Michael Review
Unlike its titular hero, this biopic is content with mediocrity.
Michael tells the story of Michael Jackson (Jafar Jackson). From his early days being forced by his father Joseph (Colman Domingo) to be in the Jackson 5, to his first solo works, a horrific fire, and his eventual decision to leave the group and strike out solely on his own, Michael the movie ends just as Michael the solo artist is truly beginning.
Michael is an intriguing beast. Rumors of the scale of the behind the scenes drama vary, but it seems there was certainly some last minute tampering that has hamstrung the ending. Even without that, however, it is tough to see how a biopic this toothless could have ever escaped its fate.
Director Antoine Fuqua seems content to avoid every possible controversy associated with Michael Jackson in whatever way he can. And to that end, this film sticks firmly to his two earliest solo albums, and his childhood with the Jackson 5. It’s also shot beautifully but in a way that often feels without energy, briefly broken by moments of lower FPS that give it some real life authenticity on stage.
Everything is here in a way that, technically, makes it a movie. The CGI is fine. The performances from the supporting cast serviceable. And there is a script, of sorts. The problem is none of it really gels together into something that feels compelling to watch. It’s lacklustre in the extreme, focussed almost entirely on a message of ‘look how fun it is to be the most famous person in the world’. The script gives us dialogue that feels so hamfisted and overt, that it can be a struggle to catch the dancing and music in the throes of rolling ones eyes.
Perhaps it is that script that makes this beast feel so benign. There’s not only the staid dialogue, there’s the plotting that avoids anything that could be remotely controversial. There are moments where things are alluded to - not just the headline grabbing controversies about Michael Jackson’s involvement with children that so plagued his later years (here never referred to, but spectral in his scenes with children in a toy store for any clued in viewer), but also the heavy breathing in the final concert that could perhaps signpost his drug issues later in life, the brief mentions of his skin disease and a quick foray with plastic surgery. Even broader societal issues of gang violence and black artists being sidelined on MTV are given mere lip service, with MJ voicing the right opinion in a way that makes him seem like an unassailable saviour. It’s a script that gums the issues that could provide light and shade, preferring to show us this man in only light.
Films like this don’t need to overdo it. Too much social commentary, too much interrogation of their flaws, can sometimes hamstring a movie just as much, but the complete insistence on avoiding any topic of complexity here is remarkable to watch. And deprives us of the latter part of MJ’s life too.
Although, the film benefits enormously from the vast oeuvre of Michael’s music that keeps you tapping your toes and bopping your head throughout. Thankfully, even with the early choice of his life, many if not most of his bangers are contained in that period, so the film delivers some truly good looking and fun sequences there. And when they practice the dancing for Beat It in the mirror, it’s hard not to film the rhythm.
The film also benefits from Jafar Jackson, although he can be a double edged sword. His musicality and visually striking resemblance to Michael sucks you in - plenty of moments feel like we are actually watching Michael Jackson. Sometimes, it can be so close as to be distracting, particularly in this age of AI slop. But Jafar does well with the material he is given to work with, and the performance is strong.
Overall, Michael is a film that plays almost more like a rip off concert / music video film. It hits all the notes it should, but the song never coalesces into anything more than a reminder that Michael’s music is great. If you have seen the stage show and felt it was too much of a wash of his life, then this movie will surprise you with how nuanced the stage show was. But if you go into it as a fan, looking to relive some of MJ’s greatest hits, you’ll undoubtedly be thrilled.
