The Critical Frog: Purple Rain

With the recent passing of the musician Prince (or The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, if you're one of those people), it comes time again to break the code of reviewing recent films and discuss something that is truly a product of it's time. And, naturally, it is a film starring the late musician that we talk about today. 

If I may discuss my musical taste for a second, I have to admit that I dislike pop in most cases- but wathing Prince in action really made me want to. The man's stage presence was incredible, with the only other musician similar being the late Michael Jackson, This was definitely his strong point- but today's film discusses the music of the artist. 

Purple Rain is a fictional story about the early years of Prince's fame, as a young boy with issues at home and a rivalry with a fellow club singer. He deals with problems involving the harsh nature of nightclub business, the abusive relationship between his parents (in an early scene, he rushes to stop his dad from hitting his mother, still in full show attire), and the romance and turmoil that led to the creation of 'Purple Rain', arguably one of his best songs. Starring in the film is Prince ( as 'The Kid') and his band themselves, admittedly talented actors in good roles. But here's the issue with every musician like this, and I'll do it by comparing two completely different films. Here's a synopsis for Equestria Girls 2:

We see the main character (Sunset) and the band perform. Then we see the trouble going on behind the scenes with the band, then meet the antagonists (The Sirens) who perform, and then there's a contest to prove which band is better. A huge twist in the story (band being locked under the stage) causes the band to lose faith, but have it restored by their inspiration and friends. Both sides are awesome in the competition, but the ones we like bring out a new song that levels their opponent and cements our heroes as the victors. Audience of primarily males rejoice at cameos (Lyra, Bon Bon).

And here's a synopsis for Purple Rain:

We see Prince and his band perform. Then we see the trouble going on behind the scenes with Prince, them meet the antagonist (another club singer), who performs, and there's a contest to prove which band is better. A huge twist (the suicide of Prince's father) makes the artist lose faith, but has it restored by inspiration and his friends. Both sides are awesome in the competition, but Prince brings out 'Purple Rain' which levels the competition and cements him as the victor. Audience of primarily males rejoice at cameos (Ziggy Stardust, possibly Bruce Springsteen).

Do you see what I'm getting at? It's hard to tell one musical film from another in terms of basic plot and character. Not that one can compare Purple Rain to a kid's film, but every one seems to have the same general plot. I've scoured countless films trying to find a good exception, and no luck. At the moment, Purple Rain plays like an R-rated Disney Channel special: good music, but an unoriginal plot and overall boredom-inducing film while you wait for the real entertainment (the musical performances).

OVERALL RATING: 7/10

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Nope, not gonna do it. I'm not gonna bring up Feathery Wings in a comparison again. Moving on.