From 1964 until his untimely death on June 20, Michael Jackson has dazzled fans with his unique voice, musical arrangements and unforgettable dancing abilites. Approximatley four months before his death, Jackson announced that his comeback tour to start in July. Tickets sold out in minutes across the globe.

A mere two months later in early August, after purchasing the footage from Alderac Entertainment Group lives, Sony Pictures announced a behind the scenes look of Jackson’s rehearsals would be released at the end of October. The movie was to be directed by Kenny Ortega, Jackson’s choreographer and close friend. The film was described as a sort of compilation of over one hundred rehearsal hours, which took place at the Los Angeles Staple Center and the Forum. In addition to this, the film would be in theaters for only two weeks.

From then until its release on October 28th, the movie was all the buzz. Every news station spoke of the movie, as the world counted down the weeks until its release date.
During the first five days alone, This Is It, topped the Box Office Charts with a whopping $101 million in sales worldwide. Critics acclaimed the movie for its rawness and the new light in which it showed Jackson.

Even posthumously, Jackson’s title as “The King of Pop” lives on. The movie begins by saying that the footage the movie contained was intended for Jackson’s personal archives, not for the rest of the world. From there it flashes in to commentary and thanks from dancers as they auditioned for the coveted job of Jackson’s backup dancers. The shear number of people that came out and how far they came from was astonishing. Some said it was their childhood dreams of dancing with the pop icon come true.

Viewers really have a one-of-a-kind experience as the footage rolls. It is personal and raw; it is Michael Jackson as he was, completely unguarded. In the film, it quickly becomes obvious how much of a perfectionist Jackson was. Every detail was accounted for, from synchronization to every note of each song. Even at his half-best, Jackson amazed his dancers to tears.
Since his famous lawsuit in 1993, Jackson has been ridiculed constantly. Throughout the film, it is hard not to feel sorry for Jackson. The audience really gets too see just how damaged he was and just how much he wanted everyone to love and accept him. They see how passionate he was about everything he did.

Throughout the movie though, one can not help but think about how much this production must have costed. From filming three dimensional background videos for thriller and several other songs, to set design itself, each concert would have cost a small fortune to produce. The show was the epitome of technology as he put just about every special effect to use.

From start to finish, the movie no doubt will hold fans and skeptics attention. It is captivating in a completely new way, regardless of whether or not you are a fan. The film was a perfect tribute. This really is it. During the rehearsals, he did not seem sick or weak at all, let alone close to death. Until the lights flicker back and credits roll, signaling the end of the movie, its hard to believe that he died.
Almost everyone can agree that despite the accusations against Jackson, he could hold your attention like nobody else could. But as sad as it is, you cannot help but question the motives behind the movie’s release. Was it really what he would have wanted, or was it a ploy to make money?

When asked by Access Hollywood her opinion about whether Jackson would have wanted the footage released, Jackon’s sister, La Toya admitted, ” Truthfully, In my opinion, no because Michael always wants to give his best. This was a rehearsal, he wasn’t giving his all. He loved to give his all always. That’s just the way he is. He wanted people to see him at the top of the ladder. Not half stepping because he doesn’t want to do a full rehearsal.”

Regardless of the motives behind the tribute, this is a great opportunity for the world to see Michael and to get a better understanding of who he was.