Michael Jackson

"This Is It," features Michael Jackson in his final days rehearsing for a series of comeback concerts in London, shortly before his untimely death. The movie will be drawn from hundreds of hours of re...( read more  read more... )hearsal and behind-the-scenes footage. Jackson was staging his rehearsals at Staples Center and The Forum. The film will also offer select sequences in 3D and will also have a career retrospective and interviews with some of Jackson's closest friends and collaborators.

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84% liked it

204,855 ratings

Critics

81% liked it

167 critics

PG, 2 hr. 1 min.

Directed by: Kenny Ortega

Release Date: October 28, 2009

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Flixster Reviews (14,650)


  • February 2, 2010
    A song by song rehearsal film of Jackson's last planned series of concerts. If you like MJ's music, then you'll likely be willing to overlook at the redundancy and overlength. Doesn't offer much insight into Jackson as a person, but certainly shows he cared about giving his aud...( read more)ience a good show.
  • November 21, 2009
    "With the love. L-O-V-E"

    I'd probably have to say that 'This Is It' is by far one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. The focus is not on Michael Jackson as a person but as an artist.

    I'm not a big fan of MJ but I've always liked most of his music. Also respected him as ...( read more)an artist despite all the negative fuzz around him. His tragic death just days before his last 50 concert tour will forever remain as a mystery, just as Elvis Presley's. But we are talking about the Kings, right?

    His death raised up the material, of the making of the tour, to a completely new value. 'This Is It' could easily have been a cheap rip-off of the fans but Kenny Ortega, who was also the director of his tour, has managed to give MJ fans what they want, a chance to see how the tour would've looked like.

    For a 50 year old legend, MJ still has got the moves. The rehearsals look brilliant and prove that MJ still had a strong voice and the charisma of an unique artist. I'm sure that the tour would've given the fans and the world of music something extraordinary.

    'This Is It' is an honest tribute to Michael Jackson as an artist. This documentary shows that MJ is and was an unique, honest artist. A legend. 'This Is It' is something that every person, that has had some love towards him and/or his music, should take a look at.

    "Let it simmer'
  • November 20, 2009
    You either need a very good home theater system, or you need to see this movie in theaters, to really appreciate it. The movie revolves around the music, and the louder the music is, the better.

    I grew up on MJ's music, I know his hits. But never have I appreciated and respect...( read more)ed the man like I do now. The effort he puts into every little bit of his work is amazing.

    The movie as a movie holds it's ground very well. It lags at parts, gets boring at times, but not long enough for you to care. Usually because an awesome song/performance is on the way.

    It really is a tragedy for MJ to die when he did, b/c he had an amazing experience planned for his fans. This movie is the closest thing any of us will ever have to those final, planned performances.

    It was awesome watching MJ dance. The guy is 50 and he still has all of his moves. It was exhausting just watching him; I can't imagine the shape he had to be in.

    If you're a fan of his music, you will for sure love this movie. If you're not a fan of him, you should at least walk away from this movie with a new appreciation of him.
  • November 10, 2009
    Well I gotta admit that Jacko's last concert certainly looks as if it would have been pretty special, this doc really shows how much had been created and how far they had come with the event and it did look really good (if you like Jacko that is). I am a Jacko fan yes and have a...( read more)lways loved his music and never believed all the court room drama, right or wrong I dunno but I let his music and dance skills speak for themselves as he is probably the greatest musical performer ever.
    This film shows how the concert would have covered many of his best songs from the Jackson 5 to Thriller to Earth Song, some of it looking so so but some of it looking excellent with all new film footage created for the song....Smooth Criminal and Thriller looking the best ^__^

    Despite his age it shows Jacko really up for the event and still showing all his moves perfectly, he does also come across as weak, tired and slim, this of course all adding to his death but he was still clearly ready to rock as best he could, he still had it.

    Yes it does look dated, the whole thing could of been from the 80's easily but Jacko always was an 80's kinda guy, it was his prime, he was only one of few who could actually still make that era work today. You just can't deny that most of his music is classic and will never die despite its dated look and feel, its timeless and this concert would have been a definite story for the grandkids haha

    RIP Jacko
  • November 2, 2009
    A strong feeling of love towards myself, everyone around me and planet Earth is what I left the cinema feeling. Michael was alive again for those two hours. This Is It showcases the King of Pop at his finest.

