"Moonwalker," Jackson's feature-length film debut released Tuesday on video, is a 94-minute, multimillion-dollar toy masquerading as a looking glass into "the dazzling musical world of Michael Jackson."

Though originally intended for a nationwide theater release, the recent box-office failure of "U2: Rattle and Hum" made distributors skittish and forced "Moonwalker" immediately onto the home-video market. But, for $24.98, we learn little about Jackson; the video merely affirms that he is a talented and shrewd showman who has personal habits and tastes from Mars.

Based on a story by Jackson, and directed by Colin Chivers, " Moonwalker" isn't really a movie as much as a collection of briefly entertaining videos surrounding an extended "Smooth Criminal" musical- dramatic production.