I saw the DVD of this documentary advertised on television quite some time ago and was interested in seeing it as a Beyoncé fan. She is beautiful, talented and has an incredible singing voice. Whilst renting it out, I found it intriguing with a great mix of cinematography albeit the pace being somewhat slow and a couple of lesser known, forgettable songs.
While the cinematography looks crisp and professional with interesting camera movements for the most part, it was a tad amateurish in places with shaky camera-work and grainy pictures. Despite this, I liked the archive footage of Beyoncé as a child and a teenager as well as the camera panning above an illuminated city at night while rumours of Beyoncé hiring a surrogate mother are heard. The editing had some good variety to it by breaking up Beyoncé's narration with the archive footage, live performances and backstage footage. I liked the narration, the majority of it coming from 'Bouncy' (what my mum and maybe several other people call her) herself and I could relate to it in a way when she mentioned the difficult relationship with her father but in a professional sense. When I was 18, I had a difficult relationship with my parents, which is why I could relate to Beyoncé. The part that made me laugh the most was Beyoncé and possibly two other former Destiny's Child members singing along to 'Lovefool' by the Cardigans. The part that made me cry the most was towards the end when Beyoncé says her grandmother prayed for her mother, her mother prayed for Beyoncé and Beyoncé would pray for Blue Ivy, who was a cute baby and shown briefly. I also found the revelation of Beyoncé's miscarriage, which I was unaware of until shortly before I saw this documentary, moving as well as the lyrics of the song she wrote after that tragic event. Another part I found rather amusing yet clever was Beyoncé saying, "Life is But a Dream," before jumping off the boat and into the water since part of its title is 'Life Is But A Dream.' This also made me think of a line in the well-known nursery rhyme 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat.'
With regard to the music, an essential asset to this documentary, there were some well- known songs such as 'Crazy In Love (despite finding the prior sound of buzzing bees scary);' 'Run The World (Girls),' which was performed in front of an impressive piece of projection mapping at the 2011 Billboard Awards; and the underrated 'Love On Top,' where Beyoncé announced her pregnancy with Blue Ivy at the end of it. While the incidental music was sparse but I could see why, it was beautiful, heartbreaking and funky in different places.
Overall this is an engaging musical documentary despite the slow pace and two of the live songs I hadn't heard before. 8/10.
While the cinematography looks crisp and professional with interesting camera movements for the most part, it was a tad amateurish in places with shaky camera-work and grainy pictures. Despite this, I liked the archive footage of Beyoncé as a child and a teenager as well as the camera panning above an illuminated city at night while rumours of Beyoncé hiring a surrogate mother are heard. The editing had some good variety to it by breaking up Beyoncé's narration with the archive footage, live performances and backstage footage. I liked the narration, the majority of it coming from 'Bouncy' (what my mum and maybe several other people call her) herself and I could relate to it in a way when she mentioned the difficult relationship with her father but in a professional sense. When I was 18, I had a difficult relationship with my parents, which is why I could relate to Beyoncé. The part that made me laugh the most was Beyoncé and possibly two other former Destiny's Child members singing along to 'Lovefool' by the Cardigans. The part that made me cry the most was towards the end when Beyoncé says her grandmother prayed for her mother, her mother prayed for Beyoncé and Beyoncé would pray for Blue Ivy, who was a cute baby and shown briefly. I also found the revelation of Beyoncé's miscarriage, which I was unaware of until shortly before I saw this documentary, moving as well as the lyrics of the song she wrote after that tragic event. Another part I found rather amusing yet clever was Beyoncé saying, "Life is But a Dream," before jumping off the boat and into the water since part of its title is 'Life Is But A Dream.' This also made me think of a line in the well-known nursery rhyme 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat.'
With regard to the music, an essential asset to this documentary, there were some well- known songs such as 'Crazy In Love (despite finding the prior sound of buzzing bees scary);' 'Run The World (Girls),' which was performed in front of an impressive piece of projection mapping at the 2011 Billboard Awards; and the underrated 'Love On Top,' where Beyoncé announced her pregnancy with Blue Ivy at the end of it. While the incidental music was sparse but I could see why, it was beautiful, heartbreaking and funky in different places.
Overall this is an engaging musical documentary despite the slow pace and two of the live songs I hadn't heard before. 8/10.