Michael Jackson film should not be missed

JACKSON FILM: For anyone who likes to see how these massive stadium based pop shows are put together, or are a fan of Michael Jackson, or both, then the film, which deals with both these aspects, "This Is It", should not be missed. From the start it shows how the whole prospective show was put together, from finding the best of backing singers, dancers and musicians, to meeting the star himself. This part is a mixture of the "X-Factor" and the musical stage and film show "A Chorus Line" in showing how all the prospective backing dancers are tweaked down to the final line-up.

As the untimely death of its star was only days away from the actual event it did make you think of what was about to happen.

It did, however, blow your mind away in showing what could have been the final outcome of the actual staging of this much-talked about concert at the O2 arena in London. Each number was a major choreographical staging in its own right and was like giving the audience the Jackson video musical numbers they had grown up with, but this time it's all live.

This was no concert where the star just stood at the mike and sang his hits, as each song was a major multi-media setting and like nothing no one has ever witnessed at a major pop concert before.

Taking this into account, and if we believe all we read about Michael Jackson's ill health running up to the concerts, I do wonder how the fittest person in the world could have coped putting all these action packed numbers together for one show, let alone the proposed 50. He didn't look in the least ill or fatigued and, if anything, just the opposite.

It was also rumoured that stand-ins for Michael Jackson were used in the final cut of the film, but this did not matter.

So forget all the bad hype and look upon this film as the successful pinnacle of Michael Jackson's career in the world of pop and so fitting of his title as "The King of Pop" and the stunningly presented concert that was unfortunately never to be.

TONY GLEAVE, Trentham