Michael Jackson's This Is It review

Michael Jackson's This Is It(often shortened to "This is it") recently made its way into theaters everywhere. The film is a documentary that captures rehearsals for Jackson's "This is it" tour, which was canceled due to Jackson's death in June of 2009. The foootage was originally going to go into Jackson's personal library until it was decided to make it into a documentary and it was released into theaters after his death.

The film does an excellent job at showing Michael's dedication to the concert that could've been. Jackson mentioned in the begining of the film that the concert was, "for the fans." His enthusiasm for his fans shows through Michael rehearsing with his large crew, making sure exeryone is doing their best. Filmmakers did well to present both the stress and joys of rehearsing the concert. For example, one scene has Michael ripping out his ear buds, explaining that the noise from everything sounds like a "fist" in his ear. Yet, the film expresses Michael's love for what he did; in multiple scenes he jokes with his crew.

The film also deisplays how much work must be put into a concert. During the beginning of the film the audience sees auditions for the back-up dancers to the concert. This sequence does a good job of displaying just how many people all try to get in the show. Countless people auditioned. The film displays this well and does it in a relatively short amount of time, moving the film into the rehearsals for the concert. This is good because this is where the film truly becomes magical.

The dance rehersals are without a doubt the best part of the film. Mr. Jackson displays a wide variety of different dance moves choreographed perfectly with his music and back-up dancers. One really has to see Michael Jackson perform to appreciate him. Listening to his music alone only offers half the flair. The sequences are unique as they will display multiple rehearsals simutaneously. It's an interesting technique of filmmaking that I don't think I've ever seen used in this way before. It's amazing to see Michael dance, at the age of 50, he can still move like a 20-year-old.

These rehearsals also show the extensive work put into videos that were planned to be shown during the concert. Each song has it's own theme, for example, "Thriller" has a horror theme. The video that was made and featured in the film features a humorous sequence of the back-up dancers dressed as mummies, zombies, and other horror characters. The video that was done for, "Smooth Criminal" is very film-noir inspired. It's nice to be able to see this aspect of the concert in addition to Michael's dancing.

I enjoyed this film. I was never a big fan of Michael Jackson but after watching this I really grew to respect him as a performer. I'm very grateful for this film, although the "This is it" tour will never be a possibility, Michael's fans will be able to get a good idea of the concert that never was. The Film serves as a nice tribute to Michael Jackson's inspirational and legendary career. I believe everyone should see it, whether they are a Michael Jackson fan or not.





Rating: 5 out of 5