A Man in Full "This is It," the revelatory documentary chronicling Michael Jackson's rehearsals and preparation for his fifty sold-out concerts in London proves to be both epic and melancholy. It is clear that "This is It" was built to be both an homage to and a recreation of Jackson's extraordinary forty year career. The homages include a heartfelt Jackson Five medley and the recreations include a state of the art reimaging of Jackson's epic "Thriller" video. It is fascinating to see how much Jackson had blossomed. The coltish, skittish man-child of John Landis' "Thriller" documentary who appeared both excited and confused by simple proximity to improbably cute Ola Ray - has grown into a man, baby. He employs a sure firm "man hand" in his pas de deux with the sultry young lady with whom he recreates his "The Way You Make Me Feel" video. Further, his man-ish air guitar duet with the young female guitar shero during the fiery Slash guitar rift from the "Black and White" video is literally Prince-esque. This is just one of the many "who knew?" moments to be gleamed from Kenny Ortega's valedictory documentary. Nowhere evident is the frail, sickly Michael we had been sold by the "hater" media. This Michael, at the age of fifty, lean, tall and rock star-ish, out dancing hoofers more than half his age, on a stage and screen bigger than life, is a protean figure: the once and future King of Pop; and his Majesty doesn't do anything by half measures. It is mesmerizing to witness the spectacle that should have been.
~rave!
