Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Fresh and Exciting

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

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 Shakur – most controversial person in the rap-game and music industryTUPAC RESURRECTION is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. There is a strong beginning, well-chosen music, interviews, good cuts, live-performances, an informative&interesting contents and a good ending. What you see in this film is not just the façade; you are also allowed to look inside the house. You realize how he and his environment were and how he and his environment developed. Tupac tells his fascinating, astonishing and incredible life-story in his own words and voice.He was the king of rap, gangster, prophet, revolutionary, prisoner, actor, poet, "a Black Panther's child", America's most wanted and a victim of a drive-by-shooting.In his life, which lasted for just 25 years, he had many ups and downs and some people assume that he spent as much time in the music studio as in jail. As long as he lived he wanted to be the best rapper on earth and tried to support all Afro-Americans and thugs, especially those who lived in the ghettos. He used his popularity to shake the people and tried to make them aware of the cruel circumstances black people have to deal with in the ghettos. If I had the opportunity to meet this character it would be an honor and an exciting experience for me, because I have already read and heard so much about him – good stuff as well as bad stuff. I would ask him if it was planned that the number seven was like a thread in his life and why he was that fascinated by Niccolò Machiavelli. In addition I might ask what specific ideas he had about society and if he thought that there was a way out of human's self-destruction. I would also tell him that I appreciate his work and his social commitment.He was one of the world's best, but not a lot of people saw this side. Most of them just saw the gangster and personified evil, but there was also the good, thoughtful and peaceful side, which wasn't seen by many people, especially not by a bunch of (white) politicians.

One of the best movies of the year. I was never a big Tupac fan but this film will appeal to anybody who is even remotely interested in the impact and importance of hip hop and the cultural significance of Tupac Shakur. Furthermore the film is a lesson on the most important racial and economic issues of our time. It is recommended to all!!!!

One never knows what to expect out of rock films. Going into Tupac: Resurrection, I half expected another mediocre blaxploitation groaner. The other half expected a gushy MTVish drool-fest out to promote the soundtrack artists, including current corporate media darling 50 Cent.Resurrection is neither. The producer is not some slick Hollywood mogul with no understanding of rap except as a source for making a quick buck. Instead, Afeni Shakur, the late rapper's mother, takes charge. As both executive producer and the dominant force in her son's short life, her personal agenda impacts every frame. Like all documentaries, this is an extremely one-sided account, and it is likely due to her input that the movie downplays the darker aspects of Pac's self-destructive downward spiral after his move to Death Row Records. Nor is the film harsh enough on Tupac's seemingly endless capacity for paranoia and irresponsibility.Fortunately, she also makes the crucial decision not to dwell on more tired hash-rehash of so called East Coast/West Coast rap war, which the movie clarifies as less of a reality than a media event. Nor does it choose to linger on the numerous rumors and conspiracies surrounding Tupac's murder.Shakur and director Lauren Lazin wisely decide to let Tupac's voice carry the film. Lazin wisely refrains from using the masterful, propagandistic gimmicks of a Michael Moore documentary. There are no distracting interviews or massively-edited montages. As a result, the movie has a lyrical, sacred tone. History has mystified Pac as a martyr for West Coast gangsta rap, although during his lifetime he only released one such album. Few choose to remember that Death Row was the twilight of his life, that he spent the first half-decade of his career recording in the East where he grew up. It is here that the film takes its cue.Resurrection lays bare a magnetic, arrogant, charismatic spirit that immediately affirms why Pac remains one of rap's only true megastars. Though the film is not hard enough on how his growing obstinacy may have hastened his demise, it does not shy away from the controversy, the premonitions of death, the sex abuse conviction, and the inflated ego. The result is a well-drawn sketch of man aware of his genius but haunted by demons, a tortured soul navigating a realm more thuggish than he was at his core, a contradiction which plays as a general commentary on rap's manufactured images.This movie's production value alone easily outclasses nearly every other cinematic work that has ever pretended to be about hip-hop. It bears little resemblance to How High or Belly or to the shameless self-promotion of the vanity project 8 Mile, which was so sanitized as to kill any revelations it might have made about its star Eminem, the most high profile rapper to yet arise. I don't understand how someone could praise 8 Mile for its beauty and honesty (it isn't) and then criticize this film.By contrast, the sincerity of Resurrection solidifies Pac's reputation as `the only rapper that matters.' It shows why he is peerless and maybe the greatest artist the genre has yet produced: whatever can be said about his music, as an intelligent personality there is simply no one else in his class. He is so much more painfully relevant than all star rappers, and the sharpness of his observations on everything from politics to poverty leaves dust in the eyes of all his contemporaries. He represents a paradigm that has become all-too-rare in a musical form now dominated by cartoon images: a constructive rather than destructive point-of-view.A ball of contradictions, Tupac is finally much more complex and brilliant than most people would expect. People are uninformed and uninterested in hip-hop probably will get little out of this movie. Those who know will realize that the biggest tragedy is that not that Tupac died before reaching his full potential, but that other young black men with similar sensibilities rarely reach his level of visibility. 9.5/10.