Michael Jackson’s This is It – Movie Review

Wow.  Wow. Wow.  The sub-header doesn’t lie – it truly is Michael “like I’ve never seen him before.”  The film documents the journey of his final 50 sold-out shows that he was to perform in London.

The show would have been AMAZING.  It was going to be a spectacle on a grand scale.  It would have been an incredible experience to see one of those shows.  In fact, I got sad all over again just thinking about something that magnificent would never get to stage. 🙁  And more than that, something I would never get to see: Michael Jackson performing live.

The film lets you in on the hopes and dreams of the performers, guitarists’, dancers, etc. which also adds weight to the fact that his death was hope deferred for so many people.

Personally, I was moved by the music and the energy.  I was boppin’ my  head and at one point was very tempted to just get outta my seat and start dancing.  I was moved by the raw talent in the performances Michael gave – and this was just practice!

The film is such a great testament to why people loved -and worshiped- Michael.  I was moved by his personality, the performer in him, the perfectionist, the man who knew the tone and tempo of every song.  Simply put, he was the best of the best in his field.  And in his field, music, it moves and impacts so many.

It’s quite hard to describe and I know there will be many who disagree with me but I felt that the film was able to encapsulate the way Michael’s talents in song and dance give glory to God.  He did what God created him to do: sing and dance in a way that is awe inspiring.  At one point in the film, Michael is just going at it, singing runs & dancing like crazy and the some of the dancers start bowing down.  One of the pianist starts playing Church music & when the sequence is done the Director says something about “The Church of Michael” & then simply says: “Amen.”

I know they certainly didn’t mean it the way I’m taking it, but I felt it was appropriate.  Michael gave a performance like Niagra Falls gives a beautiful performance day in and day out.  Both, were made by the same creator and both show the creative genius of said creator.  Needless to say, the film left me thanking God for making people -unlike myself- very musically inclined.

I would highly recommend it, whether a Jackson fan or not.  Overall, this film is just downright sweet.  Sweet mother of pearl.

Grade: A+

On a super side note…

Another pretty sweet thing was seeing my friend Nayanna’s Dad in the film.  Nayanna was one of my InterVarsity students at WMU, a super-duper talented singer who has since toured as a backup singer for Queen Latifah, Sheryl Crow & Johnny Hallyday.

Anyway, her Dad -Dorian Holley- was Michael Jackson’s vocal coach and sang backup for him for over 20 years!  Pretty sweet, huh?  In the film, he is shown multiple times as the vocal lead of the 4 backup singers.  I met Dorian Holley at Nayanna’s Senior rehearsal (which was amazing by the way).  During the movie, when they showed Mr. Holley I looked down at Rhys & said, “yep, I know him.” 🙂