I have a confession to make. I do not like musical movies and since I already bought the tickets to watch this in 2D this weekend, I intended to walk out halfway thru the preview I attended just now......... Instead, I stayed until the end. That's how good..... it is. In fact, please stay AFTER the credits roll as there's a short but meaningful scene.

We all know this is a condensation of 100 hours behind-the-scenes footage that supposed to be the 'This Is It' concert series which supposed to be Michael Jackson's swansong to wiped off all his financial troubles. Now, the concert is not to be....

Hence, now, the supposedly behind-the-scenes footage are being pushed into the front in a form of 112 minutes condensation (of the footage) and become the movie almost everyone are waiting to see. Though I do not agree Sony Pictures/Music for milking this cashcow while it's still hot, with the release of the single and now, the movie, one would ask whether is it still worthwhile to watch it for a movie of 'footage' that 'rushly' put together in few months (compared to few years for movies)? The answer is a BIG YES.

Even better when you watch in 2D like what I experienced in the preview. Even when was sitting in the forth row from the front, the image is still sharp and the sound is clear, never too overbearing, just like listening to songs thru the headphones with the volume just nice and loud...and able to hear the 'differentiation' of the various instruments played, sometimes.

During the toilet break, I sneaked in to the other halls that was showing in the conventional 35 mm. From the back of the hall, I already felt the image is grainy...and the sound not up to par with my hall.

That's the difference and it's definitely noticeable ......

The movie consists of mainly performances of songs of many of us know too well, from two venues, LA Staples Centre and O2 Arena. There're few songs we never heard before too. To find out, look at the credits at the end.

Before the movie, I thought it would be narrated by an unseen voice, just like we saw in some 'making of' show. I was happy that I was wrong. Kenny Ortega, the dance choreographer and director of many movies/TV shows (ie. High School Musical, Chicago Hope, Dirty Dancing, Xanadu etc.) combined all the scenes intelligently to let us just sit back and enjoy the great King Of Pop weaves his magic and tell his story on 'stage'.....in this big screen version. Since what we see are the rehearsal with almost no crowd cheering and applause, it's felt like a private concert in which the audience is only you....at least, that's how I felt to me. We would able to see some familiar faces, like, if you wondering who was the oriental-looking singer that sang Heal The World and We Are The World at the end of the Michael Jackson memorial, go and watch this movie. By the way, she is half African American, half Asian, Japanese to be specific.

You would see the perfection Michael striving to achieve in each song's performances as it meant to be heard by Michael's fans and also his child-like eccentricities that sometimes make you chuckle in delight and miss him more now. It reminds us he is human after all...just like all of us.

"God bless you...."

Hi Rico,

I leave you for almost a week and you misbehave by going back into your OWN distorted definition of spoiler?

How can what you deem as a spoiler below since it is already a well-known fact? FYI, the movie is made after the passing of MJ, not before. So, what you say is technically wrong. Besides, what you claimed as ‘spoiler’ is not even in the movie. How can it be a ‘movie spoiler’ when it’s not in the entire duration of the movie? Of course, you wouldn’t know that since, like I said, you are living in your own small world and with your own ‘mis-guided’ definition of spoiler. You proven me right yet again about you.

Then again, I think you may said it as a ‘spoiler’ to be ‘clever’ or amuse yourself or others. All the above is still ok as I already starting to learn and accept your weaknesses but for you to make a joke out of Michael Jackson death (still revered by millions, if not billions around the world) who is no longer with us and couldn’t defend himself, just for your amusement…is downright LOW and wondering whether you could go any lower than this (and I do not mean the limbo dance here).

I wanna end this now. Please refer to the movie thread: Surrogates since you started it there with your 'spoiler' (yes again) claim there. Good day.

Dear Rico,

I'm puzzled. How is that a 'spoiler' below? Kindly explain.

Thank you

You trouble maker you.. You ruined everything!!! Oh and your time ends tonite you CO namedropping hypocrite!! That's 4 words!!

hey guys ... i got 2 tix for sale @signature gardens, tomorrow 31st Oct, 5.20pm show.
contact me at elfryn@hotmail.com
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Seen the site. Saw the movie. Thought almost the same as what was mentioned.
The conversations in the footage feels like a king's slaves bowing to his needs knowing he'll be dead soon and they'll inherit his wealth. Some even coercing MJ to say or do things that will keep MJ feeling as though he is on top of things but actually its Ortega and gang in control of the plan. I think maybe its true that MJ was pumped up with so much drugs to help him stay awake, asleep, active for rehearsals that it reached a point his puppeteers felt MJ was not going to make it through the 50 concert tour, so they decided to shoot more behind the scenes footage so they can secretly plot to come up with a movie. This is it! This is the movie that will still make the megabucks for the Ortega gang. With the same amount of work for 1 show but this show can be played for 14 days, 5 times a day, all over the world. Even better than just 50 concerts, and no need to move the whole team all over the world, but still collect the money.

I checked out the web. Is it true? Well, you like it or not MJ is dead. There is no use fighting for what is wrong and right. Let the profit makers dig the gold and the " THIS IS NOT IT" citizens, just don't watch it...

waaa i didn't think anybody would notice somethin like that. anyway i don't like this MJ concert movie. i don't think michael jackson wouldda wanted the audience to see something like this.

Whoa! You've been gone a long time.

http://www.this-is-not-it.com/