Many people don't understand the intense work it takes to put together a performance. Shows take time and energy to perfect. The whole point is to wow the audience, or as Michael Jackson would put it in his movie, Michael Jackson's This Is It, directed by Kenny Ortega, to give the audience an experience. It's impossible to say to what degree of amazing his tour would have been, but in his movie you become fully aware that it would have been unlike anything ever done before.

The video consists of rehearsal footage and interviews of people associated with his show, which was initially filmed for Michael Jackson's personal archives. However, the thought of no one seeing this footage is a shame because it truly does reassert his title of "King of Pop." It seems as though it was released to compensate for the cancellation of his world tour.

During the film, you are taken through each number in the show. None is alike, and all are superb. Jackson is shown in a very humanizing light, with his humble objections and input for changes in his production. He is filled with love for others around him, and pushes himself to a level no lower than perfection. In one scene he sings his hit "Billie Jean" alone on stage and by the end of it the entire production staff is off their chairs and wailing in praise and awe. To this he simply says "Well, at least we got a feel for it."

The movie instills great respect for Jackson. I went into the movie unfazed by his death and scandals of his life and left idolizing the man. His passion for what he does gleams off his face and has the power to inspire. Go rent it, I would suggest with your parents, because the whole family can relate to the sensation that surrounds Michael Jackson and his music.

Jahla Seppanen is a senior at Monte del Sol. You can reach her at jnm747@hotmail.com.