MJ's talent and professionalism really comes through

stan224

After seeing "This Is It", I now understand why Michael Jackson's 50 shows in London were sold out in just hours. I saw this movie with no expectations, thinking that it was just a way for the studios and his family to make money, that it would be just a bunch of interviews and clips hastily thrown together to cash in while MJ was still in people's mind. It was not. The movie documents the months of hard work Jackson and the crew put in to prepare for the London concerts. In light of the amount drugs that Jackson had been on and his poor health, for him to be so alert, to dance so well, and to work so hard is mind-boggling. Throughout the movie, Jackson oversees the minutest details - slightly changing the beat on the piano, refining cues and positions. While I liked Michael Jackson's music in the past, my respect for him was tempered by his freakiness and many controversies. But after watching this movie, I have a whole new respect for him. You can see the talent oozing out of him. He knows his music intimately and works so professionally with his crew. He's famously eccentric, but he's also an extremely nice guy who was always courteous with his staff. I really regret not seeing Jackson's live shows in the past and am saddened that the world lost such an extraordinary talent. His songs have held up well after more than 30 years, and as one commentator noted, at the age of 50, he still blows all the top 10 pop singers out of the sky. I'm really surprised that the movie only got 7.9 million at the US box office, but I expect its sales to grow people who have watched the movie say great things about it. In China as well, the theater where I saw the movie was only about a quarter full (although I do live the outskirts of town...) Watch this movie and be amazed.

score 10/10

stan224 31 October 2009

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2150234/