MICHAEL JACKSON'S THIS IS IT — ★★★ — Behind-the-scenes concert film featuring musical performances by Michael Jackson; rated PG (vulgarity, violence, slurs); in general release
"Michael Jackson's This Is It" continually dances the line that separates filmic tribute and cinematic exploitation.
The movie is intended to be a valentine for fans of the late King of Pop — a taste, if you will, of a concert tour that never happened.
(Jackson's "This Is It" world tour was supposed to start in June in London, but it was scrapped after Jackson's overdose death June 25.)
However, the release of the movie within only a couple of months of his death seems a little bit like a cashing-in move, and it is eerie to see Jackson again so soon. Still, fans of him and his music will find a lot to like here.
"This Is It" is made up of behind-the-scenes footage of concert rehearsals and other sequences that were shot between April and June.
Originally the footage was meant to be seen only by the dancers, musicians, technicians and others who worked on the tour, though the Michael Jackson Estate did authorize its release in this form.
The raw footage was compiled, organized and shaped into some form by "High School Musical" co-creator Kenny Ortega, who was also serving as the director for the tour.
Included are at least partial snippets from more than two dozen songs that were supposed to be featured in the concert performances.
Among the more notable rehearsal songs are "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin,' " "Human Nature," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "I'll Be There," "The Love You Save," "Beat It," "Black or White" and "Man in the Mirror."
The best moments are actually the least bombastic, most intimate ones.
A stripped-down version of "Billie Jean" suggests that Jackson hadn't lost too much of a step, dancewise, and that he was still capable of belting out his songs convincingly.
But the minifilms that were shot by Ortega and which were supposed to be shown in the concerts are a decidedly mixed bag. "Smooth Criminal," which inserts Jackson alongside Rita Hayworth, Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart in a black-and-white noir film, is fun.
"Thriller," though, pales in comparison to the original, John Landis-directed music video.
"Michael Jackson's This Is It" is rated PG and features suggestive references (song lyrics), vulgar gestures (crotch-grabbing) and dance moves, some violent content (movie shoot-outs and gunplay, as well as some macabre imagery), and derogatory language and slurs. Running time: 111 minutes.
e-mail: jeff@desnews.com