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This Is It Our rating: Your rating:   Your Comments: see all MPAA rating: PG (for some suggestive choreography and scary images) Genre: Documentary, Musical Theater release: October 28, 2009 by Sony Pictures Directed by: Kenny Ortega Runtime: 1 hour 52 minutes Cast: Michael Jackson (himself), Kenny Ortega (himself), Michael Bearden (himself), Orianthi Panagaris (herself) Related: Talk About It/Family Corner

It's neither insightful enough to be a full documentary, nor is it complete enough for a full concert film, but Michael Jackson's This Is It offers a unique film experience that will divide many filmgoers into two camps.

The non-fan has absolutely no reason to see this—not even morbid curiosity. There are no major revelations into Jackson's life or the sordid details of his shocking death on June 25, 2009. It's purely a celebration of the mega-star's musical legacy.

But the Jackson fan has every reason to see it. Jackson had been rehearsing at the Los Angeles Staples Center since April 2009, preparing for 50 sold-out shows in London that would have surely led to a worldwide farewell tour. Now it's the tour that will never be, making this bittersweet project a glimpse of what might have been by distilling over a hundred hours of rehearsal footage (intended for DVD featurettes) into a two-hour film.

The star of the show

Andy Argyrakis, who writes for Christian Music Today, is one such fan, all his life aching to see the King of Pop in concert and lucky enough to score a ticket for one of the London shows. After screening This Is It with me, his response was pure ecstasy: "It absolutely gives you a front row seat to what you would have seen at the concert, proving MJ would have finished on top with his legacy intact." I'll leave out his more hyperbolic comments about this becoming the biggest film of all time, but fans should hurry and get tickets for the limited two-week theatrical release, though popular demand will likely extend it.

What about those with a mixture of admiration for the entertainer and disapproval for his eccentricities? This Is It surpassed my expectations, and reaffirmed Jackson's showmanship through a developing concert that truly defines spectacle.

The film begins with emotional resonance as teary-eyed dancers are interviewed behind the scenes. They're not mourning Jackson's death (the footage was recorded in early 2009), but crying over the opportunity to audition for and perform with their childhood hero. Later, we catch glimpses of Jackson's London press conference, announcing his string of concerts: "This is really it … This is the final curtain call." Talk about prophetic words.

Great dancing, as you'd expect

From there, This Is It works to recreate the conceived concert through raw rehearsal footage. Director Kenny Ortega certainly has the credentials to stage such a show, having worked with Jackson and other superstars before. He doesn't really distinguish himself as a documentary filmmaker here, simply stringing together the footage as best as he can manage. But there's no denying his collaborative effort in bringing Jackson's vision to life—his concert staging and direction is what makes the movie a rousing and vibrant success.

Cynics and sensationalists looking for evidence of Jackon's faltering health won't find it here. Though it's been over a decade since Jackson's last tour, the 50-year-old artist still had what it took to keep in step with (and sometimes outshine) the energetic 20-something dancers at peak fitness behind him. Yes, the man could still moonwalk like no other.

A few of the vocal performances are rough, but keep in mind that this movie documents rehearsals; Jackson was saving his voice for the concerts to come. Besides, the wonky notes tend to come while he was dancing his heart out during "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)." When focusing his voice on less intensive classics like "Human Nature" and "The Way You Make Me Feel," he sounded nearly identical to the recordings 25 years ago.

Based on the visual evidence, Jackson's final tour would have played like a Vegas show on steroids set in an arena, combining a near-perfect set list of his best-known hits with energetic showmanship and unparalleled production values. Lights, smoke, video screens, pyrotechnics, costumes, puppets, a cherry picker; there's even a bulldozer and a mechanical spider involved. Jackson was to make his first appearance on stage by emerging from a massive "light man" suit of armor, on which pre-show videos were to be projected. My favorite gimmick was simpler: a "toaster" that popped dancers out from under the stage—a very striking effect.

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