‘Moonwalk’ (2025) Movie Review - Love, Nostalgia, And Michael Jackson

Vinod A. K. is an intuitive filmmaker who works according to his feelings, which are mostly warm and gentle. In Moonwalk, he crafts scenes that often, in other films, veer toward dark corners. For instance, when Jake (Anunath) and Frieda (Sanjana Doss) go for a drive and their scooter breaks down near a beach in the middle of the night, two men slowly approach to help them. Jake feels a bit uneasy, and one of the men asks his companion about the girl. In a thriller, this moment might take a sinister turn, but in Moonwalk, nothing creepy occurs. Frieda kick-starts the scooter, and she and Jake continue on their way, with the men wishing them a safe ride home. Now, consider another scene that unfolds inside a police station. Jake and his friends are caught for assaulting a man, but they are not thrown in prison. The cop merely sends them off with a warning and tells them to get a haircut. There's a humorous exchange when the boys discuss their hairstyles and breakdancing with the policeman. Even the scene where some random guy protests against Jake and his team's dance (he refers to it as an invasion of Western culture) is brushed aside with a casually pointed remark: "Invasion? Ain't I the one teaching you politics? Don't overdo it, Dhana. These kids came ready in their costumes. Let them dance."

Working with editors Deepu Joseph and Kiran Das, Vinod sets a rhythm that's also driven more by instinct than conventional neatness. The physical confrontation that Moonwalkers (that's the name of Jake's team) get into outside the premises of a college when they get to know that their rivals - Zoom Boys - were invited for the college function begins and ends with a kinetic abruptness that could knock one off balance. Moonwalk is filled with such raw energy. The entire movie has an air of spontaneity that makes it feel as if it was directly plucked out of Vinod's consciousness. Moonwalk seems incredibly close to the director's heart, which is something that becomes extremely clear in the scenes that deal with teenage romance. The shy glances, the flirty exchanges, and the sweet phone conversations are filmed with an intimate exuberance. Vinod also nicely captures the mood of a community just beginning to awaken to the world of Michael Jackson. People curiously look at the swing moves and the locking and popping dance steps. The tail-and-shade hairstyle draws its share of admiration and criticism. We understand who has an open mind and who is stuck with regressive attitudes based on their reaction to the hairstyle and the dance moves alone. Most importantly, Vinod succeeds in capturing the feverish, the passionate, the rebellious spirit of a young mind that hates to be confined within the four walls. Not every parent encourages their kid to pursue breakdancing, yet the dreamy, dedicated members of Moonwalkers come for dance practice out of the sheer love for their new obsession. Entrance exam forms can wait. The kids first want to set the stage on fire. 

Moonwalk flows freely with enthusiasm. It only becomes serious when obstacles arise that threaten the shared dream of the Moonwalkers. Scenes like the one where a mother tells her son's friends to let him concentrate on his academic future or a haircut at a police station leave you with a pang in your heart. Not everybody ends up becoming a professional dancer by the end. Except for Sura (Sibi Kuttapan), the handyman, the other characters pursue different paths and careers. Yet, as long as breakdancing brings them joy and remains their goal, they chase it with fervor. Vinod doesn't look at his characters dismissively for spending their time on what turns out to be a fad. What he celebrates is the intensity, the craze that grips a teenager when something captures their complete attention. It can be anything, from girls to video games, films, or dance. 

Still, if Moonwalk doesn't stay in your head for long, that's because Vinod hasn't developed a striking, powerful aesthetic to match his intentions and ambitions. His images have little curiosity, little imagination. For a movie that aims to show how breakdancing exerts a hypnotic pull on a group of young characters, Moonwalk is devoid of a memorable, exciting dance sequence. Vinod's handling of the swaying, whirling bodies is visually unremarkable. It can be a bit difficult to see what Jake and his buddies find so alluring about Zoom Boys' performance. The way the camera films them, they seem to be doing an ordinary routine, not something hypnotizing or exceptional. And by prioritizing stage shows over practice sessions — where new moves are learned with what looks like a wave of a finger and training is reduced to brief, conventional montages — John does a disservice to the art he aims to celebrate in Moonwalk. The characters train themselves to dance a particular way. Their sweat and hard work, though, don't get the attention or spotlight they deserve. Vinod wants to celebrate artists, but has no time for the effort they put into shaping their work. There's something offensive about this approach. Hence, you don't feel as excited as Vinod wants you to be during that crucial climactic performance. It just doesn't sit well with us. Also, there's a villain-like character who exists in the margins and sticks out like a sore thumb. You think that Vinod doesn't really know what to do with this character. Vinod has over two decades of experience in advertising, and Moonwalk, for all its strength, comes across as an advertisement for an unreleased feature. The director has a voice all right. What he needs is a strong, cohesive, creative vision.  

Final Score- [5.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times