By Community Correspondent, Sandra Aggrey

On 25th June of this year, the man known as the King of Pop, passed away. From London to Tokyo, Michael Jackson was known worldwide. Children through to adults admired his work, for once it was cool to admit that you liked the same music as your parents or even your grandparents.

Michael Jackson’s sudden death came as a shock to everyone, me included. This was mainly because he died too soon and had a lot more to give, particularly as he was due to make a comeback in the form of 50 concert dates in London, which he announced in March were to be his last, the This Is It tour.

When it was first announced that the rehearsal footage for the shows were to become a film, I knew at once it was something I wanted to see. I had never got the chance to see Michael Jackson perform live (doing his trademark move- the moonwalk), mainly because I hadn’t even been born when he was at his prime and performing all over the world and the This Is It concert tickets were a little out of my price range. However I knew this would be my chance to see the King of Pop at his best for the first and last time (at an affordable price).

I have to say, the film did not disappoint, I got to see Michael Jackson performing all my favourite hits like Thriller, Smooth Criminal, Billie Jean, Jam, the list could go on. I must admit I would pay £7 to see it all over again. The start of the film was predominantly touching. It showed the thousands of dancers who were about to audition to be part of the concerts speaking to the camera about how honoured and privileged they felt about being able to audition for someone so great, who they grew up watching and inspired them. Some were even brought to tears whilst expressing their admiration. One dancer spoke of his excitement at the prospect of being part of the forthcoming concert dates that would have started to take place over the summer.

When Michael Jackson initially announced that he would be doing 50 dates for his This Is It tour, many, including myself, were sceptical of his ability and whether him being 50 would hinder it. However from watching the film, I would say his dancing was on point and he was just as good as he was 25 years ago. He had dancers on stage with him who were half his age yet his energy and skill still matched theirs.

Although he was mainly credited for his phenomenal dance ability, the film portrayed Michael Jackson’s soulful voice especially on the classic hits, Human Nature, Man In The Mirror as well as the Earth Song. After performing I Just Can’t Stop Loving You, to perfection with one of his female backing singers, he makes a joke of the fact that he shouldn’t be singing like that but instead saving his voice for the live shows. The film portrays a fun and jokey side to Michael Jackson, a side that many may not have seen or did not care to see.

Also from the rehearsal footage, it was clear that Michael Jackson was a perfectionist but for good reason since these shows were to be a highly anticipated comeback for him and he wanted his fans to enjoy the show as well as be entertained. Everyone was expecting big things. He had control over the production team and how he wanted the show to be like. One example was when he was a vocal session . He told the man playing the piano that he wanted him to play the song exactly how the audience hears it on the record and not any different. He always had his fans on his mind as well as his team like when his guitar player had a solo piece, he told her to give more and enjoy herself as that was her moment to shine and they would all be supporting her when it came to the night of the live shows. He treated them all like family and even stated so when it they were all together in a circle towards the end of the film.

Despite the controversy surrounding Michael Jackson’s life and death, it is undeniable that his talent was extraordinary even at 50 years old and the film portrayed this in a perfect way. Some may say this film was made to make money but others may believe otherwise and be appreciative of the fact that they got to see snippets of what would have been an incredible show by an incredible unique artist.