Michael Jackson’s This Is It…
I don’t know how to approach this film. Is it a concert film? Or is it a documentary? Going into it I thought it was going to be a combination of both. But having seeing it it’s neither. While it’s closer to a concert film, it’s really just a propaganda piece, meant to leave people with a positive image of Jackson as the last thing people will see.
Why it’s not a documentary?
Outside of a few back stage moments most of This Is It consists of rehearsal performances for the upcoming concert tour. Any even in those back stage moments very little is revealed about Jackson. The main takeaways are that he is a perfectionist who cares about the fan experience. Do we really need a feature length film to tell us that?
No, this plays like a straight up propaganda piece. This Is It is directed by Kenny Ortega, but it might as well have been Kenny Ortega and the Michael Jackson legal team. Nothing in this film talks about any of the more controversial areas of Jackson’s life. Outside of the opening scroll, you would never even know that Jackson died. We see a very lucid Jackson working diligently to make a concert for his fans and absolutely by the crew. Not a Jackson who was chronically late to court, or showed up in pajamas, or was addicted to massive amounts of prescription drugs and boy genitalia (those last two are alleged, however I believe them wholeheartedly).
Perhaps the most unintentional revealing point is the manner in which director Kenny Ortega talks and deals with Jackson, treating him like a special needs case. Agreeing with everything he says, talking very patiently, calling Jackson delicate would be an understatement. While that is probably no different than how any director talks to mega a-list talent, it just feels more adolescent with Jackson. I look forward to the day when an in-depth (and most likely unauthorized) biography of Jackson comes out that delves into the psyche that is Michael Jackson.
Why it’s not a concert film?
Technically it is one, but all the footage is from rehearsals. Most of Jackson’s performances are subpar, with him not giving it 100%, which is understandable because he wanted to save himself for the actual concert goers paying tons of money.
Considering the circumstances there was not a whole lot that the filmmakers could have done. Maybe dub over the vocals to make it sound more like the records? But that would take away from the genuine factor. Although I swear they dubbed over Thriller. During the performance you almost never saw a good shot of Jackson’s mouth. A full out documentary utilizing the back stage footage from This Is It with Jackson’s classic performances cut in-between would have been my approach.
A lot of marketing hype has tried to deem this as the greatest concert film of all time. No it’s not; perhaps it will be the highest grossing concert film of all time. But to me the greatest concert film of all time would be of an actual concert.
This Is It is exactly what it looks like on the surface: The Jackson family estate attempt to cash in on and preserve the legacy of the late King of Pop.
