larger than life

Larger than Life (Published in naijaunderground.blogspot.com)

With the release of the This Is It- a documentary on the life and times of Michael Jackson, fans of the wacko Jacko got an extraordinary glimpse into the final hours of the ultimate showman. As Adewole Ajao joined others for the premiere at the Lekki-based Genesis Deluxe Cinemas, it was devoid of any attempts at a tawdry cash-in.

Escapism definitely comes in many forms and one is a two-hour film dedicated to the memory of a certain departed pop star that attained global popularity for his skills in the realm of entertainment. Welcome to the world of Michael Jackson whose life and death was rife with ambivalent comments and stuff that bordered on the extraordinary.
However after the Kenny Ortega documentary, critics are being forced to have a rethink about a personality who might have been one of the few humans to utilise their talent to its fullest capacity.

With a name that was as popular as Walt Disney and Coca Cola, this film on the King Pop with its doses of forgone greatness and sparks of what could have been if he’d made his proposed 50 shows was a good way of saying bye the to stage great that let a bundle of mementos that include his dance steps, crazy costumes and baffled fans. And if you are one of the film’s critic’s earnings of $2.2million on its premiere alone would erode all your doubts.
Of course many have dubbed it shameful profiteering after back-breaking rehearsals preceded Michael’s death but 120 minutes of the Columbia Pictures piece restores Michael to his past glory by evading all the drama that occupied his 50 years on earth with most of the footage coming from rehearsals at the Los Angeles-based Forum and Staples Centre in California prior to final performances at the London-based O2 Arena -venue of his supposed comeback into music. Such scenes depict a tireless performer in full control of his gifts rather than a drugged man forcing himself through the 80 hours of rehersals.

Present rehearsals are juxtaposed with those from the past and one can fully comprehend Michael as the consumate perfectionist-a tag fosited on him by Akon.
There are some tears in the piece though as dancers selected from far & wide to tour with him are all shook up after meeting him. His voice also remains in segments where he croons his popular tracks while decked in the clothes that made him the quintessential showman
Innovations come with a remake of Thriller and Smooth Criminal-a throwback to classic fifties mobster movies where he stars alongside Rita Hawthorne, Cary Grant and other screen legends in Gilda, Tokyo Joe and His Girl Friday in a remake video for ‘Smooth Criminal’-a black and white segment ending with Michael escaping a hail of bullets delivered via Humphrey Bogart’s machine gun.

Despite being fifty years, the signatory groin clutching and hip-lifting alongside his dancers in preparations for ‘Beat It’ retains a flawless clarity that can only be peculiar to the progenitor of the evergreen dance steps. Despite being horribly lean he still exudes rare energy for his age, silencing those who thought his dance skills had ebbed with time.
Words from guitarist Orientha Panagaris, Jonathan Muffet, Judith Hill, production designer Michael Cotten are another angle to an embellishment of the pop king’s character- glowing terms which go in tandem with whatever inferences the audience arrive at concerning the pop king’s character.

In the final scene, an end to rehearsals shows an effusive Michael thanking everyone for giving their all while expressing optimism for the coming shows which he will never make after passing away a few weeks before they commence- a development has seen some boycotting the film due to their animosity towards AEG Live for overworking him. But he might have had the last laugh over critics while adding another memento to a long list of bequeaths like the moonwalk, weird costumes and a list of unparalleled hits. And like the fictional Beowulf, Michael might just be a larger than life character who remains with us even in death.