Tupac Resurrection 2003

Critics score:
78 / 100

Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: While Resurrection provides a few precious moments of personal and social insight, it's basically just another product line in the endless marketing of Shakur as an urban martyr. Read more

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: It's amazing stuff. Read more

Kevin M. Williams, Chicago Tribune: A kiss-up rather than a real examination of the rapper's life. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: As its title suggests, Tupac: Resurrection is less concerned with analyzing Shakur than with bringing him back to life, for which his fans can only be grateful. For everyone else, this film provides an affecting, partial portrait. Read more

Tina Potterf, Seattle Times: While Tupac: Resurrection includes some never-before- seen family photos and performance footage, and excerpts from the late rapper's journals, it offers little in the way of new information or insight into the rapper's world. Read more

Sonia Murray, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: It's unfortunate that his cinematic life is told with a collage of such static, uninvolving devices as scrapbook photos, journal entries, stock footage and oft-seen MTV interviews. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: The movie is like an extra-strength episode of MTV's Diary, which is like A&E Biography in the first person. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Though we do feel the need of other voices to provide perspective, Tupac: Resurrection is even-handed for a single-point -of-view film. Read more

Houston Chronicle: Read more

Michael Booth, Denver Post: A captivating movie worth seeing. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: Resonant and fascinating. Read more

Matt Weitz, Dallas Morning News: It's a tale told well, but from a definite perspective. Read more

Robert Abele, L.A. Weekly: [The film] never breathes long enough to revel in the magnetism and wit of a conflicted personality who burned through his talent like he knew he wasn't long for the world. Read more

Gene Seymour, Newsday: A well-wrought, if highly subjective, introduction to Shakur, especially for the curious. Read more

Bob Campbell, Newark Star-Ledger: Intriguing but ultimately frustrating. Read more

Jack Mathews, New York Daily News: A story of violence, and it's superbly told. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: As poignant as it is informative. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Let's assume you are a person who never intends to see a doc about rap music, but might have it in you to see one. This is the one. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com: It never addresses the problem that the more Tupac opens his mouth to explain what his music is or isn't about, and what role in society it is or isn't supposed to serve, the more obvious it becomes that his views aren't reflected in the actual music. Read more

James Sullivan, San Francisco Chronicle: Fans, of course, will devour this film, but there's plenty to chew on for the uninitiated as well. Read more

Chris Riemenschneider, Minneapolis Star Tribune: This poignant, albeit overly poetic documentary claims to capture the slain actor/rapper 'in his own words.' That aspect of it doesn't totally work, but plenty else does. Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: A strong film, with some genuinely revealing insights into the life of its charismatic and paradoxical subject. Read more

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star: [An] absorbing experience. Read more

Time Out: Read more

Mike Clark, USA Today: It's great to hear a person no longer with us captured so bountifully in interviews, talking and even bubbling about his friends, his legacy and his scrapes. Read more

Dennis Harvey, Variety: Read more

Laura Sinagra, Village Voice: The interview clips that comprise the sole voice-over are carefully chosen to illuminate both Pac's scorching charisma and debilitating paranoia. Read more