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Underneath the scandals, the plastic surgery, the jokes, the tabloid coverage and the general drama that surrounded the life of Michael Jackson, there was a phenomenal entertainer.
“This is It” doesn’t touch Jackson’s tumultuous life or tragic death, but showcases the incredible singing, amazing dancing and strong work ethic that helped turn a boy from Gary, Ind., into the King of Pop.
The movie was put together from footage recorded during rehearsals for Jackson’s sold-out concert series. It shows Jackson working with dancers, backup singers, musicians and technicians to put together what would have been a wild and wonderful concert experience.
There are some glimpses at the backstage goings-on, as the backup dancers are chosen, footage for large screens is filmed and technical issues are worked out in preparation for the concert. Some of those technical marvels were basically completed by the time and are shown in the movie, including a video that would run with “Thriller” and a movie that put Jackson in a shootout with Humphrey Bogart. There’s even a peek at the amazing amount of pyrotechnics that would have been featured throughout the concert, had it ever made it to the stage.
However, most of the movie just features Jackson practicing his singing and dancing. And, oh man, could he sing and dance!
“This is It” features many of Jackson’s greatest and most well-known hits, including “I’ll Be There,” “Thriller,” “Beat It,” “Billie Jean” and “Smooth Criminal,” and it was a lot of fun watching Jackson perform those same dance moves that made him famous. Despite the fact that he was 50 years old and on enough drugs to down a water buffalo, Jackson was on the top of his game, and he clearly loved to perform, even though he was just performing for a handful of concert technicians.
“This is It” doesn’t have much of a “plot” to speak of, and it’s not a documentary about Michael Jackson the man. Instead, it’s basically like watching a concert, showing Michael Jackson, The King of Pop. If concerts are your thing, or you’re a Michael Jackson fan, “This is It” is a fun way to pass a couple of hours in a movie theater, and a great way to say good-bye to a great performer.
Jenny’s Take: See it before it leaves theaters.
(Rated PG for some suggestive choreography and scary images. Runs 112 minutes.)
Moonwalk over to Jenny’s blog for some pop culture fun at www.fwdailynews.com/jenny.
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