Last night, Sony dropped curtains worldwide on Michael Jackson's This Is It -- the massively hyped, posthumous concert film pulled from 80 hours of rehearsal footage (purchased by the studio at a cost of $60 million). With a mixture of curiosity, trepidation, and genuine, Thriller-era excitement, Movieline's S.T. VanAirsdale and Seth Abramovitch attended some of the first screenings on either coast. Would the icon restore his legacy with this comeback bow? Or would this be but a sad coda to the life of a performance genius who'd long since lost his way?
Our first impressions, in instant message form, follow.
STV: happy MJ day! or something
SETH: thanks! so were they going to hand out 50,000 3d glasses every night?
STV: i guess so. but man i wish they had completed the thriller sequence in 3d for the film
because it was the ONLY part of that song worth watching
SETH: you mean as opposed to the stage stuff?
STV: yeah. that was weak for me
SETH: they did the thriller dance
STV: he was kinda half-hearting it. i mean i get why
SETH: i feel like its unfair to take anything on the stage as the actual show. he kept saying hes half assing it. none of the costumes were on. the pyro wasnt on. and how nuts is it that the whole stage erupted into flames, and ortega is like, can we have 10x the fireworks. i woulda grabbed my scalp and ran for the doors. thats what kinda warrior jackson was.
STV: i am definitely a fan of the film
SETH: i was expecting him to be like propped up and surrounded by dancers. the guy moved and sounded amazing! im reading some reviews on rotten tomatoes that are panning it and im like -- what were you expecting?
STV: there's the contingent that accuses sony of raping his ghost. that he never would have let this out. http://this-is-not-it.com/.
SETH: hes prob be aghast that it got out there, but only because you could see what kind of perfectionist he is. but tough. it needed to.
STV: i agree. it was fascinating. "play it like you're rolling out of bed"
SETH: also -- what a nice guy! even under that immense pressure, whatever he says, he says it "with l-o-v-e." and that fucking TRACTOR. oh ma ga.
STV: that was like a fucking experimental movie. "I have to sizzle!"
SETH: I like that all the dancers he picked were like macho italians equipped with enhanced crotch-grabbing capabilities.
STV: can i get the girl guitarist's number?
SETH: the whole specter of Bob Fosse loomed large over the proceedings. from the chorus line cattle call to that amazing scaffold cityscape
STV: that's the best thing about it to me: it's like a concert doc/experimental/narrative/musical hybrid. and when they converge for that kind of impromptu greenscreen dance rehearsal on they don't care about us
SETH: with the Rhythm Nation riot squad?
STV: yeah
SETH: that was rad. the dancers' testimony at the beginning and their general worship of him moved me.
STV: yeah they had me with the opening footage
SETH: the only thing, i wish they had done the closing credits with the costumes on a mannequin in various poses. that would have been haunting and satisfying, cause i really wanted to see them. it took until they interviewed the wardrobe guy who said they invented new wearable technology for the tour to realize that those flashy clothes he had on were just his rehearsal clothes. his Billie Jean outfit was going to LIGHT UP.
STV: i wish they'd done more split screen. the three split screens at the end of "human nature." the compare/contrast of those slinking moves. i LOVED that
SETH: i loved the whole back and forth with the keyboardist
STV: god that was the best "play it like i wrote it!" that jackson 5 sequence was a little disheartening. i know MJ cited tech difficulties, but he looked like he was in a vacuum. like he was kinda floating through some extended repressed memory
SETH: is that the sequence when he complains his ear monitors are like 'fists pushing into his head?'
STV: Yeah
SETH: maybe he was just flashing back to rehearsals with joe
STV: haha yeah. ok so what was your favorite moment?
SETH: i loved the toaster part, where dancers are taught how to behave like ejected slices of bread
STV: that was definitely up there
SETH: the black and white guitar solo sequence, 'This is your time to shine -- hit your highest note -- hold it longer!'
STV: "waaaaaaaaa"
SETH: what was the best number. smooth criminal? they dont really care about us?
STV: probably
SETH: earth song?
STV: earth song made me wanna puke
SETH: but that TRACTOR. and the KILLER BUTTERFLIES
STV: if i never see a little girl with an orca on her t-shirt waking up in a gutted rain forest saving a plant from a giant tractor again, it'll be too soon
SETH: i felt like michael was trying to tell us something in that movie, but i couldnt quite make out the symbolism
STV: that duet on "i just can't stop loving you" was so fun. so sweet and playful. like, who would argue against that kind of stuff going public? it's so sincerely him
SETH: what about michael's ominous message during the group huddle -- that we have only 'four more years.' it was like the dark flip side of a GOP convention
STV: i dunno, probably a shameless plus for 2012, coming to theaters this fall from Sony!