Movie Review: This Is It

By FOX43tv.com's Film Reviewer, Stephanie Cooke

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From April through June of 2009, Michael Jackson and his creative partner, renowned choreographer Kenny Ortega, set out on a journey to create the concert that they believed would be the last of Michael Jackson's storied career.  Eight days before the date of the first concert performance last summer, Michael passed away.  What was left was more than 100 hours of footage recorded behind the scenes of rehearsals at Michael's request for his personal archive.  This Is It is a compilation of flawed, sometimes out of focus, footage that was never meant to be seen, but fans will certainly not feel guilty watching it.  It's a look at the creative process of Michael Jackson and a rare glimpse of the real Michael - singer, dancer, creative mastermind, perfectionist.

It was fascinating to see the private Michael in creative mode.  He clearly had a sixth sense for crowd reaction and a strict demand for the musicians and dancers to be at the top of their game.  At one point in the film, one of his guitarists tells the camera "There's some genius stuff going on here."  It appeared that everyone involved in the rehearsals felt that this was going to be special.

Sequences that were shot as a backdrop for the concert stage -- some featuring Michael, some not -- were interlaced with the rehearsal performances in the film.  Seeing the behind-the-scenes of even those shoots was entertaining.  Some of the visual effects they planned were going to be just spectacular. 

There were times when Michael Jackson clearly appeared to be at the top of his game.  In dance sequences for Thriller and Beat It Michael is every bit Michael fans remember.  In fact in those scenes, I found myself reminding myself that he really is no longer with us.  His voice is spot on in a number of songs - The Way You Make Me Feel, Human Nature - and so much so that he got mad at someone (himself) for getting caught up in the moment and really singing instead of conserving his voice.

Then there were numbers that, even though it was a rehearsal, something was just off.  Sometimes it was a dance that wasn't coming together, sometimes it seemed he'd forgotten the words.  Some could point to his health here.  I kinda felt like he was just human. 

Watching parts of the film made me feel a little like I had stayed up past my bedtime to peak in on a parent's party I wasn't allowed to attend.  It's like you're eavesdropping and seeing and hearing things you weren't meant to see and hear.  You get to see Michael's sense of humor and the times that he would get mad and also his genuine care for others.  He wanted everyone in the show to realize they would shine alongside him.  At one point the entire crew gathers in a circle and Michael addresses them all saying they had come together "to put love back in the world.  We need to remind the world that love is important."

There were two times that I was moved to tears.  The first came as I watched Michael sing "I'll Be There".  I thought about his kids and how precious this film will be to them over time. And when he finished singing he gave the direction that at that point in the concert he would stop and say his brothers' names and that he loves them.  And then he'd say Joseph and Katherine and that he loves them.  That was a moving scene for me.  And lastly, there's something about "Man in the Mirror".  That song is special as it is, but to see him sing it that final time in the context of his death, was really moving.

This Is It is a concert film that you get to see without the concert--meaning the fans. Even though we sometimes get to see entire performances of songs complete with the big finish, when the song ends: no applause. At times, the silence in the theatre and on the screen is haunting. 

Everyone has their own feelings about Michael as a person and people will believe what they believe.  But there was no doubt for me before the film -- but especially after seeing this film -- that he really was a legendary talent.