The lights dim, the ads fade out, and the iconic “He-He” plays. This is the start of the “Michael” movie. A biopic of the life of pop and rock star Michael Jackson, which was released on April 24. Directed by Emmy Award winner Antoine Fuqua, who is also known for his work in Olympus Has Fallen and The Equalizer series. The movie follows the young star from early childhood and his involvement in the Jackson Five to his major success in the Bad Tour in London. Fuqua displays how to balance good and accurate storytelling whilst maintaining consistency and inclusion of music.
In “Michael”, Fuqua manages to make two hours feel like minutes, the movie starts in the Jackson family home in Gary, Ind., in the year 1966, as a young Michael, played by Juliano Valdi, sings with his brothers in front of his father. They are preparing for their first performance, and his father is unhappy and disappointed, which will be a theme throughout the story. Soon, they start having breakout performances and are traveling the country, signed to a major record label, and earning more money than they could have dreamed of. The story then skips until Michael’s early adult years and his restricted freedom and yearning to reinvent himself. The story continues through his Victory Tour and ends during his performance at Wembley Stadium.
As a person who grew up on Michael Jackson’s music, I was excited for this release. It brought back memories of listening to “Beat It ” in the car or “Bad” in the comfort of my own home. It also brought back memories of when I was too scared to watch the entire “Thriller” music video and laugh at the Weird Al renditions of “Bad” and “Beat It”. So when the biopic on Jackson’s life was set to release, I was enthralled and knew I had to watch it.
Firstly, the actors were amazing, from the child actor Juliano Valdi, who played young Michael, who was able to display emotion beautifully and made the audience feel true pain when he was beaten. He also had a beautiful and accurate voice, as the singing in the movie was all “live” audio from the actors. Jackson’s father, played by Colman Domingo, was also amazing as he fit the part very well, displaying the crude and greedy nature of many. He acted as the main antagonist of the story and hindered Jackson at every turn. His acting was phenomenal, and it made it all the better when Jackson finally told him off at the end. Finally, Jaafar Jackson’s work as Michael was great; he truly embodied the character and was able to play him from young to mid-adulthood. Interestingly, he is also related to Jackson as he is his nephew. This added another layer to his performance as it added to his passion.
Secondly, the pacing and time skips were very good and helped move the story along. The movie mainly focused on his early life with the Jackson Five, and then time skipped ahead to his early adulthood and continued into his early to mid-range album releases. Many movies use time skips poorly and leave the story feeling rushed, but Fuqua used them to cover more of Jackson’s life. For someone with such an interesting life as him, they were needed to keep the story moving forward. Another interesting effect of the skips was being able to see his increased use of plastic surgery. Originating from a single nose job, Jackson’s face slowly became less and less like his brothers. After the fire at the Pepsi Tour, he looks like he is from a different family. This process happens so slowly, though, that it takes the audience extra time to notice any difference, adding another layer to the performance.
Finally, one problem that many had with the movie was the fact that, like many biopics of old, it glorified both Michael and the Jackson family. This is because Fuqua had to get the Jackson estate’s approval for everything that is in the movie. Each member of the family had to sign off to use their likeness; this caused the absence of three siblings, most notably Janet Jackson, who was a pop-rock singer and songwriter. She was beneficial to have in the movie as she should have related to Michael and furthered his character development. Similarly, the movie glossed over any wrongdoing and ended before any allegations came out. Many think this is a good thing, as there is no reason to further tarnish the man’s reputation. But it raises the question: at what point should biopics prioritize accuracy at the cost of the person’s reputation? Ultimately, it is up to the audience to decide.
“Michael” was an amazing movie and a must-watch for any true Jackson fan. It displayed how to tastefully show a person’s life, even with allegations and alleged wrongdoing, without losing much accuracy. So if you’re either looking for a family movie night or something to put on in the background, with amazing actors, tasteful inclusions and great song inclusion, the “Michael” movie is a hit.
