Michael Bisping is a hugely likeable character, a warrior of a fighter, and an inspiring figure in almost everything he's turned his hand to, so it was great to hear more of his backstory and fill in some of the blanks. But as a documentary, "Bisping" feels noticeably amateurish: there is little objectivity on display, and it almost seems like a vanity project or a promo reel - it's hard not to conclude that Bisping himself had a little too much say in what went in and what did not, and there are clearly a number of parts of the story that are intentionally glossed over and not going to be publicly told for some time.
On top of that, the present-day re-enactments of some moments from the past come over quite cringey; there's way too many slow-motion shots of everyday moments for no reason, and the film keeps retreading the same ground too often (talking heads continually stating "Bisping's a FIGHTER!" and too many mentions of how he's "doing it for his family"). Just cutting down on some of that flab would have shortened the film by a half hour, and it would have been a better one for it.
It's still a great, one-in-a-million story, about a great guy, but if it had been made by someone who knew what they were doing it could also have been a great film. Definitely worth a watch, though, all the same.
On top of that, the present-day re-enactments of some moments from the past come over quite cringey; there's way too many slow-motion shots of everyday moments for no reason, and the film keeps retreading the same ground too often (talking heads continually stating "Bisping's a FIGHTER!" and too many mentions of how he's "doing it for his family"). Just cutting down on some of that flab would have shortened the film by a half hour, and it would have been a better one for it.
It's still a great, one-in-a-million story, about a great guy, but if it had been made by someone who knew what they were doing it could also have been a great film. Definitely worth a watch, though, all the same.
