Sign 'o' the Times
As concert films go, this one is both electrifying and elusive. The music is astonishing, the performances untouchable — Prince on stage with a presence that feels almost superhuman. On that level, it’s irresistible.
As cinema, though, it falters. The film feels less like a shaped experience than a chain of music videos, joined by the thinnest thread of story. Put it beside Stop Making Sense: Jonathan Demme builds rhythm and momentum without a word of dialogue, a feature director shaping a concert into narrative. Prince, directing himself, dazzles in bursts but never finds the same flow.
None of which diminishes what’s here. The sound, the spectacle, the sheer charisma are staggering. As a film it’s flawed; as performance, it’s unforgettable.
As cinema, though, it falters. The film feels less like a shaped experience than a chain of music videos, joined by the thinnest thread of story. Put it beside Stop Making Sense: Jonathan Demme builds rhythm and momentum without a word of dialogue, a feature director shaping a concert into narrative. Prince, directing himself, dazzles in bursts but never finds the same flow.
None of which diminishes what’s here. The sound, the spectacle, the sheer charisma are staggering. As a film it’s flawed; as performance, it’s unforgettable.
Mini Review: Electrifying to hear, uneven to watch. Prince’s Sign ’O’ the Times delivers astonishing music and untouchable performances, his stage presence near superhuman. But as cinema it stumbles, playing like a chain of music videos held by the thinnest story. Unlike Demme’s Stop Making Sense, there’s little flow. Still, the sound and spectacle are staggering — flawed film, unforgettable performance.