This is It.

Sugar T and I went to see "This is It" this afternoon. I have really mixed feelings about the film, but I have to say it accomplishes what it set out to do. First of all, know that I tried to get tickets to the London shows. At midnight on that fateful Sunday evening, my

internet

access was down so I tried to log onto Ticketmaster UK via my Android phone. After 45 minutes I actually got through and was all set to buy 4 tickets to one of the shows and the awkwardness of trying to fill out the order on a qwerty keyboard/ overloaded system wouldn't work and my request timed out. Two hours later I threw in the towel because I had to go to work the next morning and when I got there tickets to all 50 shows were gone. I was seriously disappointed.

My initial poll of friends who may have wanted to go all the way to London to see the show yielded no takers, but I had a hunch that these shows would be pretty awesome. The movie confirms that had they taken place, my hunch would have proven correct. The movie also shows Michael Jackson to be in far better shape than media reports would have had us believe at the time of his death and refute the rumours circulating prior to it that he was in no shape to actually pull these shows off.

Granted, who knows what went on in the editing room and how carefully the footage was chosen. Regardless, the film does show Jackson as involved, in shape physically and vocally, capable and very aware of the presentation he wanted to present. Add 20,000 fans to the mix and what was merely involving in the film would have become truly electric to experience in person.

It's not a concert film, but rather a document of a performer at a particular place in time. I would say the film bears testament that the performer himself is really one of handful about which you can honestly say "There never will be another like him or her." That's a short list. If you have any interest, it's well worth the time. It left me with a vague sadness that we'll never get to see what would have been the comeback of a lifetime.