By John Garcia

November 3, 2009

Grade: A

 “This Is It” is the most appropriate title of the year. Michael Jackson’s film is indeed it-- “it” being the closure the world needed after the King of Pop’s untimely death this past June.

We get it all here, from intimate dance instruction to private rehearsals that’ll knock you plain off your feet. Expect nothing less from one of the greatest entertainers the world has ever seen.

“This Is It” is a documentary showcasing rehearsals, interviews, and backstage footage of Michael Jackson and his crew as they prepare for an upcoming string of sold-out concerts in London. Needless to say, these concerts never happen, but the King of Pop still delivers one heck of a show.

We have seen Jackson countless times in interviews and concert videos alike, but those only showcase a persona that we as fans have accepted unconditionally. Whatever happened to that man in the mirror?

Director Kenny Ortega shows us Michael Jackson in a revealing, human manner with which everyone can identify. The man we see in these rehearsals is one full of imperfections and raw desire for success and acceptance. The result is an experience so personal that you will feel completely immersed in the world Jackson creates within minutes of stepping into the theater.

The footage is nothing less than the best. We see Jackson actively creating and developing the immensely pragmatic and sometimes dangerous stunts that would have gone into what would have been an epic, deranged performance.

It’s obvious from what we see that Jackson wasn’t going to let these concerts go through half-assed. He knew his songs and his moves inside out and, having the perfectionist mentality for which he was known, made sure everything from the background singer’s pitch to the stage lighting, was perfect.

And when all these small bumps and scratches are buffed out, the results are overwhelming. We get a charged, killer rendition of “The Way You Make Me Feel” and even some chilling new “Thriller” footage. Just to see this 50-year-old man out-dance those in their 20s backing him up is worth it in itself.

And the goodies don’t stop there. Jackson even dusts off some of oldies from the Jackson 5 era, including the classic “I Want You Back.” There are a few giant robots and a bulldozer added in there, too. I’ll let you find out what those are for.

One thing this film strays away from is Jackson’s death. It simply focuses on the music, the man, and the concert that was never to be. Ortega didn’t need to add anything about his death into the picture because you’ll miss the King of Pop enough already. When the credits roll, you’ll wish they wouldn’t.

This film gets nowhere near to what it would have been like to see this show live, but it does manage to capture an inkling of the magic that would have dispersed from the arena had the concert happened, and that’s all the more reason to go see it.

So if this truly is a final goodbye  it would be a crime to miss this experience, no matter how little or how much you know about the man known as Michael Jackson.