As a film, Michael Jackson's This Is It is fairly straightforward, a series of musical numbers shot during rehearsals for the spectacular 50-show concert Jackson planned to stage at London's O2 arena but didn't live long enough to perform. As a cultural artifact, though, it's something more compelling: the final act of a pop legend, all the more powerful if you were one of the kids who bought ABC on a 45, danced your way through high school to the beat of Off the Wall, huddled around a TV in your college dorm to watch the MTV premiere of Thriller and wondered in later years: ``What happened to his face?''

If you are such a person, then This Is It can't help but carry the heavy weight of a memento mori, even if its quick release leaves one queasy about profit motives. Assurances that this cobbled-together footage is a gift for the fans ring hollow in light of how much money the movie stands to make in its two-week run.

Directed by Kenny Ortega -- who also directed the concert before Jackson's death in June -- the film is somewhat rough, with musical numbers not entirely fleshed out or even complete. But there's more than enough proof to conclude that the show would have been magnificent, a stunning blend of video, elaborate stage sets, mesmerizing choreography, the songs we know by heart, ferocious guitar licks and Jackson's peculiar but electric brand of chemistry.

This Is It reveals little about the personal aspects of the deeply troubled man behind the sunglasses -- it naturally deals with none of the darker aspects of Jackson's life -- but it deftly underlines his commitment to showmanship. If anything, Jackson the man is as remote as ever. The music, though, comes thoroughly alive, whether it involves a driving version of Smooth Criminal (complete with an old-time gangster video in which Humphrey Bogart chases Jackson), the aching loveliness of Jackson's fine tenor on the now-heartbreaking I'll Be There or a solo version of the bewitching Billie Jean, in which the 50-year-old Jackson moves with more skill and grace than any of his much younger (and gifted) dancers.

Recognizing the scope of the loss of such talent makes This Is It more than just a documentary of Jackson's last days. We don't get to pick the pop-culture icons of our lifetime, but the flawed MJ was ours, and as a performer, he was spectacular. Watching him croon Human Nature or gyrate to Beat It, we can only conclude that this show would have revitalized his career. As it is, it will have to stand as a reminder of a terrible loss. This Is It is for fans only, and it will have to be enough.

Director: Kenny Ortega.

Producers: Paul Gongaware, Randy Phillips.

A Sony Pictures release. Running time: 112 minutes. Suggestive choreography, scary images. Playing at area theaters.

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