‘Michael’, a biopic about the notorious Michael Jackson, was recently released to moderate reviews.
Covering someone as notorious and controversial as Michael Jackson was always going to be difficult, but early rumors and info from the movie seemed promising, with Michael Jackson’s nephew Jafaar Jackson slated to play Michael.
However, when the Michael Jackson Estate was announced to be involved, debates immediately spread online. While it gave the writers a more personal, detailed background on his life, people worried it also largely limited how honestly the movie would tackle some of Jackson’s large controversies and allegations from later in his life.
That concern became realized and was very noticeable throughout the movie. The movie completely ignores all negative parts of Jackson’s life, painting him as an innocent artist who was constantly done wrong and manipulated by the industry. While not being super accurate, the movie still succeeds in many different ways. Jaafar Jackson delivers one of the film’s strongest elements through his performance, capturing Michael’s overwhelming presence and iconic voice, both on stage and off.
The concert sequences are especially memorable, recreating some of Michael’s most iconic performances with a level of detail and respect that shows why Jackson became one of the most influential and iconic entertainers in all of music history.
The production quality is strong throughout the entire movie as well. Choreography, costumes, and set design all accurately recreate the different periods of Jackson’s career, from his early life with The Jackson 5 to the height of his solo career.
Nevertheless, the movie falls flat when approaching the last third of the movie. Allegations against Jackson are completely ignored, largely due to the fact that the Jackson Estate had a significant creative influence in the project. The movie constantly feels like more of a celebration for Jackson than an objective biopic, made to reform public opinion. Instead of fully exploring the complexity of the allegations and the impact it had on Jackson, the movie redirects attention towards Jackson’s familial struggles, artistry or mistreatment by the media.
The pacing also suffers throughout the movie, with the 2 hour and 7 minute runtime covering around 26 years. Entire periods of Jackson’s life fly by or are even skipped over, while other moments are unnaturally spread out for emotional impact. This creates a janky and uneven feeling with the timeline, where the movie never fully sets into a character study or being a celebration of his life. The movie also suddenly ends at quite a climactic point, promising a second movie covering the rest of his life is on the way.
Still, Michael is not a complete failure. The performances are amazing, the music remains timeless, and the movie captures Michael’s persona and impact on the larger culture. But its reluctance to explore the darker side of his legacy, as well as its suffering from pacing issues and a sudden ending, prevents it from becoming a definitive look back on Jackson’s life. In the end, the movie reflects the same tension that has engulfed Michael Jackson’s legacy for decades, that being an extraordinary artistic profile mixed with controversy that can not be separated from the man himself.