    As the lights blackened and the Columbia Pictures animation played, th...( read more)e theatre erupted with cheers of "I love you Michael" and "God bless you Michael". After the chaos died down the audience sat in awe as the King did what he did best; he thrilled us.

    From the rocking tunes of They Don't Care About Us and Beat It(which I was particularly impressed with) to those real toe tapping hits such as The Way You Make Me Feel, Billie Jean and Wanna Be Startin' Something to the beautifully emotional songs that really showcased Michael's ability as a singer such as Human Nature and I Just Can't Stop Loving You, Michael truly dominated the stage. Every single person in the theatre was singing along and clapping for and after every song. I was over the moon with the recreation of the Jackson Five seeing as The Love You Save is a touching one for me. The real fun came with the especially theatrical numbers that were Thriller and Smooth Criminal, both had me in fits of happiness. Then, after a dramatic and heart touching rendition of Earth Song, Man In The Mirror drew the whole show to its close, emanating love and Michael's passion for people to make a change.

    I saw not one single thing, in my opinion, wrong with this film and I believe everyone will enjoy it. If you aren't a Michael Jackson fan, while you may not appreciate the significance of This Is It, you will sure as hell have a brilliant time. And if you are an MJ fan, you will truly appreciate the greatness and strong sense of meaning behind the final documentation of the true King of Pop's work, the legacy of Michael Jackon.
  • February 9, 2010
    Shows the passion and devotion Michael had for his music and how much he was a perfectionist. He is sadly missed.
  • February 9, 2010
    I love very much ...........missed
  • February 9, 2010
    Bueno, como dije anteriormente es la recopilacion de lo que serian esos 50 conciertos que quedaron en el aire. Es la napa pa los fanes que quisieran haber visto un pelo mas de MJ. Mas nada.
  • February 8, 2010
    for some reason, I was riveted from beginning to end.
  • February 8, 2010
    queridos amugis espero qie se encuentren muy bien de salud

Critic Reviews


November 2, 2009
A.O. Scott, At the Movies

The Michael Jackson we see here is not a self-styled Messiah or a tabloid oddity. He is, instead, what he always was underneath it all: a talented musician, a brilliant dancer, and one of the most gif... full review

October 30, 2009
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

It's an expertly packaged -- brilliantly packaged, considering how quickly the job was done -- phantasmagoria that emphasizes, quite convincingly, the energy that Michael could still draw from whateve... full review

October 30, 2009
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Michael Jackson's perfectionism fails him in This Is It, and we're all the better for it. full review

October 29, 2009
Armond White, The New York Press

Spielberg's failure to engage Jackson on a movie-musical project (Peter Pan or Earth Song or Childhood) deprived the world of a possible Minnelli-level masterpiece. full review

October 28, 2009
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Jackson's mystery deepens, even as it dissolves between our fingers. full review

October 28, 2009
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Without either the effect of a full concert spectacle, or up close and personal backstage intimacy, This Is It is neither one thing nor the other. full review

October 28, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The result is one of the most revealing music documentaries I've seen. full review

October 27, 2009
Edward Havens, FilmJerk.com

There's only going to be two camps concerning [This Is It]: those who will absolutely love it and those who wouldn't go to see it except under penalty of death. full review

View more Michael Jackson's This Is It reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • zionhawkins
    December 29, 2009
    i loved it it was awsome


    rip michael jackson aka apple head bka uncle dodo
  • firdhaifal
    November 13, 2009
    it was a great movie i've ever seen ...
  • pmbailey05
    November 5, 2009
    Are you kidding!? I can't wait to see this! I'm just thrilled they extended the release for another few weeks. With the initial limited run, I wasn't sure I'd get the chance to see it. I couldn't afford his concert tickets, but with the movie tickets being the price of a movie, it's certainly doable.

    If anyone needs tickets, they're online: http://www.thisisittickets.com/
  • sportboy
    October 29, 2009
    If I get a free DVD I will certainly see it or if I get free cinema tickets but I'm not going to waste money in just watching Michael Jackson perform.
  • Rosepetal75
    September 11, 2009
    http://www.michaeljackson.com/us/home

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  • Tagline:
    this movie is history

Michael Jackson's... : Watch Free on TV


Michael Jackson's This Is It Trivia


  • What is the name of the movie that was cut together from the practice footage for Michael Jackson's would be final tour, before his untimely death?  Answer »
  • Who is the director of Michael Jackson's This is it movie?   Answer »
  • What is the tagline of Michael Jackson's 'This is it" ?  Answer »

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