A quick search online will show you that there’s been largely-negative comments surrounding the made-for-TV movie Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B, the biopic which centred around the rise of 90s R&B star Aaliyah, which aired last night (15th November) on US TV.
Leading up to the events of her untimely passing in 2001 (for those who may not be aware, young Aaliyah Haughton died following a plane crash shortly after take-off in the Bahamas), Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B is unfortunately as tragic as the story itself. Aaliyah was undoubtedly one of the shining stars of the ‘golden-era’ of the genre; even today’s breed of global female artists (Tinashe, FKA Twigs) have all cited Haughton as inspiration, and it completely shows in their own output. It’s a shame therefore that there seems such a variance of quality in the biopic; it’s not that it’s dreadful (it isn’t), but it’s potentially either too ‘tame’ or just doesn’t hit the spot enough to invite viewers into Aaliyah’s life. There also seems to be a lack of thought into it; any biopic needs to tread carefully, particularly when the focal point is no longer with us, but Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B just seems to be a bit too ‘carefree’ to be classed as anything other than dramatic.
We suppose we should give the movie some credit; there are points that spark fond memories (from 2000’s Romeo Must Die, which was to kick-start Aaliyah’s movie credits, to the visual re-enacment of 1998’s Are You That Somebody), however when it comes to production comparisons, it can no-way come as close to the TLC story that aired last year (you can watch that here by the way).
Anyhow, perhaps we may be being a little bit too harsh, but as Aaliyah fans, we do feel somewhat misled. Check it out for yourself below though, and as always let us know your thoughts.
