Fine tribute to King of Pop
Michael Jackson is in top form in rehearsal for the London shows that never happened.
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This Is It is a good, not great, but very good documentary, probably one of the better concert films you’ll ever see that fails to capture any actual concert footage.
The movie provides an inside look at rehearsals for what was to have been the final curtain call for the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
As we all know, the curtain fell too soon, putting a dagger through the series of landmark London concerts, which causes one to wonder if this film was a little too rushed.
Perhaps it’s a little more ragged than it should be, and maybe it’s a bit of a cash grab, but you certainly can’t blame director Kenny Ortega. You gotta strike when the iron is hot, and anything regarding Jackson has been simmering since he passed away June 25.
Working with footage shot from just a few cameras and a team of four editors, This Is It uses few testimonials –– granted, interviews in a project like this are traditionally mere padding –– but given the posthumous platform of the project, the overdose of singing, dancing, and elaborate pyrotechnics seems so, gosh, routine.
It was going to be quite a concert, mind you. In fact, if nothing else, This Is It reminds us what a larger-than-life superstar Jackson was; how “big” just wasn’t big enough.
It’s also comforting to see, not a prima donna, but a surprisingly polite, gracious and competent professional giving his all to the show. Unless Ortega shaved a ton of material off the final edit, I don’t see a guy too weak to perform, as rumors have suggested.
He huffs, puffs and moonwalks his way through classics like Billie Jean, Thriller, and Smooth Criminal, rarely missing a beat. In fact, he finds a way to add a few.
So even if This Is It isn’t beyond brilliant, rest assured, Jackson was. And that alone makes this flick required viewing for his fans.
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