Michael Jordan to the MAX

He`s already been literally put on a pedestal, as in the statue that adorns the exterior of the United Center. He`s already been seen on the big screen, starring in a harmless gimmick called "Space Jam."

But the transformation of Michael Jordan from basketball player to superstar to icon wasn`t really complete until the images of his greatest triumphs were placed on an 88-foot domed screen, thus cementing our larger-than-life memories for posterity. And so we have "Michael Jordan to the MAX," a dazzling, gushing tribute to our now-retired idol.

Often exhilarating, sometimes fascinating and always quite large, "MAX" doesn`t quibble with such things as Jordan`s alleged gambling adventures or the various times he ridiculed lesser-talented teammates into tears. It also doesn`t bother to detail his share of the ego-fueled destruction of the Bulls dynasty, much less offer any air time to the guys who signed his paychecks, the evil Jerrys.

No, "MAX" is the good stuff, the fun stuff, the six-ring circus that was the Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls. Actually, it`s only the final ring in the 1991-98 championship years, but you can only cram so much into an IMAX film. And producers Steve Kempf, Don Kempf and James D. Stern say they had nothing less than IMAX in mind when they decided to chronicle the final days of the Bull run.

"About three years ago," said Don Kempf at a recent screening at the Museum of Science and Industry`s Henry Crown Space Center, "I sat three rows from the top, way up there, watching an IMAX movie about Niagammora Falls or something. And I thought how cool it would be to have an IMAX film about Michael Jordan. That`s how it all started."

The rest wasn`t exactly as easy as splicing together highlight clips for SportsCenter. The Evanston, Ill.-based Kempf brothers spent a good two years elbowing their way into Jordan`s inner circle, securing access from the NBA`s marketing overlords, filming game sequences with the cumbersome IMAX equipment and then, finally, riding out the 1998-99 NBA lockout, during which many of the project`s principal players couldn`t do lunch.

The result, $7 million later, is an unabashed crowd pleaser that will play on 50 IMAX screens nationwide. So why pay IMAX prices for a bunch of basketball highlights you saw for free on Channel 5 two years ago? Because, as you might expect, seeing Michael Jordan 60- to-80 feet tall offers images and insights that you normally might not enjoy. Among the highlights:

- The film boldly opens with its best stuff, a bullet-time shot of Jordan taking flight from the free-throw line and stopping in midair. We`ve seen this special effect before, on everything from The Matrix to those Gap commercials, but this variation on Jordan`s legendary hang time still delivers a thrill.

- During the game action, there`s a recurring pleasure in watching a shot being launched on one end of the screen and craning your neck to follow its path to the basket on the other side. There`s also an indisputable sense of awe in watching these already huge men lumbering about the screen in slow motion, looking like the most realistic beasts ever crafted by Toho Studios.

- Perhaps the best moments captured on the hardwood are the looks of panic, resignation and just plain fear on the faces of Jordan`s opponents as he dominates them. Once again, we`ve seen those looks before on the Craig Ehlos of the world, but never have those desperate faces been 20 feet tall. But you`ll notice that when the Bulls reach the NBA Finals against the veteran Utah Jazz, those anxious looks are absent from the determined faces of John Stockton and Karl Malone.

- Speaking of faces, we see multiple shots of Jordan walking through the gauntlet of fans, media, security personnel and general flunkies (see: Ahmad Rashad) that greeted his every move before and after games. All around him are faces turned in the direction of his aura, even those of cops who are supposed to be watching the crowd for trouble.

- In what is now a standard for IMAX films, a time-lapse shot is used to show the United Center filling with all the carnival attractions for a `98 playoff game. There`s a bittersweet nostalgia in seeing glimpses of the famous faces that appeared at those games, including an ailing Gene Siskel.

- As nice as it is to take a trip back in time to the days when the Bulls ruled the Earth, there`s almost as much fun in watching Jordan act like a kid at his Elmhurst College basketball camp. We see him feed a perfect pass in the lane to a girl half his size. We see him square off against a boy in a half-court shot contest and swish one from 45 feet. Jordan`s public image is so prefabricated at this point, it`s refreshing to see him goofing off like the rest of us.

And now for the lowlights:

- In his interview segments, Jordan has nothing new to say, and he comes across a bit cold. He`s also wearing some really tacky shoes, which are hard to miss when they`re as big as cars.

- Speaking of those interview segments, we`re treated to a meaningless appearance by David Falk, Jordan`s attorney and personal financial manager, for no apparent reason other than that he`s Jordan`s attorney and personal financial manager (and thus one of the film`s executive producers). Even worse, we have to endure many long, cornball speeches by self-designated Jordan confidant Bob Greene, who gives fresh life to the term fawning sycophant.

- The pace is a bit jumpy, as we bounce around from the opening rounds of the 1998 NBA playoffs to grainy, non-IMAX snapshots of Jordan`s early years, and from the Eastern Conference Finals to a long passage about Jordan`s foray into baseball (complete with more syrupy insight from Bob Greene).

But to nit-pick about a coronation is to whistle into the wind. "MJ to the MAX" is a welcome trip back to the recent past for Chicago sports fans and a reminder of why we paid so much attention to this Brooklyn-born kid from the Carolinas who could do wondrous things with a basketball.INFO BOX:

"Michael Jordan to the Max" - Starring: Michael Jordan, the 1998 Chicago Bulls; directors James M. Stern and Don Kempf; running time 45 minutes.

(c)Visit Copley News Service

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Author: Dan Moran