This Is It

I had my fear going in, but it was all shattered. What a blast. This is a must-see for every MJ fan and even non-fans to understand why he was so popular and deserved every bit of the title King of the Pop. A consummate artist, a perfectionist, and a visionary. The film is overflowed with his energy, passion, and dedication. If the rehearsals could be this good and engaging, one could only imagine what the concerts would've been. His voice sometimes showed his age, but his dance moves were not, at all. Also the young female guitarist was not just good looking, but crazily good with the guitar as well. Smooth Criminal segment is probably my favorite, but they're all very excellent. I don't feel the film is exploiting his death in any way. It's simply paying the tribute and gives fans something they deserve to see.

There is one simple way of understanding whether one will enjoy This Is It or not, and that has to do with a caption that appears at the beginning of the film: "For the fans". Translation: Those who grew up with Michael Jackson's music, know his songs by heart and idolized him despite his bizarre antics and legal problems will love the movie; those who believe he was an overrated, disturbed artist will probably loathe it. Then there's a third category, to which I belong: people who enjoy listening to Jackson's music, without necessarily being die-hard fans. In that case, This Is It comes off as an interesting, but rather hollow experience.

The story behind the picture is well-known: following Michael Jackson's tragic, unexpected death in June 2009, just before the first of a series of gigs that would mark his retirement, it was decided to make the rehearsal footage, filmed during the preparations for the first concert, known to the public, so that the late singer's admirers could get an idea of what could have been. The film begins with several young people auditioning to become dancers or background singers, and their tangible enthusiasm remains unaffected throughout, a feeling that is shared by Jackson once the real work begins.

Watching the footage makes one thing absolutely clear: if Jackson had lived, it would have been a major event. Showing no signs of weakness whatsoever, he was both precise (he knew exactly what everyone should do and when) and playful (he is shown goofing around on the stage and joyously interacting with everybody), trying to make sure all the people involved were having a good time. Unfortunately, a lot of that passion and energy fails to get through the screen, mostly because of the center-stage presence granted to the project's director, Kenny Ortega (of High School Musical fame), whose constant attempts to please his star get annoying rather quickly.

On the flip-side, it's intriguing to see all the special stuff the team was preparing for the event: new filmed material to go with certain songs (including new footage shot for Thriller), devices that would allow the stage to "transform" as the show went on, smoke, special effects, you name it. Additionally, even casual listeners are likely to be thrilled when Jackson performs live versions of everyone's favorites. This Is It was, in his mind at least, a true labor of love. The resulting film, however, does occasionally have "cash-in" written on it. It's an interesting look at a lost opportunity, but it's more of a curiosity, rather than a proper, affectionate tribute. You know, for the fans.

I haven't been since I was a kid. I therefore had zero expectations for this movie, and even groaned that I had to come in at 6 this morning to preview it for my theater. That said, I was completely blown away and entertained from beginning to end. His voice and his dance moves are top form and timeless. He sang all his greatest hits, even from the J5 era, which really hit a soft spot with me. And people might be complaining that this isn't a typical concert movie...in truth, that is a big plus here. Typical concert movies are overly produced. The intimacy of this footage makes you feel, not like you're in a concert, but like you're witness to very private performances. You get to see first hand how involved this man was (to every little detail of production and planning). There are no crowds of screaming and crying fans to have to sit through (with the exception of a brief opening scene in which the auditioning dancers get a little too blubbery at times). This film easily reignited my appreciation for the man, who was without a doubt one of the greatest entertainers of our time. Complete 180 for me, I'll be the first to admit. And a side note, his female guitarist (her name escapes me) had me picking my jaw up off the floor, and not just her looks. You'll see what I mean.

I went to see this movie as a non-Michael Jackson fan with absolutely no expectations. I bought the tickets for the world premiere as a birthday gift for my girlfriend. We went to the cinema in the morning and from the beginning I was moved. I have never done it before but in the very beginning a tear came to my eye. Thinking that this guy, with so much energy is 50 years old and about to die. When I bought the tickets I expected a movie with some biography of Michael, a lot of interviews etc, but there is none of this in the movie. The whole movie is about how the concerts would be, but I still didn't feel like I was seeing a concert. I was seeing a little family making a big project come true. I also expected to see Michael less weak, than some of his others concerts, but damn.. If you didn't know he was dead, and saw him dance and sing like he does there is no way you could predict that he was about to die of illness. There was no way I wanted to pay for tickets to his concerts before this day, but now I would pay 500$ for seeing those concerts in London. Although that This is it was about the concerts, the movie also consist a little sense of humor, love and a insight to the worlds climate problems.

A really great job, with great cutting and editing. This movie is a must see for everyone! Even though you aren't a fan of Michael, go watch it!

There are a lot of reviews here from Michael Jackson fans, but I figured I'd offer a different viewpoint--from someone who's not a fan, even somewhat cynical toward the MJ phenomenon in general.

I thought I would hate it, twice declined buying the DVD even though it was only $4 (go to your local Blockbuster used pile. There's still a ton left) before finally deciding heck with it, I'll give it a shot.

I was blown away.

Let me say up front I'm more a fan of classic rock leaning toward the heavy side (Sabbath, Zeppelin, etc) and although I grew up right in the middle of MJ's popularity explosion, I never crossed over.

This movie caught me immediately because it doesn't take the "Michael Jackson is the best thing ever" attitude that I had feared, but instead it's a somewhat humble approach which focuses not entirely on MJ but instead on the people he affected. In the first 5 minutes we get some pretty moving testimonials from dancers & performers whose lives were changed (saved?) by Michael's music. And with that in mind, even if you aren't a fan of his music yourself, you have to respect the fact that his music connected with so many people in such a powerful & positive way.

From there we start to see the rehearsals and behind-the-scenes stuff regarding the ill-fated "This Is It Tour". It left no doubt in my mind that this truly would have been the greatest concert production ever seen on planet earth. Yeah, watching lasers & giant inflatable pigs at a Pink Floyd concert is one thing, but MJ's This Is It Tour was set to have 60-ft-tall, panoramic, IMAX-type video screens, giant transformer robots, bulldozers, human cannonballs launching from under the stage, the world's best (and hottest) dancers, and not to mention the singing, dancing & moonwalking of one of the greatest pop stars in history. PT Barnum eat your heart out.

The movie also features several videos that were to be shown at the live show, and these were also quite a treat. Interspersed with Michael's own comments on what he had hoped to accomplish, it takes on a bittersweet, tragic-yet-inspiring vibe, particularly when you realize how socially & environmentally conscious Michael was. Though the film didn't dwell on it, we can see that he was a person tortured by the problems of humankind and doing everything in his power to fix it, by inspiring people in a positive way. And that's when I realized that, yes, all of his songs carried powerful, world-shaping messages beneath those slick dance moves.

The performances are captivating, the musicianship (from both Michael & his band) is meticulous & passionate, and I found myself suddenly liking the music which I had ignored for 20 years. One song almost had me in tears, and let me tell you I don't cry easy (I thought Platoon was a comedy).

I think every human being owes it to himself/herself to check out this video to be reminded that even bizarre, eccentric pop stars serve a purpose in this world. And who better to learn from than the most successful one that ever lived? Despite the tragedy of MJ's life, this is one of the most inspiring musical documentaries I've ever seen. Even if you're not a MJ fan, I guarantee you'll become one for at least 2 hours as you watch this film. Rock on \m/