Death is the great arbiter of a person’s legacy.  Michael Jackson’s untimely death this June not only solidified his unequaled stature in the world of pop music but effectively disintegrated the growing negative perception of the enigmatic entertainer.  He’ll always have his detractors, who aren’t necessarily in the wrong, but Jackson’s staggering talent and unrivaled innovation, all but buried under a tidal wave of media scrutiny of his eccentric personal life, have been thrust back into the spotlight.

Opening on a mind-blowing 18,000 screens worldwide, Columbia Pictures’ “This is It” is a hastily slapped together documentary/concert film/tribute that aims to generate enough income to recoup considerable losses from the abandoned 50-date world tour Jackson planned for the coming  year.  That much is obvious.  But the film, surprisingly enough, offers much more than the expected display of corporate greed and posthumous exploitation.

Director Kenny Ortega and editors Don Brochu, Brandon Key, Tim Patterson and Kevin Stitt, have shaped, cut, and molded over 100 hours of behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage into a fascinating and oddly beautiful tribute to the King of Pop.  Dazzling pyrotechnics, elaborately choreographed dance numbers, spectacular new arrangements of classic hits, interactive film shot exclusively for the tour to play on a jumbo screen behind the performers, new technology developed specifically for the tour, and Jackson’s still silky smooth vocals and unparalleled showmanship are on full display.  It is a stirring glimpse of what might have been, but even more, a unique insight into the grueling and methodical creative process of the greatest entertainer of our time.

The Wacko Jacko that commanded so much attention offstage is nowhere to be found in “This is It.”  Jackson is polite, courteous, professional, even down-to-earth as he effortlessly runs through his musical catalog and deftly orchestrates every move, every pause, every note.  He’s surprisingly limber and fleet-footed for a 50-year-old man, and his vocals are as comfortable as ever stabbing the upper registers.  The camera conspicuously avoids extreme close-ups of Jackson’s face, smartly preferring wide shots that feature his legendary footwork.

Opening with deifying, scrolling text, and a slew of worshipful testimonials from backup dancers gushing over Jackson’s brilliance and influence, “This is It” never pretends to be an objective document of the controversial pop icon.  Instead, it serves as a distilled capsule of the highlights of a distinguished career and a top-notch examination of the general creative process.  Michael loyalists will be enraptured, but there’s enough here to entertain the uninitiated.

Score: 4/5