'This Is It' will delight Jackson fans

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By Jonathan Specht

Rating: B+

Michael Jackson planned for 2009 to be the year his musical career once again made headlines. Indeed it was, although not for the reason he'd hoped. When Jackson died this summer, he was in London putting the final touches on a planned fifty-concert marathon.

The recently released movie This Is It was filmed during the months leading up to Jackson's death, and documents his progress in preparing for his planned comeback. Essentially a concert with a few interludes, This Is It will be enjoyable for most Jackson fans, but has little relevance for anyone else.

After seeing the film, I have no doubt that Jackson was indeed on the verge of a career comeback. Jackson wasn't just polishing his performance skills at the time of his death. He was meticulously crafting an extraordinarily elaborate concert extravaganza. As we see in This Is It, Jackson was in control of every musical note, every dance step, and every special effect of what would have been a spectacular musical experience.

While Jackson's body looks frail and emaciated, his dancing and singing abilities in This is It appear to have suffered nothing since his 1980s peak. Almost all of Jackson's hits are performed here: "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Smooth Criminal," "Black and White," and so forth. The nearly empty concert hall makes for an eerie performance, but one that is thrilling nonetheless.

Thrilling, that is, if you're a Michael Jackson fan. If you aren't, there isn't much to see here - but then again you probably won't want to go, anyway. The film offers little substance beyond its musical performances. We see some of Jackson perfecting the stage craft of his show, exhibiting a forceful but kind management style. There are a few interviews with Jackson's fellow performers, but none of them offer anything but praise for Jackson.

This is hagiography, pure and simple: an attempt to turn the King of Pop into the Saint of Pop. The film offers no criticism of Jackson, and no hint of his many troubles: his difficult childhood, his molestation trials, his lavish spending, his ambiguous views towards his own race and gender. But perhaps that's alright. Long after Jackson's personal weirdness is forgotten, his music, as excellently performed in this film, will live on. As the Romans said, "Speak nothing but good of the dead."

Originally Published: Issue 822 - November 4, 2009

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