This Is It (2009)

Just 'wow.'

This Is It is like your usual concert movie, except that it's all rehearsals. It has the songs, the behind-the-scenes footage, and as in the case of Michael Jackson concerts, the videos introducing or accompanying the songs.

The songs in the movie are his classics, although some of the more famous ones were missing, like We Are The World, Bad, and You Are Not Alone, though Heal The World was played over the end credits.

Based on the footage in the movie, and based on his energy, and his dancing all the frakin' time (and even keeping in time with his half-his-age background dancers), he didn't look sick and he didn't SEEM sick. We get to see the man behind the music, the man who can visualize what his fans want to see... and that man looked just fine. And that's why I teared up a few times during the movie. It's just so sad that he passed on when he did.

Although, if he hadn't died and I got an INSANELY REMOTELY UNLIKELY CHANCE to go, I'd be disappointed with Smooth Criminal. No leaning.

['Cuz if there were, it would've been in the movie.]

Watching This Is It reminds me of how Michael's music transcends generations and borders. Old and young alike love his music. You hardly see a teenager (or 'young adult') jamming to Elvis or The Beatles, because they're the Golden Oldies, with much emphasis on the 'Old'. But you do see fans of the Golden Oldies appreciating, and even loving Michael's music.

And when you think about it, when someone's death has that much impact on the world, that pretty much every major government in the world issued a statement about his death, you know that it's not a craze or an intense liking you have for that person, it is because that person himself has touched the world.
It's obvious who I'm referring to. I seriously doubt you can get that kind of effect with Britney or GaGa or even Madonna.
 
The movie ends with his performance of Man In The Mirror (which I think, is the song he intended to end his concerts), arms wide open, and the words,

"Michael Jackson

King of Pop

Love Lives Forever"

Simple words, yet beautiful and poignant. Just like how the man was.

At the end of the movie, a bunch of people at the front clapped, and then someone at the back said, "Gila ke?", which is, "[Are they] crazy?"

And his friend said, "Itu bukan gila, itu respek," which means, "That's not crazy, that's [out of] respect."

I salute you, companion of Stupid Idiot.

Think what you want about the man, judge him if you will, but you cannot deny that his music is genius.

10/10. This is my first and probably-last music-concert-documentary thingy I'll ever see in the theatres, because $10 on a movie without extensive CGI and/or a storyline isn't money's worth in my book.

R.I.P Michael Jackson

P.S. Apparently there's some audio at the end of the credits, so do stay on and check it out. And when you do, please tell me what it said, 'cuz I didn't stay back, and found out about the after-credits goodie through the Google and kicked myself.