Will Michael Jackson Movie Put the Kibosh on Critics?

Oct. 27, 2009— -- When the Michael Jackson film, "This Is It," opens worldwide tomorrow, fans and naysayers will be able to judge for themselves whether the King of Pop still had the chops to perform.

Orianthi, the guitarist he picked to perform his London shows, told "Good Morning America" today that Jackson was "full of energy."

"On stage, he was keeping up with the 24-year-old dancers," she said. "He was up there, doing his thing. He wasn't sitting in the corner and looking ill, not able to participate. He was on stage with everybody."

Despite the footage, which shows Jackson at his final rehearsal before his death, even family members have expressed their doubts about the film. Jackson's father Joe Jackson accused concert promoter AEG, which produced the film, of using body doubles for his son.

Jackson's former manager Frank DiLeo shot down that notion.

"No that's not true," DiLeo told "GMA." "What you see is Michael Jackson…exactly what you see on stage is exactly what he was in real life."

DiLeo compared Jackson to another Michael – Michelangelo.

"If we were able to watch Michelangelo decide what colors to put on the Sistine Chapel, what drawings, that's what Michael did…and everybody will get to see that," he said.

Last Thursday, about 30 family members and close friends attended a private screening of the movie. Jackie Jackson, however, was the only sibling there.

"My brother's movie 'This Is It' is truly riveting," he told TMZ. "Michael is electrifying! We get a glimpse of a true genius at work. His passionate message for healing the world, saving the planet and our children's futures is something he was always striving for in his lifetime."

Other Jackson family members think watching the film would be too much to bear and will likely not be attending tonight's red carpet premiere in Los Angeles. Tonight's invited guests include Adam Lambert, Mike Tyson, Snoop Dogg, Smokey Robinson, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Rev. Al Sharpton.

"This Is It" Is Too Soon for Some of Michael Jackson's Family

Sister LaToya Jackson told a reporter: "I will not be seeing it and my mother will not be seeing it because we're just not ready to see that just yet. It's just a bit too soon for us."

Mother Katherine Jackson told "Access Hollywood," "I don't think I can bear to look at it right now. But eventually in time I will watch it."

LaToya was unsure whether even her brother Michael would want the film seen.

"Truthfully, my opinion – no," she told "Access Hollywood." "Michael always wants to give his best. This is a rehearsal. He wasn't giving his all. He loves to give his all always. That's just the way he is. He wants people to see him at the top of the ladder and not half-stepping because he doesn't want to do a full-out rehearsal."

But Dame Elizabeth Taylor, who did see the film, gushed about Jackson's "genius" on her Twitter page. "It is the single most brilliant piece of filmmaking I have ever seen," she wrote. "It cements forever Michael's genius in every aspect of creativity."

"I wept from pure joy at his God given gift. There will never, ever be the likes of him again," Taylor tweeted. "And we have this piece of film to remind us forever and ever that once there was such a man. God kissed him."

"You owe it to yourselves and your loved ones to see this again and again," she continued. "Memorize it and say to yourselves, 'I saw genius in my lifetime.'"

Taylor also praised the film's director Kenny Ortega. "Mr. Ortega catches Michael in his every mood," she wrote. "You see in front of your eyes Michael's genius blossoming on this piece of film thanks to Kenny Ortega and his crews."

Ortega told CNN last week that making the film was actually cathartic. "I thought I'd collapse," he said. "I thought I'll never get through it, it's too hard, it's too soon, but in fact it was healing and helpful."

Ultimately, he made a film that he hoped Jackson's children, Prince Michael, Paris and "Blanket" would want to see and that would make them proud of their father. According to TMZ, the children are eager to see the film.