Michael Jackson documentary resurrects the King of Pop

This Is It Directed by Kenny Ortega Distributed by Sony Pictures Nobody really knew what to expect from Michael Jackson’s music documentary, This Is It. After all, the King of Pop supposedly had nothing to offer but footage of what may have been his last attempt at recapturing his pop music glory. Even his fans went to theaters not expecting to see anything more than a hint of what Jackson would have pulled off in his 50 sold-out concerts in London. Perhaps, serious film buffs wouldn’t rate it as a spectacular movie event. But Jackson’s magic—diluted by his personal controversies and magnified in death—was clearly present. Spectacular start The movie opens with testimonies of dancers whom Jackson handpicked from hundreds of aspirants who auditioned from around the world. These dancers had looked up to him since they were kids and it was their life-long dream to perform alongside the King of Pop. The dancers are shown getting emotional and tearing up in front of the camera. The last dancer declares that this experience was “it." Then, the upbeat—and very apt—“Wanna Be Startin’ Something" starts to play. Footage of Jackson and the dancers dancing to the song fills the screen. At 50, the King of Pop’s famed falsetto was still the same. His dance moves were already concert-worthy in more than 100 hours of rehearsals. Sony surely got its money’s worth. Audio blasts from the past Throughout the rehearsals, Jackson remained faithful to his music, but also injected bursts of fresh grooves into his songs and choreography. He showed off his trademark moves in “The Way You Make Me Feel" (the body swaying), “Beat It" (the infamous gang-backed number), and “Black Or White" (his kick spin move). Other highlights included Jackson’s energetic medley of Jackson 5 songs and his heartfelt renditions of “Human Nature" and “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You." One could also marvel at the kind of effort that went into the preparations for the concert itself, with Jackson’s crew creating a short movie in black-and-white to serve as a backdrop for his performance of “Smooth Criminal." Then, there was a computer-generated army that would serve as the backdrop for his number on “They Don’t Care About Us." For “Thriller," they presented a 3D graveyard scene. They also brought in a bulldozer as a prop for the “Earth Song." Ironically, the last song Jackson performed was “Man in the Mirror," the same song that was played while his casket was being wheeled out during his memorial. The song “This Is It," which inspired the concept of the concert itself, only plays when the end credits roll. It’s disappointing, however, that the King of Pop only performed a short version of the moonwalk, probably because it was just the rehearsal. The audience, who undoubtedly longed for a concert, had to make do with the King of Pop only sampling some of the songs included in his concert set. Long live the King More than paying homage to Jackson’s prowess as a perfectionist performer, the documentary gave viewers a glimpse of how he treated people. Even when “scolding" his crew for making mistakes like suddenly adjusting the microphone volume or the sound system, he would only do so with “L-O-V-E." Jackson personally taught his backup dancers how to hit their marks. He even encouraged a young female guitarist to take the spotlight for herself. These scenes belied the fact that Jackson is already dead. In fact, the documentary seemed to encourage everyone to suspend reality, as there was hardly any mention of Jackson’s death. All in all, if you are a Jackson fan, this music documentary won’t actually give you closure. You’d just end up wondering if Jackson missed out on making one of the greatest comebacks in the history of pop music. That really would have been something. Nevertheless, the King of Pop lives. He came back to life for two weeks in 109 countries. - GMANews.TV See This is it movie trailer here.