My wife asked me to see this movie tonight as sort of a preview,to let her know if we should see it together on our day off.As we are both Michael Jackson fans,I would have to give an emphatic "YES" to that.I was really apprehensive,since I thought that it would just be some rehearsals with tons of filler(biographical info,etc),but most of the numbers were pretty fleshed out,music and choreography wise.Some of the special effects were amazing,and I really liked the extended intro of "The Way You Make Me Feel".I liked the way they tried to make the film feel like a performance,rather than a eulogy.The talent,from the dancers to the musicians to the lighting and effects crew were just first rate all the way.I thought beforehand that this might be just a cynical cash grab-one more trip to the ATM from Michaels legacy,but honestly,I think they may just be trying to recoup some of the enormous costs of putting on a show that never came to fruition.And if some of us fans can enjoy seeing MJ one more time in such a classy way,Im all for it.

It was one of those mornings like any other mornings, where I would wake up, and turn on the TV set to the news channel, as it plays in the background while I go about getting myself ready for work. It was a news feed to a flurry of police activity from a helicopter vantage point, and I thought there was probably another massive shootout in the USA, until I squinted at the news flash at the bottom of the screen. It mentioned something about Michael Jackson's passing, and I couldn't believe my eyes, I had to put my glasses on.

I pretty much grew up with the music of Michael Jackson, being all but 6 years old when I got the Thriller album on cassette tape, and was hooked. It was played countless of times, and I too performed Beat It with a primary one school friend, in front of the class, big MJ fans that we were. And in 1993 when he was in Singapore which served as a pit stop for his Dangerous World Tour, I was there as well, for the first night out of two when his birthday was celebrated. And all that just around the time when the craziest negative news about the man had surfaced.

But This Is It is not that documentary, but one that's set to allow audiences and fans all around the world witness what MJ was preparing for – that grueling 50 shows in London that would be as much a showcase as well as a swansong. I mean, he's no Peter Pan, and it's still pretty amazing that he still possessed this fabulous energy to create that special magic that only MJ can create on stage. Watching him perform live is definitely an entirely different experience from watching it on video, but I suppose Kenny Ortega had created the next best thing, culled from rehearsal footage of his practices leading to the run up of the landmark performances.

Naturally, don't expect MJ to be at his very best or performing everything 100%, as many a times he had mentioned that he's conserving energy, though most times he just couldn't help it but to perform his numbers through and through. It's also a valuable peek into how he crafts the entire performance to perfection and love, never losing his temper as he offers his two cents worth on what he exactly wants out of the performers, musicians and dancers. You can see the respect he commands from his crew, who knows that they must be up to the mark whenever he comes on set to practice with them, and it's very much amazing that when MJ is on fire, everyone else will be silenced, and in awe. Look no further than Billie Jean where the man just captivates everyone's attention.

And you cannot get better ringside seats than what this film has to offer. Culled from various rehearsals sometimes of the same song, it allows you to see how MJ finetunes and experiments with various ideas, especially for his dance. His stage performances were always a spectacle, and the sheer amount of effort in pyrotechnics and special effects, would make you wonder how awesome the actual London performance would have been, which sadly will never materialize beyond the ideas tossed up in this documentary.

This Is It is as much about MJ, as it is about the meticulously handpicked dancers and backup performers who would have been part of a legendary concert. It's not easy supporting the King of Pop given the innate pressure to excel and he acknowledges that effort put in, though I feel it must have been quite heartbreaking for them to learn about the passing of the superstar, and a mentor whom I'm sure they would have learnt a lot from during their time spent together in preparation. At least their efforts will not go to waste with the release of this film, which may seem to be gimmicky since it's going to be on screen for only 2 weeks. And a reminder too not to leave the hall prematurely before the end of the end credit roll.

RIP Michael Jackson, you will be missed by your fans worldwide as the greatest performer who ever graced the stage.

There is one simple way of understanding whether one will enjoy This Is It or not, and that has to do with a caption that appears at the beginning of the film: "For the fans". Translation: Those who grew up with Michael Jackson's music, know his songs by heart and idolized him despite his bizarre antics and legal problems will love the movie; those who believe he was an overrated, disturbed artist will probably loathe it. Then there's a third category, to which I belong: people who enjoy listening to Jackson's music, without necessarily being die-hard fans. In that case, This Is It comes off as an interesting, but rather hollow experience.

The story behind the picture is well-known: following Michael Jackson's tragic, unexpected death in June 2009, just before the first of a series of gigs that would mark his retirement, it was decided to make the rehearsal footage, filmed during the preparations for the first concert, known to the public, so that the late singer's admirers could get an idea of what could have been. The film begins with several young people auditioning to become dancers or background singers, and their tangible enthusiasm remains unaffected throughout, a feeling that is shared by Jackson once the real work begins.

Watching the footage makes one thing absolutely clear: if Jackson had lived, it would have been a major event. Showing no signs of weakness whatsoever, he was both precise (he knew exactly what everyone should do and when) and playful (he is shown goofing around on the stage and joyously interacting with everybody), trying to make sure all the people involved were having a good time. Unfortunately, a lot of that passion and energy fails to get through the screen, mostly because of the center-stage presence granted to the project's director, Kenny Ortega (of High School Musical fame), whose constant attempts to please his star get annoying rather quickly.

On the flip-side, it's intriguing to see all the special stuff the team was preparing for the event: new filmed material to go with certain songs (including new footage shot for Thriller), devices that would allow the stage to "transform" as the show went on, smoke, special effects, you name it. Additionally, even casual listeners are likely to be thrilled when Jackson performs live versions of everyone's favorites. This Is It was, in his mind at least, a true labor of love. The resulting film, however, does occasionally have "cash-in" written on it. It's an interesting look at a lost opportunity, but it's more of a curiosity, rather than a proper, affectionate tribute. You know, for the fans.