Published: November 04, 2009 09:51 pm      

‘This Is It’ shows Jackson was still king

It would be nearly impossible for me (or any other critic, for that matter) to look at “This Is It” purely as another exercise in documentary cinema. It is a documentary to be sure, but what’s on screen for the film’s 90 or so minutes was never really intended to be seen by anyone. For all its emotional punch, and there is plenty, “This Is It” ultimately winds up being one giant buildup with the very sad absence of a payoff.

Throughout the spring of 2009 Michael Jackson was holed up with a team of musicians, technicians, dancers and producers at L.A.’s massive Staples Center, rehearsing almost daily for a series of 50 shows at London’s O2 Arena that Jackson himself had dubbed “This Is It,” his final curtain call before official retirement.

Throughout the rehearsals a team of cameramen were on hand to capture Jackson’s daily work with his team, including footage of sound checks, choreography sessions, special effects shoots and full on performances.

Jackson’s death on June 25 put an end to the concerts, and the footage, which was originally intended for Jackson’s private collection, became the only testament of the King of Pop’s last hurrah.

With the cooperation of the Jackson estate, Jackson’s longtime creative partner Kenny Ortega (who worked on several Jackson tours), producer of the “This Is It” shows, culled from the hours of footage the best moments of Jackson’s return to the stage, and assembled them into a film “for the fans,” intended to be an impromptu love letter from MJ to everyone who intended to see him in London.

Scenes Ortega chose to best represent the work being done include Jackson’s legendary perfectionism while working with his backing band, footage of dancer auditions, interviews with the musicians and performances of Jackson hits including “Smooth Criminal,” “Human Nature,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Thriller” and “Black or White.”

With the exception of a few professionally filmed sequences intended to be played on video screens during the concerts, “This Is It” consists entirely of digital video footage shot by documentary cameramen, giving the flick a refreshing absence of polish. Though we’re given glimpses of what the final concerts would look like, the view isn’t one of glamour. We’re seeing is Michael Jackson stripped down, unvarnished, making mistakes and working out his groove.

And while he may not be the same fireball he was 20 years ago, make no mistake, the swagger is still there. From the synth-driven bite of “Smooth Criminal” to the perpetual cool of “Billie Jean,” even in the roughest of rehearsals, this is still Michael Jackson hitting the notes and busting the moves, making his backing dancers (who are all half his age) look like amateurs. It’s never perfect, but trust me when I tell you are there are moments in this film (the performance of “Human Nature,” for one) that will make your hair stand up.

As to whether or not you should go see it, it all depends on your love of MJ. If you don’t care, there’s nothing in this film that will make you. But if you care, and you want to know for sure if, after all the scandal and the celebrity freakiness, Michael Jackson still had it, this is the flick for you.

But before I go, a word of warning. While there are numerous epic, life affirming moments flashing on the screen, “This Is It” is, at its core, a tragedy, because there’s no other thing it can be. At the end, as you hear Jackson sing his final single (also called “This Is It”), you realize that it’s really and truly over, that the O2 arena will never light up for Michael Jackson. We’ll never get to see those shows, but if this film is any indication, those gigs would have made the earth move.

Matt’s Call: Like I said, if you don’t care about Michael Jackson, you won’t care about this movie. But if you’re a fan, don’t you dare miss it.