This Is It (Kenny Ortega, 2009)

BOTTOM LINE: A fitting tribute to the late Michael Jackson, “This Is It” provides well edited rehearsal footage of those performances he was due to give in London which fans will no doubt cherish, although this pseudo-documentary could have had more coverage of Jackson’s interactions with those around him rather than the fleeting glimpses we are ultimately given.

THE GOOD: No story was bigger in the entertainment world this year than the untimely passing of the King of Pop Michael Jackson. Due to give his final concert tour in London, Jackson had a documentary crew follow every stage of its preparation for his personal archive. Concert director Kenny Ortega has now assembled moments from this footage in to a fitting tribute documentary of the man himself and his final months putting together the show that would have topped all those that came before. Fans will no doubt cherish this piece of history, and non-fans have much to enjoy as well as “This Is It” takes us through all of Jackson’s biggest hits, including rehearsal footage, newly filmed sequences for the video screen in the concert, and some personal moments of the man himself where if nothing else, we get to see how professional and perfectionist he was at getting the songs right for the fans. At some points, Jackson pushes his crew, dancers and singers to get it right, but at no point do you think it is to satisfy his ego because every time he keeps telling them, “I want the song to sound like it does on the records; that’s what the fans want.” Clearly a lot of work had gone in to this concert, with the new 3D sequences for Jackson’s biggest single “Thriller” and the new short film for “Smooth Criminal” being quite astonishing in their production value as examples shown in this documentary. However, the bulk of the documentary is about the music, with each of his big songs remixed and played throughout, broken up occasionally by the odd interview here and there, and some behind the scenes moments with Jackson and his crew. What is quite fascinating about this documentary is that despite an odd moment here or there, Michael Jackson still had ‘it’ even at the age of 50. “This Is It” celebrates Michael Jackson as the consummate artist who wanted to give the fans what they wanted one last time, and if nothing else can be said about the man, this documentary does bring out why he was so popular with so many people, and why he was the King Of Pop.

THE BAD: Although technically a documentary, “This Is It” is more or less a two hour MTV clip, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does cry out for more of those behind the scenes moments with the man himself. Here and there in this documentary we see personal moments of Michael Jackson interacting with his crew and they are gold, but just when you cannot get enough of it, the next song cues up and we are back in to MTV mode. Those moments are too few and fleeting. Given we are told at the beginning that this documentary crew followed the whole set up of the concert through to final rehearsals, surely there must have been more footage that could have been used of Jackson himself away from the performances. Director Kenny Ortega might argue that he was trying to present a glimpse of what the concert might have been, but given Jackson’s untimely death just prior to this concert series, it may have been better to present something more broad; a documentary that would have explored Jackson beyond this concert series as a proper tribute of his entire career and life.

RATING: 7.5/10

Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net

I have not seen many “concert films” in my lifetime, but I was very interested in seeing this one.  This was not only because of Michael Jackson’s death but moreso because I’ve always felt that he was the greatest entertainer in the world.  If I were to pick one concert to go to, I’ve always said it would be Michael Jackson.  However, this a film of behind-the-scenes footage of the concert that was meant to be.  So we do not get to see an actual concert.  We get to see a musical genius at work in preparation of what was to be his historic comeback.
Michael Jackson’s This Is It does not give us a glimpse into Michael’s personal life as some may have hoped for.  That would be a different movie.  This is to show him at what he does best.  He made some great music, but he really cemented his legendary status for being the ultimate performer.  He put on a show like no one else.  You see the impact he has had on so many people as the film opens with dancers talking to the camera about how this is their ultimate dream to be able to work with him.  It’s fun to see the dancers watching him later as he performs certain parts by himself.  The dancers watch from below the stage with genuine cheers and excitement in seeing their idol do his thing.
You can tell from this footage that the concerts (there were to be 50 dates in London) were going to be unlike anything else ever done.  There would be 3-D footage and very expensive, elaborate set designs.  Ghosts were even going to fly through the aisles during the performance of “Thriller”.  I’m sure the main reason this film was put out is to re-coup some of the expenses of this concert since it never got to happen.  But this isn’t just cashing in on something at Michael’s expense.  It does show him as a loving person who was just a perfectionist at his craft.  He is quite demanding with technical aspects of the concert.  Yet when he asks someone to fix or improve on something, he will say something like “it’s all in love”.  He strives for the best but doesn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings at the same time.
I was pleased to see that the film highlights some of my favorite Michael Jackson songs, including the great but not so well-known “Earth Song”.  This highlights how much Michael Jackson cared about the environment.  He cared about the earth and he cared about people in general.  Many people may not know that he contributed more to charity than any other celebrity in history.  I do wish that I got to see him just having fun off the stage and maybe talking to the camera himself, but we mainly see him in work mode.  You can also tell that he’s holding back most of the time and we don’t get to see him giving his all since it is rehearsal.  There’s even a moment when he regrets singing so well because he wants to save his voice for the concerts.  It’s a shame that the concerts never got to occur.  They would have been amazing for those who attended.  We do get to see what could have been, and we see a man who made his collaborators truly feel like they were a family.

