This Is It

If one thing is clear from watching This Is It it is that Michael Jackson was planning quite an extravagant show for his comeback/farewell tour.

On one hand while watching the documentary-style film of his rehearsals reminds you once again of what a great artist he was.

But on the other you can't help but look for signs that his health was failing. I couldn't find any obvious ones other than the fact that he looks thin. Then again, he has always been thin. A sick person could not perform the moves he does on stage with such fluency and precision, I can say that for sure.

But he also comes across as though he was trying to retain his youth by having this tiny body and his ageing face didn't fit it. Quite sad, really.

We meet the young dancers who have been chosen to perform with him and they are an eclectic bunch but clearly they see the opportunity as once in a lifetime. One of them says he's been searching for meaning or something to make life worthwhile and he believed that 'this is it'. How poetic.

As I said it's clear Michael had big plans for the show. And that is something that should surprise no-one - this is the guy who had 15 metre statues of himself pop up all over the world to promote his History CD.

From the cinematic Smooth Criminal, the CGI-enhanced crowd of thousands for They Don't Care About Us, the re-imagining of Thriller to the grandstanding of Earth Song, this was going to be massive.

You are able to get a glimpse of the perfectionist Michael was when it came to his music, a rare chance to see what drove him. He does a lot of saying 'God bless you' and 'I love you' to the people he is working with, describing them as his family.

There's one odd scene I will mention. The dancers appear to be taking classes in crotch-grabbing. There's something quite disturbing yet amusing about a bunch of 20-something dancers repeatedly grabbing themselves.

Overall, it's obvious this was thrown and mashed together from various rehearsals but it makes for interesting viewing. It's like having your own backstage pass to the creation of the tour. It's also hard not to want to sing along.

Another point worth making is how passionate he is about the environment and it made me wonder why he wasn't more outspoken in the last 5-10 years.

I'm not going to give the film a rating but I will say I'm glad I've seen it on the big screen.