Directed by Kenny Ortega
Starring Michael Jackson, Kenny Ortega, Orianthi Panagaris
For all of you who have considered going to see this film and are still finding yourself stuck on the fence...here’s a word of caution. If you did not like Michael Jackson and only thought his music was OK, then this is probably not the film for you. 
However, for those of you, who like myself, adored all that Michael Jackson gave to this world... whether it was his musical genius or general strangeness... this is a definite must see. Although the opening three or four minutes to this motion picture was a tad nostalgic (dancers blubbering and gushing about how  MJ changed their lives), it does soon pick up as Michael takes to the stage. 
As soon as that first beat hits your ear drum, you know this film is worth every penny you just spent on that ticket. With every pulse of the surround sound speakers, you remember why you bought that first Michael Jackson tape, vinyl, CD, DVD, video, download... It’s hard to believe at times that some of these songs have been around for decades, that you have listened to them over and over and over again, and they still get some limb bopping, tapping or clicking. Even if people don’t like the man you’re watching at that very second, it is rare that you will find a person who cannot admit that MJ was a musical genius. He knew how to get the spine tingling, the hairs rising and the heart pumping in all of us. He knew music.
The movie is an homage to what would have been this musical legend's comeback tour. And trust me, it would have been immense. From watching this film, you get a sense that MJ really wanted to put on a show. He wanted the special effects, the stories behind every song, the interaction with the audience, the reinvention of what was legendary into what is contemporary. He moved Thriller into the 21st century and gave Earth song its rightful place within our Global Warming society. Even on a 2D screen, you feel that MJ and the production team were looking to impress the masses, not just the Michael Jackson enthusiasts. This was going to be the performance the world was waiting for.
But enough about the music and enough about the production. What about the man? 
He did look frail. He did look strange. He did talk like a child. You could see that MJ was not a normal man. He did have issues but it was addictive to watch. It gave him a weird charisma that draws you in because you don’t understand him and yet you want to hear everything he has to say. For a man with so much supremacy, he was astonishingly humble and he continuously reminds himself and those around him about how blessed they all were. The documentary format gave audiences the opportunity to see MJ at work; he knew what he wanted from this show, he knew how he wanted this show to look, sound and feel.  He controlled everything, from letting songs “sizzle” for that extra bar in favour of added anticipation, to adjusting dance moves of an already flawless choreography in order to give that Moon Walk magic he knew so well. And speaking of dancing, no-one could deny that the man could still move. It was hard to believe that MJ could still crack out those moves at 50 but he did it. And he did it well. Even his voice was on par. He still had that vocal diversity that made him famous. True, the vocals are not on a level with what we expected from him 10 years ago, however, they work. They are fragile but they send the same message on every song. They state to the world that MJ was still more than deserving of his King of pop crown.
The film is a rehearsal of what would have been. It is a broken down, raw sample of a show that we will never see. I am a Michael Jackson fan so this review is biased and I fully admit that. However, if you do not like MJ, you shouldn’t have read this review. If you don’t like him but you read it anyway, then I guess the legend that was Michael Jackson got to you after all.
★★★★★
Alex Wyatt