is this it for Michael Jackson?

The king of pop doesn't get the concert film he always deserved.

by Mark Palermo

A prelude to "Smooth Criminal" has Michael Jackson edited alongside Rita Hayworth and Humphrey Bogart in clips from Gilda and In a Lonely Place. Coming from anyone else, this would be unwarranted ego-tripping. But no other pop music artist (not Elvis, not Madonna, not The Beatles) ever made as powerful an impression on film images as Jackson did once he became an MTV superstar. It's that history of visual iconography that This Is It should aspire to more often.

It's always been a shame that Jackson hadn't had a concert film on par with Prince's Sign O' the Times. And from the sparse opening rundown of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," with huge musical sections still missing, it's clear that this won't be it. An assembly of performance rehearsals, classic archival footage and heartfelt confessions, This Is It finds High School Musical director Kenny Ortega instead building a monument to Jackson's skill. It's musically impassioned, and at its most interesting, a look at behind-the-scenes showbiz hierarchy (Jackson is demanding, but he never skips a "thank you"). It's Ortega's understanding of Jackson's artistry that's a little shallow. The singing and dancing is unmistakable, but MJ was also set apart by his populist messages of cultural change, social acceptance and racial identity, exemplified in his best long-form videos ("Thriller," "Bad," "Black or White"). His views on the environment expressed here are sincere but not enough. Considering Jackson's film legacy when he was alive, This Is It will only settle for being a touching shrine.

Tags: Movie Reviews, This Is It, Michael Jackson

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I've watched the film, and I'd have to say that it is indeed unremarkable, It just seemed to me that it was a loosely strung together rehearsal clips to make a few bucks. MJ is worth more dead than alive, clearly.

Posted by Dr. Fever on November 4, 2009 at 5:57 PM | Report this comment

Fishbone.

Posted by Sander on November 4, 2009 at 6:03 AM | Report this comment

Mark ,first off I do know about freedom of the press and speech,but any way here goes my rant.You are way off.This was not meant for public eyes originally ,just Michaels home videos.But thanks to Kenny Ortega it was publicized so the fans could say their final goodbyes and have closer.I still havent had closer and have now seen This Is It twice and i am still very upset by his death.The movie is wonderful so go see it Mark.

Posted by lams526 on November 3, 2009 at 11:47 PM | Report this comment

Thanks, already did.

Posted by chandy uk on November 3, 2009 at 8:55 PM | Report this comment

If you want to read an essay on THIS IS IT by someone thoughtful who really gets the essence of why this film is important--just as it is--check out Steven Ivory's column today at http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur57165.cfm

Posted by pjb on November 3, 2009 at 7:18 PM | Report this comment