Michael Jackson's This Is It [DVD] [2009] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Very sad and at the same time quite heartening to see MJ rehearse with all the passion of his evident insistence on perfection. None of the fake documentaries portraying him (rightly or wrongly) as mad as a badger or pardon the pun...just plain bad. Yes this is very air brushed, Ortega is a rather sickly sycophant, the like of which would never have survived without the patronage of Jackson. The product has lots of repetition but as has been said, that was it for MJ, he's has been dispatched by his addiction/medical attendants lack of sense. Most of all however we lost MJ perhaps by the lack of normal people around him to protect him from himself. Someone to just say every now and then are you sure about that and perhaps just fall ou with him every now and then as opposed to be depending on him for their income and existence? Will we ever hear of ortega again or see the female guitarist (great as she was here) do anything but be billed as ex Michael Jackson guitarist! The affection and awe in equal measure dispensed from the young dancers and hardened back up musicians in particular is palpable but he could be most of their Dad's! However nobody's Dad could dance like that...not one ever. Such a shame the full show was never seen and this cobbled together version is inevitably cut short by his death. It is justified only because of his death and yes obviously it has a glaringly obvious commercial motive to bail out the family and Ortega plus AIG together. Sucking the cash cow dry as ever with one last shot. The main plus here is to see him work so hard as a middle aged man and not only match but out strip dancers and singers decades his junior. Whatever his failings, and everyone has them his strengths were irreplaceable. Everyone who buys this will miss him all the more for what we have lost. I suspect if anyone really wants to question MJ and his work ethic they only need to look here to find out what a mistake that is. As per his autopsy report and give or take a few needle marks (courtesy of his pet African doctor) he was in great shape, great voice and sharp as any tack.

I'm the type who've always found MJ's music 'nice', of very high quality, but who never bought his records. It was a bit too popped and perfectionistic - too smooth. No bite. I preferred bands like Queen, Prince, Jim Steinman productions etc.I took my young daughter to the cinema to see This Is It as she'd discovered MJ when he sadly died. Given my music taste, I didn't have any particular expectations for This Is It. I was proven so wrong.This Is It shows MJ as we've never seen or heard him before. It's not the smooth pop star but the professional and humble musician who works sincerely and professionally with his team as equals to put the show together, in the finest detail.What we see and hear, despite this being rehearsels where MJ is not singing at full performance (except once he in a duet), goes beyond anything he's ever done before. The musicians are fantastic. It rocks as MJ has never rocked before. A duet goes to the heart of your soul. This Is It blew me away, as so many others have said before. Seeing this in the cinema was a once-in-a-lifetime chance of seeing what he was capable of, never to return.The sound and video quality are superb, despite this being rehearsal videos, worthy of the finest Hollywood productions. Only the best audio and video equipment will do This Is It full justice. Still, with a decent flatscreen TV and hi-fi equipment at home, the DVD or BlueRay is the next best thing to having seen it in the cinema.This Is It appeals to a wide range of music lovers, not just classic MJ fans.

Being a ticket holder to the show that never was, I sent for my Blu-ray copy mainly to get a glimpse of what I would've seen and heard at the O2 in London in July 2009 had Michael Jackson not tragically died just three weeks earlier.Without any doubt whatsoever, this show would have had the best production of all time. The rehearsals in this dvd alone are enough to completely mesmerise. Michael Jackson looking great painstakingly goes through the show song by song like the true professional that he was. Every tiny detail is highlighted and supervised by Michael and all the songs you'd want to hear are rehearsed, including some Jackson 5 hits. The production-in-making videos of Smooth Criminal and Thriller are stunning.There are moments of exhiliration and frustration for Michael and the people involved as they go through the extensive set list. And there are many many musicians, dancers, technicians, choreographers, designers and directors - all giving their maximum to make the show a success.Though I felt he was a little withdrawn and holding back in his singing and dance routines, Michael Jackson still came across as the overtly talented and hard working artist we all know. This show would've been the best ever staged by anyone. He was setting new standards when he was tragically and prematurely taken away - and the world of music and entertainment is suffering as a result.This is unmissable. If you're going for the Blu-ray, I can guarantee you're in for a special treat !