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As you might imagine, it is bittersweet watching Michael Jackson's This Is It.
Consider that the entire documentary, which began a limited two-week run at Canadian theatres at midnight on Tuesday night, contains fascinating behind-the-scenes footage of rehearsals for Jackson's comeback concerts that never happened, because of his untimely death on June 25 at age 50.
As Jackson is prophetically shown saying himself at the March news conference to announce the run of London shows: "This is the final curtain."
So not only do you mourn for the man himself, but for what might have been the next great phase of his career. This movie reveals him to be an eccentric, playful and creative perfectionist and, more importantly, still a vital singer and flashy dancer for anyone who had doubts about his health.
Jackson, who hadn't toured in more than a decade, was just eight days away from leaving L.A. for London and a 50-show run at the 02 Arena when he died at his home of cardiac arrest.
This Is It was culled from 120 hours of footage of Jackson rehearsing at the Staples Centre with show director Kenny Ortega, various choreographers, dancers, the band and filmmakers, who shot striking footage to be used in the live show.
Ortega directed this movie, after having helmed the three High School Musical films and choreographed countless other seminal pieces of movie dancing -- from Matthew Broderick performing Twist and Shout in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, to Patrick Swayze's memorable moves in Dirty Dancing. So Ortega knows how to pace a film filled with so much dancing and singing.
And it helps when you have a riveting leading man in the form of Jackson.
This Is It is important documentation. How many other music greats who died too soon left such an in-depth peek at his or her creative process -- and not years later, but so soon after they left this mortal coil?
Any admirer of Jackson's musical talent will want to observe the master at work. He wasn't called The King Of Pop for nothing.
4 out of 5