Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT

In the first minutes of This Is It, dancers vying to be part of the select handful for his tour, speak emotionally about Michael Jackson's influence and inspiration. Later, we see that Michael was influenced and inspired by nearly everything. The film, directed by Kenny Ortega, is two hours of footage of Jackson and the dancers, singers and technicians preparing and rehearsing for what would have been his comeback tour. Slated to begin in the summer of 2009, Jackson died suddenly in June, so the film which was originally created for his private library, has become an epitaph and carries a somberness absent in other concert movies.

Jackson is delivered to the stage in a gigantic robot casing which is covered in video screens flickering with iconic images such as a rocket launch or young Elizabeth Taylor. Behind the stage, a large screen is also used to superimpose images-- at one point Michael is trading gunfire with Humphrey Bogart and catching the glove thrown by Rita Hayworth as Gilda. Interesting, when you consider that incessant, ridiculous fame tends to isolate pop stars and celebrities; I'm guessing the sequestered life includes watching a lot of television and movies.

I've seen his videos, I owned Thriller, I knew about the lawsuits, but really, when I think about Michael Jackson I remember him as an exuberant, graceful kid performing with his brothers as The Jackson 5. Covering so many of his most popular songs including Jackson 5 titles, the film serves as a reminder of how talented he was, especially as a dancer. The elite tour dancers appear to be in their twenties; attractive, athletic and limber. When they perform with Michael, it's evident how much he overshadows them with his incomparable talent; they are merely imitating him and at best just keeping up. In the finest footage of the film, Michael dances alone, it's clearly unrehearsed, he is simply testing some moves. The other dancers and technicians watch with excitement and awe; he is fluid, intense and mesmerizing.

After his courtroom drama, Jackson lived in exile and hadn't performed in nearly a decade. There was considerable doubt whether he had the stamina or voice to commit to a grueling 50 date tour. "This is it!" he declared at the press conference when announcing his tour. None of us could predict the ironic finality of his statement.