Movie Review: Don't stop 'til you get enough of the this box-office Thriller
Miles Franklin
Issue date: 11/10/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Michael Jackson's This Is It is an ordinary concert film focusing on the extraordinary Michael Jackson. In the film, the audience is treated to the King of Pop's rehearsals and back stage preparations for his sadly canceled concert: This Is It. The audience is able to see Michael Jackson one last time in all his glory.
Michael Jackson's This Is It was made following Jackson's death. Backstage footage was collected and created into a movie to show viewers what incredible talent they would have seen live in concert. The greatest part of the film is being able to see the amount of preparation that went into pulling the concert together.
The movie begins with interviews of dancers auditioning for a spot in the show. In just a few minutes, the audience learns of what Michael Jackson has done, those he has inspired and what we will be seeing: the King of Pop proving why he's the best.
Following the interviews, the film moves to clips of Jackson dancing and singing. Next, we get a chance to see what goes into making these amazing concerts: the special effects, the training and the time. There are even clips of reshoots of Jackson's more famous songs, such as "Thriller" and "Smooth Criminal." The biggest draw of the film, however, is seeing Michael Jackson practice and the hard work he puts into every performance.
Throughout the movie, the audience is reassured of how and why Michael Jackson rose to the top: he puts forth all his effort into every moonwalk, twirl and hat tip. In the film, Jackson looked old, but he didn't act it. He moved as gracefully and quickly as the back-up dancers half his age, and not once did he look tired. Jackson went beyond perfecting his dancing and singing; he made sure that everything, from music tempos to old recordings of his songs, was on point.
While the film does show the audience why "king of pop" is an appropriate name for Jackson, the film as a whole never seems to give the audience anything to which they feel attached. Throughout the movie, Jackson was more focused on his work than on the film, appearing detached from his loyal fans. A few extra smiles and words directed toward the camera would have made the film easier for his fans to invest themselves in, and also feel more connected to Jackson himself.
While the film certainly does Jackson's career justice, if it were anyone other than Jackson being featured, the film would have been considered mediocre and not nearly as powerful. The fact that it focuses on Jackson's hard work and preparation for one of the biggest concert series in recent history is what makes the film both memorable and astounding.
Michael Jackson's This Is It was made following Jackson's death. Backstage footage was collected and created into a movie to show viewers what incredible talent they would have seen live in concert. The greatest part of the film is being able to see the amount of preparation that went into pulling the concert together.
The movie begins with interviews of dancers auditioning for a spot in the show. In just a few minutes, the audience learns of what Michael Jackson has done, those he has inspired and what we will be seeing: the King of Pop proving why he's the best.
Following the interviews, the film moves to clips of Jackson dancing and singing. Next, we get a chance to see what goes into making these amazing concerts: the special effects, the training and the time. There are even clips of reshoots of Jackson's more famous songs, such as "Thriller" and "Smooth Criminal." The biggest draw of the film, however, is seeing Michael Jackson practice and the hard work he puts into every performance.
Throughout the movie, the audience is reassured of how and why Michael Jackson rose to the top: he puts forth all his effort into every moonwalk, twirl and hat tip. In the film, Jackson looked old, but he didn't act it. He moved as gracefully and quickly as the back-up dancers half his age, and not once did he look tired. Jackson went beyond perfecting his dancing and singing; he made sure that everything, from music tempos to old recordings of his songs, was on point.
While the film does show the audience why "king of pop" is an appropriate name for Jackson, the film as a whole never seems to give the audience anything to which they feel attached. Throughout the movie, Jackson was more focused on his work than on the film, appearing detached from his loyal fans. A few extra smiles and words directed toward the camera would have made the film easier for his fans to invest themselves in, and also feel more connected to Jackson himself.
While the film certainly does Jackson's career justice, if it were anyone other than Jackson being featured, the film would have been considered mediocre and not nearly as powerful. The fact that it focuses on Jackson's hard work and preparation for one of the biggest concert series in recent history is what makes the film both memorable and astounding.
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