Susan Granger’s review of “Tupac Resurrection” (Paramount Pictures)
In the seven years since 25 year-old charismatic rapper Tupac Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, a myriad of books, plays, movies and TV shows have delved into his life and ruminated on his legacy. And he remains the world’s best-selling rap artist. Directed by Lauren Lazin, with Afeni Shakur, Tupac’s Black Panther-activist mother, as an executive producer, this documentary utilizes only archived interviews, photos and the rapper’s personal jottings in his journal, a selective technique which lends an eerie, beyond-the-grave autobiographical tone, as if the clowning, yet self-analytic Tupac had planned it himself. Cleverly edited voice-overs reveal that Tupac Shakur considered himself “a poet and a born leader.” Raised in New York, he began performing at age 12 with a Harlem acting group. At the Baltimore School of Arts, he studied violin, along with ballet, and learned to appreciate Shakespeare as well as the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh. He also started rapping and, by age 20, had created his debut album, “2Pacalypse Now.” A politically astute, hip-hop pioneer, his most revealing and reflective interview was with MTV’s Tabitha Soren shortly before he was gunned down. “This is my story,” he says. “Ambition, redemption, violence and love.” Predictably, the less savory aspects of Tupac’s short life are glossed-over, including an 11-month jail sentence for sexual assault – although he does note that actor Tony Danza wrote him a “cheer-up” letter at the time. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Tupac Resurrection” is a vivid 5, perhaps exaggerating his mythical stature which is understandable since it’s similar to the near-deification of Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Buddy Holly and Jimi Hendrix.
