Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child (2010)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

This movie pretends to be a documentary, but is full of half truths, outright lies, and Hendrix's "words" are mostly fictionalized. For instance, the section on his abrupt military career is mostly favorably fictionalized. He was NOT honorably discharged, but was booted out for malingering and truancy*. I'm a huge fan of his music, but truth is truth.

Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child (2010) *** 1/2 (out of 4)Wonderfully entertaining documentary taking a look at the career of Jimi Hendrix. This documentary uses interview and concert footage as well as Bootsy Collins playing narrator and speaking the words of Hendrix. The narration segments come from written letters that Hendrix had written during his short life.If you're a fan of Hendrix then this here is certainly a must see because there's some really great footage here. I thought the narration was going to be really bad but this is actually where some of the greatest material comes from. This is especially true early on when we hear Jimi's letters to his father when he was still a young and struggling musician. Getting to hear him talk about life on the road was quite interesting to say the least.The film is full of wonderful concert footage that has Hendrix doing his songs as well as covers of Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Cream. The concert footage alone is worth the price of admission but we also get some interview footage taken from the Dick Cavett Show. If you're a fan of Hendrix then this here is certainly a must see. If you're unfamiliar with Hendrix then this here is a great way to see why he's considered one of the greatest of all time.

If you are a fan of Jimi... and when I say fan, i mean, you've gone beyond "Foxy Lady: - you noticed that JIMI was really into the BLUES, not just POP. Then this documentary is for YOU. Jimi was more than the hype (and there was a ton of Hype) - Jimi was a real musician - a real person. He showed up in the sixties with an awesome skill - which propelled him to the forefront. Yes, he had a defining position in the sixties - But he wanted wanted something more. This documentary is for YOU.This documentary has REAL FOOTAGE - unlike other documentaries that do not show real footage (because they do not have the rights) - This documentary has real footage, real songs and the real Jimi.This documentary traces Jimi from Seattle, working for his father (for a few weeks), joining the paratroopers, working with little Richard - then making it over to England - where he got his start... Jimi was already a super star when he showed up in the U S of A - at the Monterey Festival - where he lit is guitar on fire - on Sunday June 18, 1967 - the summer of love began...

The best thing about this documentary is the archival footage of Jimi Hendrix in performance -- from a tricked-up pretty boy dancing alongside Little Richard to the dashiki-clad hipster trashing his guitar on-stage. There are also some great pictures of Jimi as a child and some interesting background material on his upbringing and all the rock stars he met on his way to superstar status. However, the narration of this film raised many questions. There are no talking heads here at all -- the entire voice-over is in the first person as if Jimi is speaking from the grave. Gently voiced by musician Bootsy Collins, we hear about Jimi's wish to avoid controversial topics such as race relations and politics -- although I did like his suggestion that anti-war protesters wear helmets like the cops did -- however, there's practically nothing about his personal life and use of the drugs that apparently killed him. One also wonders where the facts from this narrative come from...How do we know that Jimi would've said all this stuff? A few notes with the opening credits would have greatly clarified such matters. One of the producers of this film bears the last name Hendrix and maybe that explains why so much is left out. It's never clear why "Voodoo" is in the title, and, far more importantly, what about the drugs? Even a news clip shown, which announces Jimi's death in London at the age of 27, makes no mention of the cause of death. C'mon, now! Inquiring minds want to know! Ultimately, this is a diverting and frustrating work.