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Documentary

Sony Pictures

Directed by Kenny Ortega

Duration: 112 minutes

This Is It is a straight up documentary about the last days of Michael Jackson, or MJ. MJ is something of a rehabilitation of the acknowledged King of Pop, who in his out and out bizarre days was known as Jacko. The film fails to deliver anything spectacular or any insight into the man who was a legend in his own time, and remains so today. This Is It was supposed to be the final curtain call for MJ's in London, England. What Michael famously called "this is really it" never happened, due to an overdose of painkiller under the supervision of a doctor. This Is It is an uninspired and uninspiring attempt to gain back the investment into the final concerts giving by Michael Jackson.

The film does have it's moments like at the "Earth Song", which was a cinematic treat, and would have culminated in a large stylized bulldozer breaking onto the stage. There was also the potential for 3D Thriller, which could have been spectacular in addition to the live show.

From this film you don't really get the sense that Michael is in pain or suffering lack of sleep. There are times when you notice that he is awfully thin, maybe even too thin to be in perfect health. When you see his moves at rehearsal, it seems all is well. That is one of the main faults of the movie; it does not give you the honest picture of Michael. There are no scenes of Michael being spoon fed or helped by the steps by Kenny Ortega as the website this-is-not-it.com alleges. The only on camera commentaries are by ohsgoosh recruits. Comments from family members or concerned friends of MJ are a clear omission. This is a real void in the film and it keeps the viewers from becoming emotionally engaged to this amazing man, who we've later learned was laboring under pain.

The sense one gets of the person of Michael Jackson from this film is how humbly he wields his authority. He has a propensity to say "with love" when he wants something other than what is being offered. MJ is so gentle with his instructions that one might think that he is a little unsure of himself.

The other striking action of MJ is how much he has begun to overdo the crotch zip thing. It gets to be old after a while. It doesn't help that this crotch grab is done by hundreds of musical artist, male and female. The other move that is overdone is the 'crotch thrust the air', though Michael delivers it in a little bit of a cutting edge way near the end of the film.

There

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