This is It | Review By Matt R.
Posted by Greg Weinstein | Filed under Movie, Movie News, Movie Review, News, This is it, matt r.
I saw This Is It and it seems like this Michael Jackson kid has a real future. Shoot. Too soon?
More Jam, Jam Here Comes the Man, after the Jump.
For footage that was supposed to be locked up in MJ’s vault forever, like a modern day Song of the South, his rehearsals were shot with some incredible precision. And it’s a good thing too. For all of the reports surrounding the KoP’s death, this guy could still really move. It’s actually strange how stiff he looks during the press conference compared to when he’s on stage. Maybe he just really loved to perform? Or maybe that’s what enough drugs to kill a grown man looks like in action. Either way, his voice sounds great and he works the stage harder than the afternoon shift at Larry Flynt’s Barely Legal on a Monday afternoon.
Most of the MJ hits are here: Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Earth Song, Billie Jean, Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough, etc.(let’s face it, the guy’s got enough classics for ten of these movies) but the truly interesting parts are watching Mike interact with the crew, dancers, and musicians. It’s a side of him we rarely see and his passion for the material is clear. Plus, this little blonde Australian girl on guitar, Orianthi, has been called the greatest guitar player by Carlos Santana and obviously rocks MJ’s world, so watch out for her.
The movie tends to get a little slow at some points. It runs about two hours and for some of the numbers MJ is just warming up his vocals. But more often than not he ends up getting caught in the moment and belting out some bars of the tune. Him singing the Jackson Five stuff is a treat, since in real life you only ever hear them replayed with young, falsetto Mike singing. It is also obvious that this concert was planned to be a real spectacle. They filmed all new material for Smooth Criminal, They Don’t Really Care About Us, and Thriller. During some of the numbers, you can see the actual costumes and sets, all extremely elaborate. Then again, of the things Mike’s been accused of, not committing to something completely has yet to be thrown around.
This is a fine tribute to MJ’s memory. A great way to celebrate the man’s work without getting into all of the controversy. You can’t help but think what if throughout the entire movie. What if this concert tour went on as planned. What if this fantastic artist was given the chance to have a normal life? What if I tried to rock those gold sequin pants to work? We’ll never know. For shear entertainment value, I’m giving this 9 out of 10 wardrobe changes. Might’ve gotten a perfect 10, if MJ wasn’t blatantly rocking Ed Hardy sweatpants on stage with a Carhartt jacket.
