This Is It (2009)

This Is It is special because it lets you watch Michael Jackson not as a distant icon, but as a working artist in motion—listening, adjusting, encouraging, and shaping every beat until it clicks. Kenny Ortega’s camera turns rehearsals into their own kind of concert, full of kinetic joy, sleek stagecraft-in-progress, and the thrilling realization of how massive and imaginative the planned show was going to be. The vibe is part backstage hangout, part masterclass in showmanship, with enough full-bodied musical moments to satisfy fans while still offering real insight into the craft behind the spectacle. It’s also inevitably tinged with poignancy, and if you want a traditional, investigative documentary this isn’t that—but if you want to feel the electricity of talent at work, it’s hard to resist.

This Is It is trying to be a respectful window into Michael Jackson’s creative process, showing how meticulously he shaped music, choreography, and massive stage visuals right up to the end. As a viewing experience, though, it can feel like a polished assembly of rehearsal highlights rather than a complete concert film or a truly probing documentary—if you want deeper context, contradictions, or hard questions, you won’t get much beyond the studio. There’s also an unavoidable “posthumous product” vibe that some viewers find uncomfortable, like you’re watching a carefully packaged goodbye rather than a finished artistic statement. Still, if you’re a fan who mainly wants to see the craft, the band, the dancers, and flashes of what the show could’ve been, it delivers some genuinely thrilling moments.