Dan's Movie Reviews: This Is It

Earlier this year, Michael Jackson announced that he would be performing 50 shows in London’s O2 Arena under the title, This Is It. When I heard that, I knew that he wouldn’t be able to do that many shows just by looking at him, but I thought he’d at least be able to do one. Michael recorded footage of his rehearsals that would’ve been for his own personal viewings. But now, in the wake of his death, the footage has been released to the public in the form of a movie, entitled This Is It. So now we get a glimpse of the concert(s) that would’ve been.

It’s kind of sad watching this movie because you see that Michael had all of these AMAZING things in store for his fans, and now we’ll never get to see what it would have been like at 100% completion. (Don't worry though, that sadness doesn't last long.) The part that amazed me the most is the “Thriller” segment, as it involved 3D video footage, flying ghosts, and a giant spider. That is all I will say about that; the rest you have to see for yourself.

Amazing concert footage aside, this is really just a very generic documentary. There are some interesting scenes that show Michael’s creative process and how some of the stage effects are operated, but other than that, it’s just everybody talking about how cool it was to work with him. Also, the movie ends rather abruptly; when you think that more is going to happen, it just ends. It leaves you wanting more even though you know you’re not (ever?) going to get more.


OVERALL: This is an essential MJ documentary in addition to Living with Michael Jackson, even though it’s not really much. Fans, prepare to be amazed.


RATING: 4 out of 5