THIS IS IT : AN AMAZING TALENT

I sat down to watch THIS IS IT, the concert film of Michael Jackson made of regular and dress rehearsal footage, I was skeptical. Yes, Jackson was a talented song writer and performer, but in the past year he’d achieved near sainthood from his fans. It was as if all the accusations concerning him had been pushed aside and forgotten.

I don’t know if any of them were true. I don’t know if people were paid off. For all any of us know, save for those directly involved, nothing ever happened. By the same token, knowing of all of these items, you have to reflect on them. And all of that comes rushing in while watching this film though indirectly.

So what IS the film all about? Is it simply a concert on film? It’s more than that. What we have here is a glimpse behind the scenes in snippets that culminate in a concert film. The movie shows hiring dancers for the show, has interviews with everyone from these dancers to the musicians and shows us Jackson in the midst of trying to make an experience for his fans to enjoy.

Had this show gone on to be performed, it would have been a spectacle to behold. Not an over the top one, but a total package of entertainment that combined dance, vocals and music unlike most concerts ever performed. The stage is there to be seen, the movements watched and the music floating from the speakers to immerse you in the experience that would have been.

Beginning with “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”, the pulsing sound of the bass and drums kicks into full gear providing a beat that I challenge anyone not to start toe tapping to. Jackson does the usual animated moves he was known for, the somewhat herky jerky motions and glides across the floor that he created and a generation followed and copied. And while these moves seem a bit repetitive at times, to see a talent like Jackson who can make it seem to fluid, so easy, is a sight to behold. Had he chosen to do so, you wonder if he could have been the next major musical film star ala Gene Kelly.

The songs that follow are combined with the interview footage shot during the rehearsals. We get a glimpse of Jackson working with the musicians to get the tempos correct, the sound right and the music just the way he wanted it to be when he would perform. All the while he seems calm and cordial, thanking each person as they go, offering a “God bless you” here and there and commenting more than once “This is why we rehearse.”

Songs included in this showcase include "They Don't Really Care About Us", "Smooth Criminal", "The Way You Make Me Feel.", Jackson Five songs like "I Want You Back", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There". Also featured are "Thriller" (no way could this have been left out), "Black or White", "Man In The Mirror" and more.

Along with the concert footage is some of the film pieces that were to have played in the background on a giant screen during the show. The biggest of these pieces involve a black and white segment imposing Jackson in an old Bogart movie for “Smooth Criminal” and a newly formed opening featuring his dancers in complete make up for “Thriller” which ends with a giant spider crawling on stage from which Jackson would emerge.

As I said earlier, you watch this film and are filled with a wide range of emotions. The one that surfaces at once is the feeling that Jackson is sometimes hard to look at after the changes he made to himself. But that leads to the next, a feeling of sadness seeing a man who had no chance at a normal life, who was never allowed to grow like a normal child to an adult.

There is a caring side to Michael Jackson no matter how many documentaries captured the strange behaviors seen on occasion. There is a man inside the machine who could capture a crowd with ease. But most of all there is an incredible talent on view in this film that has to be seen to be believed.

I sat down expecting to see another lionization of Michael Jackson, placing him on a pedestal that no mere mortal should achieve. What I ended with was the chance to see an amazing talent who passed away without a chance to continue. I was moved by this film, enjoyed it from start to finish and walked away feeling that this was a more fitting tribute to the man than the media circus that was his funeral.

THIS IS IT, is not just a film that should be rented. It is one that belongs in your collection. And if you are fortunate enough to have large screen and/or surround capabilities, sit back and hold on to your hats and try not to move to the beat.