Michael Jackson's "This is It" Leaves Fans Upbeat and Shocked

I am in complete and utter denial that the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, is dead. I mean, on June 25, 2009 when the world was glued to CNN and the news broke about his personal doctor, Conrad Murray, possibly killing him with sedatives, I can't say I was entirely surprised. Hollywood is notorious for building up and then cutting down their young and talented. Still, the sadness, anger and disbelief washed over me and millions of others in the world on that day. Watching "This Is It" made me feel those emotions all over again. I walked out of the Regal Meridian 16 theater in Seattle wondering how such a huge talent could ever die. Where does that energy go? How could someone so smart, loving and masterful just suddenly not be there?

"This Is It" opens with a special letter to Michael Jackson's fans. The letter basically states that Michael Jackson was nearing the end of preparing for his world tour when he was unexpectedly found dead in his Calabasas, California home. The letter further states that the footage captured during Michael's tour rehearsals was meant to be kept in his personal library but will now be Michael's last gift to his fans. Fans also received a little something extra from Michael - a "This Is It" lanyard with backstage pass to the tour that would never be.

There were a couple of parts during "This Is It" where I cringed. One of these instances was during the beginning sequences where it was very evident that the rehearsal footage was spliced together to create one longer-lasting scene. Michael was wearing different clothing during the three rehearsals and, although the footage flowed nicely for the most part, my eyes couldn't help but notice the changes with almost every other line of song. It was distracting, but it was also genius. Another instance was during "Thriller". At one point in the song, my sister leaned over to me and asked, "Who would've known that he'd be one of them?" She was referring to the ghosts and zombies in "Thriller". I couldn't help it; chills ran through my body. Indeed, who on the set would've guessed this while filming that number?

I couldn't help but laugh and hear laughter all around me in the theater when Michael started talking to his musical director about booty. Seriously, Michael Jackson was comparing the tempo on his song to scoring some booty. Up until hearing that, I guess I thought of him as asexual. Well, other than his crotch-grabbing. The film also taught all of us how to do that move, too.

In "This Is It", Michael said that he wanted to end each show with pointing out to the audience and saying the words, "I love you". He believed that collectively we were destroying the world and only had four years to fix it before it became irreversible (I am still not sure if he was referring to the 2012 theories, but it was a little spooky to hear). There was a heartwarming tribute to animals and mammals in the show as well as new footage for "Smooth Criminal" that had the audience roaring with laughter. Thankfully, because of his family and tour directors, we will be able to see as much of it as possible given the circumstances.

If you are going to go out to the movies and spend money on one film, "This Is It".