From the opening words that scrolled across the screen explaining the well-documented background of this movie, one could tell that “This Is It” was going to be an emotional ride. As polarized an image as Michael Jackson had, it was hard not to be drawn into this new movie documenting the rehearsals he went through for an upcoming tour but ended up being his final performances ever.

In what the opening credits called a movie “for the fans,” admirers of the King of Pop’s work are given the chance to spend a few hours with Jackson. Culled from the various rehearsals, the footage is decidedly raw — as it was originally intended for the singer’s personal archives. However, in no way does it look like a cheap homemade video.

The film begins with Jackson’s main troop of supporting dancers gushing about their love for the singer. It feels very much like a montage that can be found in many a summer camp recap video with the dancers acting as giddy as teenagers. Many of them were driven close to tears as they reflected on the impact Jackson had on them and many others across the globe.

One striking theme that is carried throughout the film was that what Jackson was doing was “all about love,” in the words of Jackson himself. The singer is shown as always reminding his crew that he loves them very much, expressing his “L-O-V-E” at all times, even when he was correcting their mistakes. One gets a sense that this man was a master at what he did, carefully working to reproduce every minute detail in his music.

The film was almost completely pieced together with footage from grueling rehearsals, and it shows how intense the practice was. Jackson appears visibly tired after performing a particularly acrobatic dance move, but in no way was it any indication that he would soon be dead. The 50-year-old performer nailed every dance move shown in the movie with a precision that belied his age and 10-year hiatus from the stage.

All the while, Jackson displays a sense of humor that was quite unexpected for a man who, by all rights, should be bitter and jaded after dealing with years of media scorn and ridicule. The King of Pop is seen joking around with his crew, most notably while testing out one of the moving platforms –– director Kenny Ortega had to remind Jackson to stand still for his own safety.

Jackson, being a great and self-assured performer, didn’t hesitate to shine the spotlight on others. There is an extended sequence in the film featuring an elaborate guitar solo during the song “Black or White,” where Jackson constantly reminds his guitarists that “this is your moment,” urging them to take full advantage of their opportunity to shine. Jackson’s ability to put others before himself also is fully showcased when he speaks about his passion for protecting the earth.

“Our planet is sick,” said Jackson. “Change starts with us.” Combined with the rehearsal footage of “Earth Song,” the speech lends extra emotional thrust to the movie.

Short films within the film are also interspersed throughout the movie, such as a 1920’s-themed escapade features Jackson tramping through a black and white cityscape to the song “Smooth Criminal.” The crew also dreamt up an updated 3-D feature to the classic, revolutionary music video for the song “Thriller,” complete with the backup dancers masked as the “grizzly ghouls from every tomb.” The imagination and sheer spectacle of what Jackson and company were attempting for these shows leaves the audience wondering what really could have been.

Indeed, throughout the film, Jackson constantly reminds his crew “I gotta save the voice.” If that was saving the voice, one can only imagine how powerful the singer’s performance would have been when he let loose.

Throughout, it seemed as if Michael Jackson was that brooding genius, waiting to unleash his secrets on the world –– he was merely waiting for the right moment. Tragically, that moment never came, and the world is now left to wonder what could’ve been.

“This Is It” is an entertaining movie from one of the best performers of all time, revealing that Michael Jackson, while more frail in health than in previous years, was still at the top of his game. This is the best chance we’ll ever get to witness one of music’s greatest legends honing his craft for the final time.