Viewed in
2009 (2)
Premise
Originally meant as a companion piece to his last concert tour, 'This Is It' captures the late great Michael Jackson as he rehearses for the tour before his untimely death.
Who should watch
Anyone who likes music.
Thoughts
At first, I thought it was just going to be a nice little behind-the-scene featurette. Then he appeared.
The moment the King of Pop stepped onscreen, an amazing musical experience enveloped me and did not stop, even after leaving the theater.
What you get is a two hour long insight into what Jackson had envisioned his show to be, and the whole crew practicing their butts off to fulfill that vision. There are times where it felt like a concert, with all the performers, lighting and sound going on.
The footage was fantastic, as most of it was in good quality, and unedited. It was really refreshing to see a music documentary with extended shots, so I could truly appreciate Jackson, his dancers and musicians as they created magic. Since they had footage of many songs in various stages of completion, it was fun to see the contrast, and the beginning-to-end aspect of each segment.
I'm guessing that 80% of the work was already done for the film makers by Jackson's mere presence. (Not an insult to the document makers.) His professionalism, creativity, and persona just made everything around me disappear, and my eyes glued to the screen. It's astounding how great a performer he was, even at age 50. His 'rehearsal mode' was probably most performers' 'concert mode'. Even on a walk through, every movement was clear, pronounced and beautiful; he owned those moves. There were times when he could not help himself but dive into 'concert mode', and the crew of tens on the floor just went nuts.
There were little moments that showed the human side of this tour. One point, Jackson was extremely frustrated with his earpiece and managed to explain it with such passion and clarity and self-control. Some of the crew got to show their love for him in wonderful testimonies. A funny tidbit was the backup dancers rehearsing the famous crotch grab.
I am a casual fan. Yet there were times when I shed a joyful tear or wanted to applaud after a completed song. I cannot imagine what kind of emotionally-charged concert atmosphere it must have felt at the premiere. We'll never know if Jackson could have pulled it off. Nevertheless, this was an everlasting testimony and celebration of his musical achievements. Even after two decades of creepiness, isolation, and irrelevance, his last act was how we wanted to remember him, as the King of Pop, the greatest performer of all time.
Do no be surprised if this is one of my favorite films of the year.
What I would change
Nothing.
Random
The first three weeks this was released in theaters, the websites claimed it was 90 minutes long. However, when I watched it in theaters, it was two hours long. Was this a typo?
Also, if you stick around for the credits, you'll get one last shot of Jackson goofing around a bit.
Personal
I think he could have pulled it off. While it looked like he could, based on this film, there is a difference between rehearsing (taking breaks for mistakes and lighting queues) and doing a two hour show non-stop. If his body were to fail him, it would be when he's not performing, after all, rumor has it that the late great Johnny Cash was in absolute pain in his last years, but was pain-free and unstoppable when playing music. Music is truly a wonderful drug.
