac's stepdad Mutulu Shakur, brief segments about the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts and Tupac bootlegs, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a sure to be popular documentary.] (F. Swietek)