Michael Jackson’s posthumous concert film, This Is It, is so amazing, it feels like the actual event.
When the whole world was informed of Michael Jackson’s tragic death on June 25, 2009, that meant his This Is It concerts in London would be cancelled. Becoming a disappointment to many who were fortunate enough to obtain tickets, Jackson’s director for the concerts, High School Musical scribe Kenny Ortega, decided to produce a two-hour long concert/documentary of Michael Jackson’s rehearsals that is, in my opinion, one of the best movies of the year!
Prior to its release, I knew Michael Jackson’s This Is It would be an amazing movie. Featuring about 20 of Jackson’s classic songs (one of which, This Is It, is brand new), the movie’s performances were so authentic, I felt as if I was attending a Michael Jackson concert. The movie was so great, it was beyond my expectations.
Although Jackson performed many of his classic hits, all of them were re-done using advanced technology (such as computer software), and the result was beyond outstanding. Performing They Don’t Care About Us, Jackson’s backup dancers were digitally duplicated to give the effect of a marching army (reminding me of 300, which used the same technique). When Smooth Criminal began, I was wondering if the sequence even belonged, as it seemed like an old-fashioned black and white gangster video. However, once I saw Jackson enter, I realized this “old-fashioned” setup was actually a memorable performance of Smooth Criminal.
Another music highlight of This Is It was ironically a bit of a disappointment. For the actual tour, Kenny Ortega had planned to create a new version of Thriller that included floating, see-through ghosts, a graveyard of “zombies,” and a giant spider that opens to reveal Jackson. This version was supposed to be a 3-D sequence in the concert, where the audience received the special glasses. However, the film’s audience was not this lucky, as Ortega did not use the 3-D effect at all…not even for this new Thriller video.
Out of all the songs performed in This Is It, I found it extremely hard to pick only one favorite, as they were all equally amazing. If I had to pick just one favorite sequence however, it would probably have to be Earth Song, because the way Ortega and Jackson produced this version, it sends the audience a powerful message about the importance of saving our planet. While a little girl is chasing a butterfly in a forest, a giant bulldozer approaches her. While this is happening, Jackson is high atop a cherry picker (this is not the only song were the cherry picker is used), singing Earth Song. As the song comes to an end, this little girl is laying on the ground, surrounded by fire and deforestation, while Jackson is calmly telling us the importance of saving our planet before it is too late. By the end of this song I was on the verge of tears, as it was very emotional.
While This Is It mainly featured Jackson’s music performances, there was also behind the scenes footage. Throughout the movie, Jackson is very gentle and calm, never yelling when there is a minor difficulty. At the beginning, I was introduced to Jackson’s backup dancers who were chosen through audition. The prize however, was not a ticket to Hollywood but the chance of a lifetime: working with the King of Pop. Jackson’s music performances in This Is It are so PHENOMENAL, if this was just his rehearsal, it would have been an event of a lifetime to attend The King of Pop’s final performances.
Rating: ★★★★★
