You just can’t help it. No matter how hardened you might be toward Michael Jackson’s tarnished legacy, your feet start tapping when “Smooth Criminal” thunks into your ears, your head moves sideways when those zombies in “Thriller” do that shuffle-shake move and when “the king of pop” rolls into an improvised jam in front of a few gathered crew members in this film, you just might hold your breath.
In spite of all that press about how weird the guy was in the past few years — the creepy changes in his appearance, the allegations of pedophilia, his faltering empire — when it came to putting together a knock-your-socks-off show, MJ was top of the heap.
This new film of assembled rehearsal footage was put together by Kenny Ortega, who was both Jackson’s creative partner and the director of the stage show. The best of it would have augmented a planned world tour and other products later on down the line. It is in many ways thrilling, but it’s also a sad tribute to what could have been one helluva comeback, a “final curtain call” for an artist still beloved by many.
Jackson died suddenly of cardiac arrest June 25, but no reference is made in this film. Instead, we see the intense crucible of talent that unfolded during rehearsals that took place prior to what would have been his show’s debut in London’s O2 Arena. The footage was recorded by high definition video cameras from April 2009 until a few weeks before Jackson’s death, and what they capture should not by any stretch of the imagination be considered polished work. Many sequences are pieced together from several rehearsal run-throughs so you see various costume changes within one given number. The sound isn’t quite first rate. And, there are stops and starts, including one odd moment when the chink on Jackson’s armor seems evident.
Although many have pointed out the pop star’s phenomenal level of endurance while performing among dancers half his age (he was 50 when he died), there are indications that Jackson wasn’t quite as nimble as he was. But, that’s normal, and it’s expected. The show, instead, would have relied heavily upon a small army of extremely talented performers who were hand-picked at the top of their craft. Among them is breakout Greek guitarist Oleathi Panagaris, whose jam with Michael will surely make her a star.
It’s obvious that this film would probably not exist in its present form without the tragedy that occurred, not to mention the unresolved questions regarding the artist’s bizarre life. In fact, given the level of control Jackson held over his products, it’d probably be safe to say he’d be rather uncomfortable with it. Still, as a record of his creative process on-stage (there is no candid off-stage material here), it’s pretty entertaining and shows the world what a phenomenal performer he was.
“Michael Jackson’s This Is It” is rated PG some suggestive choreography and scary images.
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