Pop Perspective: Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” Video Reviewed By All Four Idolator Editors

At Idolator, the editors share a passion for high quality pop. Occasionally, our tastes align completely. Other times, not so much! So, in the spirit of debate, we’ve developed a feature called Pop Perspective. Basically, all four of us dissect a particularly noteworthy pop event, and give it a rating out of 10.

That way you’re getting a full spectrum of views and we can all vent. (It’s cheaper than therapy!) The latest pop milestone to be dragged under the Idolator microscope is Miley Cyrus‘ VEVO-conquering “Wrecking Ball” video. Is it a brave feminist statement or another silly shock tactic from the girl formerly known as Hannah Montana?

Head below to see what we all have to say!

Robbie Daw — 2/10
See that sledgehammer in the video there? That’s what Miley & Co. used to bash any semblance of subtlety here. Imagine if Ms. Cyrus had only shown her boobs and ass one time while swinging around with a giant metal chain between her thighs — like, just a quick flash that would have been this taste of something that left you wanting more. Oh, well — slam us all for art, everyone! Again and again.

Sam Lansky — 7/10
Miley Cyrus did exactly what she intended to do with her video for “Wrecking Ball”: She made a statement. A fierce one. It doesn’t completely work, like so much of what Miley’s doing with the Bangerz era; the sincerely haunting and affecting vulnerability showcased in the close shots doesn’t align with the shock value of her nudity and hammer-licking, but the young provocateur is doing her worst to rattle our cages, and she’s succeeding.

Should she have had slimeball Terry Richardson take the helm for this vid? Probably not — he’s historically all too eager to have nubile young starlets disrobe. (Or maybe it was her idea — who knows.) Ultimately, it’s another attention-grabbing effort from the reborn Cyrus, who remains one of the most gamely captivating figures in pop, even when she’s missing the mark.



Mike Wass — 5/10
Miley 2.0 is a hot mess. One minute she’s redefining basic with “We Can’t Stop” and her cringeworthy MTV Video Music Awards performance, the next she’s dropping one of the best singles of the year. That’s why I’m so torn about this ridiculous video. “Wrecking Ball” is such a powerful anthem that even the unwelcome sight of Miley giving head to a hammer isn’t enough to dull its emotional impact.

I understand what Miley is trying to do. It’s never easy to make the leap from child star to sexy adult pop star but the transition would be a lot easier if she just toned it down a bit. I’m all for drywalling in the nude and think the vast majority of the clip is beautiful. It’s just disappointing that she had to venture into soft porn territory.

That 10 seconds of footage makes the entire clip look like a Saturday Night Live parody. Which is a shame because a song this good deserves better.

Carl Williott — 7/10
I found this video much more provocative and bizarre than the try hard, “crazy for crazy’s sake” “We Can’t Stop.” Instead of hitting you over the head with a sledgehammer of strange, Miley fellates one here, in addition to swinging around naked and slapping herself.
Imagine if she had come out of the gate with this video and its nonchalant raciness and weirdness to introduce her adult phase, rather than those “ugh, we get it” references to molly and twerking. People would’ve gone bananas!

Not to mention, this is just a better song.

I could do without the drama kid over-emoting, though. Guess you can take the girl out of Hannah Montana, but you can’t take the Hannah Montana out of the girl.

IDOLATOR SCORE: 21/40