11/30/2024 07:43:11 PM
Over the turn of the decade, documentaries suddenly became more and more interesting to see on the streaming platforms. Enter The Last Dance into the equation.
Netflix and ESPN films teamed up for the then-biggest limited edition documentary series featuring the most popular and arguably the greatest of all-time in the world of basketball. The Last Dance didn't only discussed the final season of the 6-peat Chicago Bulls, the only team that dominated the NBA for the better part of a single decade (1990s) aside from the Boston Celtics (1960s). This show also followed Michael Jordan's life and times in donning the red and white jersey in 13 of those 15 years. That alone gives us an impression that this will be really a Jordan-centric show instead of a Bulls-centric one.
However, the said approach alone appears to be a very astonishing task that was greatly done by its director Jason Hehir. Imagine interweaving two distinct period of stories from His Airness and the Bulls, along with another bunches of tidbits containing in-depth look on key members of the 1998 Bulls roster: teammates (Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr, Toni Kukoc, etc.) and head cpach Phil Jackson, plus connecting the dots with interviews with Jordan's adversaries or rivals during his basketball career and other personnel who became witnesses to MJ inside and outside the hardwood court. That ain't an easy job at all, so mad props to him and the entire crew for piloting everything in a seamless fashion that basketball fans and Netflix watchers can follow The Last Dance without getting lost in the shuffle.
And not only they put Jordan in a very godlike fashion; they also painted the picture of his lows – something that I don't think we would be seeing in those old NBA tapes. It humanized Jordan, in short, making us realize how temperamental and to an extent, asshole, he can be behind the glory of the spotlight, and it's simply because of his never-ending drive to win as much as he can. Was he evil? No, but was he a saint? Not at all either. There's an antihero in him, thanks to those footages (mostly unseen before) that provided a deeper look. That was also my initial thought on why The Last Dance can be so historically accurate even if it focused on the superstar player instead of the entire team.
Nevertheless, The Last Dance propelled storytelling for a sports documentary show into new heights with all the impressive editing and direction which earned them an Emmy Award. Say all the words describing how narcissistic can this miniseries be, but with an almost flawless blueprint that was laid out from the beginning, The Last Dance is a must watch for every sports fan out there.
The Verdict: 9/10
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