This is it – Subtitled

It would be easy to scoff at the memorial nature of This Is It, and cynically dissect the strange, mysterious, oftentimes disastrous private life of its legendary subject. But the truth of the matter is simply this: This Is It is a thundering spectacle perfectly befitting the late, great “King of Pop,” an endlessly engaging experience that will likely hold rapturous fans the world over in its sparkling grasp, not unlike the iconic performer many knew simply as M.J.

The film’s scrolling prologue refers to this collection of rehearsal footage as “intended for Michael Jackson’s personal library.” Then we see the sparkling faces and hear the genuine words of the young dancers chosen to move alongside music’s most awe-inspiring toe-tapper. They are overwhelmed by their fabulous luck, as if this one job will mark the highest point of their careers. “I’m from Australia…” one young man begins, and those are the only words that escape his lips before he is overcome with tears. For him, and for his colleagues, this truly was “it” — the moment of their lives.