The first concert I ever went to see was a Michael Jackson concert.
In 1992, I went to see the London leg of his Dangerous tour to celebrate my ninth birthday.
You know, because of the sleeping with children thing.
What Im saying is that he used to sleep with children in his bed.
The things youd hear said about the man.
That he slept in a fish tank with a geriatric walrus.
That if you play Thriller backwards you’re free to hear him watchingHome Alone 2.
All unsubstantiated, non-existent rumours.
On the one hand, his kooky behaviour and increasingly warped physical appearance made him a figure of ridicule.
On the other hand, he was being investigated for child molestation and so represented a real threat.
People werent sure what to do.
Jackson seemed to lay low for a few years and people seemed to forget about things.
Then he announced a huge run of concerts in London last year and people went bananas.
People were stunned by his death as he was a picture of perfect health.
The epic concert became a documentary about the making of the epic concert.
Last night I poured myself a tall glass of Jesus Juice and kicked back to watchThis Is It.
This Is It could easily have been renamed This Is It?.
Its a slight movie built from a very small amount of usable footage.
Perhaps the most confusing thing about the whole affair is its bloated run time.
The film is presented as almost a series of vignettes.
Its very patchy and the content shows something quite a distance from a polished, finished performance.
The documentary gives an impression of what the concert would have been like, but a fairly vague one.
This Is It plays more like a bonus feature, not the main presentation of a disc.
The things that really struck me about the documentary is how little there is to enjoy in it.
So even if youre a big fan of the music, this isnt the purchase for you.
Theres no insight into the man himself.
The couple of parts I found interesting were the clips of Jackson interacting with the band.
He clearly knew what he was doing and everyone seemed to be in total awe of him.
Disappointingly, not particularly.
Kenny Ortega, on the other hand, seems a terrifying man.
Hes the director of theHigh School Musicaltrilogy, if thats any indication.
I was expecting to come away from this film with a stronger idea of Michael Jackson.
Instead, Ive come away with the conclusion that Kenny Ortega is a creepy bastard.
I dont really know who this review is for.
I cant imagine anyone else is particularly bothered.
If youre curious and havent seen the film yet, seriously dont bother.
Its a very poor showing indeed.
Bonus features
2 stars for the bonus features.
Theres a great deal of content, but its just more of the same.
I did this so that you wont have to.
The bonus features are all extensions of the footage used in the film.
Mostly expanded sections with clips of people who arent Michael Jackson.
Seriously, no one cares this much about what the dancers thought of Michael Jackson.
Even their families surely arent that interested in what they have to say.
Theres also the same with the band.
Theres 10 minutes with the costume designers.
Also included are the videos that would have been shown prior to the performances of Thriller and Smooth Criminal.
Both are okay, but not as good as the original music videos.
Thriller in particular is a high standard to reach and this new version doesnt even come close.
Staging the Return is the strongest of the bonus features.
They continue to all sound disingenuous and a bit, if youll excuse the term, licky.
Film:
Michael Jacksons This Is Itis out now on Blu-ray andavailable from the Den Of Geek Store.
Rating:
3 out of 5
