I was going to give this a silly review, but due to a lack of genuine reviews on letterboxd, I'll give this the serious review that it deserves. TLDR: Don't let subject matter of it being about a boyband turn you away; 'Burn the Stage' was a brilliantly executed, edited, and directed documentary and I think certain non-fans would enjoy watching it for it's music history/pop cultural relevancy.
Long version: Most of BTS's documentaries/series thus far have always been lighthearted and humorous, meant to give viewers laughs and cheap entertainment with challenge games, silly animations, and general antics from the members. Most of these docuseries are quite shallow in that BTS and their producers only ever show us a very... staged portrayal of the members and their lives. Things like clips of the members without makeup or bedroom tour vlogs are shown to create a sort of false sense of intimacy, but these series and videos are in actuality quite shallow and leave much to be desired.
'Burn the Stage' completely subverts this precedent and shows us a much more contemplative and introspective portrayal of the members that finally treats them seriously as subjects and profession and less so as objects for entertainment or products to be consumed.
(Spoilers? if you can call it that? below)
Some scenes were almost uncomfortably invasive into the personal matters and crises of the members, such as when Jimin needed to be talked down from a panic attack after his voice cracked during a live performance; or when Taehyung and Seokjin got into a fight with each other minutes before a concert and Taehyung was visibly shaken and crying. The scene where Taehyung and Seokjin try to talk out their fight after the show felt like I was stepping in on a something very private and intimate that you really shouldn't be a part of, kind of like being in the room when your parents are fighting.
I... do have to admit that there's something deliciously, sickeningly voyeuristic about witnessing such personal, sensitive moments; especially in contrast to all the artificial and staged docuseries we've gotten from them in the past. There was definitely a big 'fly on the wall' feeling with a lot of the scenes, and I really liked that a lot.
I think the two things that hit me the most about 'Burn the Stage' are 1) the physical strain/pain the members go through for the sake of their careers 2) the psychological impact of being so famous at such young ages. For point 1, I don't have much to say other than it was gut-wrenching to see things like Jungkook blacking out from exhaustion mid-concert, or Jimin having to sit in a chair for the Macau concert due to muscle pain/injury, or Yoongi hiding his injuries from a car accident to avoid any potential consequences from his company (such as getting fired for being unable to dance). These moments were definitely the most distressing for me personally to watch as a fan, but I'm glad we got to see them.
For point 2, Namjoon's interview where he says (I'm paraphrasing) that he feels like he missed out and will forever miss out on living a life as Kim Namjoon and that he feels like he's permanently stuck with this identity as RM, the idol rapper, and he wishes he could have more a normal life was one of the most personally stirring scenes in the documentary. I don't think he meant to make viewers feel bad per se, especially when he emphasizes how grateful he is that he's able to make a living off of his greatest passion, but when paired together with Jungkook's interview about how his own self-perception and identity have been completely shaped by idol life since he was 13, it definitely makes me question the ethics of supporting a band/industry that denies these seven young men (and thousands of other idols) of a normal life from where they can't travel or have romantic/sexual relationships or go to the grocery store without being questioned, harassed, and mobbed.
Specifically with the case of Jungkook, (he's only about 2 or 3 weeks older than I am, so we're essentially the same age and I do feel somewhat of a kinship with him because of that) knowing that when I was 15, my biggest stress was literally just acne. Maybe it was my mile time for PE class? While I was doing that, Jungkook was debuting officially with the rest of BTS; performing on TV, doing interviews, touring, photoshoots, video shoots, being treated as a product. Realizing that just made me feel like a giant question mark emotionally. Since watching 'Burn the Stage', I can't really stop thinking about what kind of psychological damage has been done to this poor guy by grooming him and molding him into a object for visual consumption since he was 12 or 13.
Anyway! 'Burn the Stage' was an absolute treat. I'd love to see BTS create more serious documentaries and programs like this, but if they don't, I'm very grateful that we got this. I think beyond BTS's fanbase, I think fans of documentaries would get great enjoyment out of watching this; it was masterfully produced. With their slew of records such as being the most discussed celebrity on all of social media in 2017, to their Billboard Music Award wins, to their multiple #1 albums in 2018, BTS are unquestionably some of the world's biggest and most impactful celebrities/musicians of the 2010s. For that, 'Burn the Stage' is also well suited for fans of music history and pop culture history.
I can't yet say if BTS is here to stay or if things like their looming mandatory conscription for the South Korean military and/or their 2020 contract renewal discussions are going to serve as their undoing. (Edit 10/18/2018 LMAO DISREGARD THIS ENTIRE PARAGRAPH THEIR CONTRACTS GOT RENEWED UNTIL 2025 HELL YEAH) But for now, BTS is contemporary and relevant and blazingly powerful in music and media right now, and this documentary captures this moment in time brilliantly. It is... well worth watching.
