When Michael Jackson died in June, just shy of his fiftieth birthday, the world lost mourned the loss of arguably the greatest entertainer of our time. Maybe even the greatest entertainer of all time. Personal problems and molestation cases stole the spotlight from his talent in his final years of his life making his death all the more untimely. Thankfully, the new documentary, This Is It, succeeds in returning the crown to the King of Pop and returning the humanity to a trouble artist.

Filmed during the rehearsals for what was scheduled to be Jackson’s 50-concert come-back tour, This Is It focuses solely on the creative process of putting these events together and becomes a fascinating portrait of an artist at work.

What one will first notice in the film is the intense passion of an artist at work. Many of the final photos and footage we are seen of Jackson is a weak, almost frail individual, often walking to and from courthouses; someone struggling to get by. This image is quickly forgotten within the opening moments of the film as we a Jackson full of energy who comes alive when the music starts.

What was most fascinating to me, however, was the intimate look at Jackson’s creative process and strict attention to detail. It’s the candid moments where he’s talking to the musicians about how the music must sound or when he’s sitting in the production room watching footage for a background video and commenting on how the lighting feels off. Almost taking on the role of an auteur, having his hand in every aspect of the show—from the music to the choreography to the light design to stage set. Jackson had opinions about it all and fought respectfully to see his visions come to fruition.

There is no doubt in my mind that this concert would have been unlike anything we have ever seen before. An epic stage set complete with videos, lighting effects, choreography, a full band, and of course the music, this could be one of the most designed concerts in history—this would not have been a concert you simply go and see, this would be a concert you would go and experience with all your senses. Every detail was planned to perfection.

This is not simply a biopic of the world’s greatest entertainer, this is a true inside look at an artist at work. At what goes through the mind of a true musical genius and the work he did to make sure his art could be shared with others.

Absent was the controversy and the questions surrounding his death and the split public perception of the creative genius or the troubled pedophile. This Is It is how I’d hope the future gets to see Michael Jackson: an incredibly talented, passionate artist and performer. Look at Michelangelo or Van Gogh or Shakespeare, these individuals had extremely troubled personal lives, but the legacy they’ve left behind—the things people remember them for—is their art. I wish the same for Michael Jackson.

This Is It does a great job of making sure that legacy lives on.