Michael Jackson's This Is It (DVD, 2010)

When Michael Jackson died on June 25th 2009 it seems a part of the world died with him. It made many people sad all over the world and it seems that for once everyone was being nice to this man who had always been abused by the Medias; journalists, interviewers and others. When I heard of the "This Is It" movie concert I didn't know what to think. I knew it was rehearsal footage from the 50 concerts he was to perform at the O2 arena but I didn't know what was going to come out of it or what they were going to do with it. When I saw the trailers I knew I had to see this and that "This Is It" was going to be something special like I've never seen. And that's precisely what I got, I even bought my ticket in advance for the movie and feel like it was much worth it.

It amazed me how good MJ still was, the dance moves were great and fascinating to me. He was clearly the one in charge of the whole thing. He gave precise instructions of what he wanted, made sure everything was right and did everything that needed to be done. The film shows just how much Michael was respected, there were parts of it where they asked him if he wanted anything or what he thought and if he liked something, it seems no one assumed anything at all. When he talked the crew would listen and he asked things in the nicest way, never to hurt anyone. There's not a part that doesn't make him look like the nice guy he always was. There are mixed feelings about him after all the bad things that have been said about him but after watching this I don't know one could possibly believe them.

To be honest I loved every minute of it, every song was special and was great to watch. Right from the beginning of "Wanna Be Startin'Somethin'" it was amazing. No matter how many people surround him he's always the one who does things better than anyone else and the one you're watching. This Is It was really a unique experience, I felt they chose the right footage parts for the movie and made him look great in every sense. They could truly have messed things up but they didn't and came out with an amazing documentary, it's sort of a testament to his fans, it's just very special. I really liked the Thriller 3D part, it was a 3D video shoot and afterwards you see MJ coming out onstage from a spider, the show would have looked awesome. They Don't Care About Us was amazing, The Smooth Criminal part was very interesting, so was the Earth Song which had a beautiful video of a little girl in a forest, waking up to see that all of it has been destroyed. I won't go further but every song had something about them.

The stage show would have been grandiose, the fireworks, the "fireball" (quite impressive I won't spoil anything), pyrotechnics, the videos that accompany the songs are all very impressive. This could very well have been the best show ever had he lived to perform them. In the end I was quite amazed by the 1: 48 minutes I watched, I can't wait to see it again and the message Michael gives at the end is very inspiring. From the auditions of the brilliant performers to the credits with the "This Is It" song I was captivated.

This would have been "THE TOUR OF ALL TOURS" - judge for yourself.

In March of 2009, Michael Jackson announced that he was scheduled to perform a series of concerts at the famed O2 Arena in London, England, starting in July. There were to be a total of 50 concert dates to take place between July 13th, 2009 through March 6th, 2010. Jackson, along with his entourage of musicians, vocalists, dancers and technicians, rehearsed the shows throughout the month of June, perfecting every detail of each song. Many hours of high-definition film footage was taken of these historic moments on stage at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The film shows Jackson in fine form, as he and the others involved go through the motions. This remarkable film event was directed by famed choreographer Kenny Ortega, the same person who helmed the popular "High School Musical" series. Jackson shows that at age 50, he still has what it takes to excite and electrify an audience. Rehearsals went all the way up trough June 23rd. Sadly, Michael Jackson passed away 2 days later on June 25th. 7 months afterward, comes the official DVD release of this amazing film achievement. We, as fans of the celebrated "King Of Pop", are very fortunate enough to have this lasting document, which gives viewers a unique and special glimpse into what "Might-Have-Been". There is no doubt that these ground-breaking concerts would have been stellar, first-rate shows. The footage extracted for the final film product is a fabulous and fun variety of some of Jackson's best-known as most popular songs from his storied career. Among the songs are "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", "Smooth Criminal", "Human Nature", and "Billie Jean". Michael Jackson may be gone, but his legacy continues in the concert documentary, "This Is It".

Rehearsal footage, backstage action and interviews comprise this moving Michael Jackson experience. He is shown here preparing for a series of 50 sold-out London shows, which were scheduled to kick off in late summer 2009. Singing his numerous hits at the Staples Center in Los Angeles during the days leading up to his untimely death, Michael is also seen refining cues, delving into dance details and working with director Kenny Ortega.

Michael Jackson, Kenny Ortega, Orianthi Panagaris, Mekia Cox, Darryl Phinnessee

For fans of Michael Jackson who at at or near his age (within 10 years one way or the other) this film is a trip. We all grew up with Michael. Kids wanted to be like this Mike long before the days of Jordan. He was so filled with energy which he could channel in unique ways to utterly captivate us. Armstrong may have been there first but Michael taught us how to walk on it! Whether by song or dance or a singular combination of the two. It was hard to believe he was 50. It shows in many little things which hurts a bit. We want these types of images in our society in life to be immortal you know? It is fascinating to watch Michael control the stage in comments and direction. Fascinating to see his creativity and great overarching understanding of detail and continuity; of his previous works and albums, his memory and capacity for the music. His voice struggles at 50 so be prepared and do not think the worse of him. Any voice deteriorates in degrees with age. This behind the scenes look at the production of a show that never occurred due to Michael's passing, is a one-of-a-kind DVD experience. Like Mike? Get it!! You will feel a kinship again after all of these years. For we have aged right along with him.

This is truly timeless entertainment. I saw the movie "This is It" four times. I look at the DVD from time to time just to enjoy the dancing and music all over again.

The extras included with th DVD are also a treasure, as it provides greater insight into what went into Michael Jackson's concerts as well as his music... the creativity, the genius, the commitment to excellent and unparalleled work ethic. How can anyone not appreciate why MJ was considered the King of Pop, worldwide.

This is one DVD that will never go out of style. I'm so glad that there are those willing to sell them on Ebay at a great price and even greater convenience.