But in This Is It, even though he may not have intended for us to see it, he finally gives us real performances. He finally gives us something good to look at and reminds us of his considerable gifts.

 

The film was pulled together by director Kenny Ortega, who was also the director of what was to be Jackson’s string of comeback concerts. What we’re looking at probably would have been a TV special or DVD bonus feature, but Ortega instead spliced it all together to create the closest thing to a final Michael Jackson concert we’ll ever have.

 

It’s a documentary, but it’s not necessarily journalism. Ortega intends the film as a tribute, so audiences looking for clues into Jackson’s death will have to wait for other inevitable projects. You can form your own opinions about the performances when you see them, but Ortega’s opinion is obvious: he thinks Michael Jackson was the King of Pop.

 

Jackson’s creativity is documented not just in the songs but in the moments when the music stops and Jackson takes control. In the interviews he gave in the last several years, Jackson gave off the image of a mousy little boy and a victim to the world. Fans of his music will love seeing him take charge: telling a musician to wait for his cue, letting the sound engineer know the mix is too loud or explaining why there needs to be a long pause so that the music can “simmer.” It’s a reminder he was a creative force.

 

Your take on the songs themselves may depend on your level of fandom. This Is It seems to be the entire concert in order, and while the footage from different days is mixed together, we do hear the songs from start to finish. But keep in mind; they are rehearsals and not fully-realized performances. For a Jackson diehard, two hours of rehearsals are bliss; for a casual fan, an hour may be enough to get the gist of the film.

 

This reviewer falls somewhere between casual fan and diehard, and for me, the movie’s centerpiece is “Billie Jean.” Jackson is almost alone on camera, singing his breakthrough hit and dancing up a storm. There is even tension as we wait to see if we’re going to get a moonwalk. His backup dancers – who don’t need to be there as they’re not in the number – are watching from the side of the stage and are living the moment they’ve dreamed of: a private Michael Jackson concert. His voice, his moves, his presence: it’s all right there in the 4 minute performance of the Thriller album classic.

 

But understand: the freak show of the last twenty years still peeks in. You’ll be mesmerized by some performances, but also distracted by his unreal appearance. His lips look strange and when he turns in profile, you wonder where his nose is. His oddest outfit is a black suit that hugs his frame. Dressed all in black and with his translucent hands sticking out, he looks like Mickey Mouse. Even if you’re fully on his side, you can’t help but notice.

 

This Is It of course won’t be it. The fascination with dead celebrities is too prevalent these days (Ortega ironically worked with the late Patrick Swayze on Dirty Dancing and could no doubt pull together a loving Swayze tribute if he wanted to). John Lennon and Tupac Shakur gave us music well after they’d passed, so while these may be Jackson’s last chronological performances, they won’t be the last we ever see. Someone will unearth something. But for now, it’s essentially a Michael Jackson concert released at a time when his celebrity is at another peak. Fans at my screening didn’t hold back cheering or even singing along. At any other movie, I’d disapprove. But this was their moment too, so I let them have it.