http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-philadelphia/danny-porcaro

This Is It is Michael Jackson’s final curtain call, a documentary-concert film which captures the King of Pop in action during the rehearsals for what could have been the biggest concert show ever staged by a pop star of such legendary stature in the last couple of decades. His passing is sudden and shocking. But his musical legacy and strong professional ethics live on. This Is It is a poignant reminder of his incredible musical talent and more crucially, his encompassing love for nature and humanity.

Directed by Kenny Ortega, This Is It represents familiar territory for the director of High School Musical (2006), who knows a thing or two about capturing musicals and concerts on film. Whether they are worth watching is another matter. Having said that, This Is It, however exceeds expectations, and I am glad that Ortega has done a commendable job to make a film which preserves the sanctity of Jackson’s greatness. Ortega wisely avoids the controversy surrounding Jackson’s death and chooses instead to focus entirely on the singer-dancer’s commitment to his craft. This is how MJ (as he is affectionately called) would have wanted his fans to remember him for.

A wide repertoire of songs are featured here including classics such as Thriller, Billie Jean, and Beat It, and favorites like Black Or White, Man In The Mirror, and Earth Song. Performed live by a very talented group of musicians together with Jackson’s irresistible vocals, these songs are delivered to the theater’s sound system in extreme clarity. I daresay that the most outstanding aspect of This Is It belongs to its sound mixing which could be (and should be) nominated for an Oscar. It gives one of the most immersive ‘concert’ experiences on screen since Scorsese’s Shine A Light (2008). And it is because of the fantastic sound work here which helps to create an illusion over the film’s most significant drawback – the absence of a narrative thread.

If one were to break the film down to its most basic parts, it can be observed that it is just a random assembly of footage from Jackson’s rehearsals with the occasional ‘off-stage’ exchange of dialogue. This Is It could have been assembled any another way with the same footage but edited in a different running order and it would be a different kind of the same. This means there is a lack of a driving narrative or one that coherently links together various parts to form a recognizable structure in which viewers can identity with and follow visually. If not for the hard work put in by the sound department, and the presence of Jackson himself (and his music), This Is It would not have fared better than the High School Musicals.

Fans of MJ will be divided over the release of this film. Some will embrace it, seeing it as a celebrative tribute to a respected music icon while others might view it as milking the cash cow, taking advantage of his death to set cash registers ringing. No side is more right than the other. Instead, This Is It should be seen as a ‘what if’ film; it allows us to question the future – one in which MJ successfully navigates through the protracted fifty sold-out shows. Will that feat change the way critics or cynics look at the pop star like this film has so excellently accomplished? We will never know. But at least we know MJ tried.

SCORE: 8/10
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Last updated: 2009-11-05 20:46:33 by eternality_tan

Going in, I hadn't really known what to expect, aside from his rehearsal footage. As it turns out, "This Is It" was what his concert would've been, if he had been alive to stage it. What stuck out most from the interviews was their dedication to their work, and it was because of Michael Jackson's direct and intimate touch with how he wanted his concert to be. Throughout the show, and since this was rehearsal footage, we got to see Jackson focus so strongly on his songs and choreography. The movie is a testament to his genius and poor substitute for what should have been the pinnacle moment of his career.

Full review at Yuhui's Movie Blogger: http://bit.ly/2Vy5P