MICHAEL Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Stars: Jaafar Jackson, Colman Domingo, Nia Long, Miles Teller, Larenz Tate, KeiLyn Durrell Jones, Mike Myers, Jamal R Henderson, Tre Horton, Rhyan Hill, Joseph David-Jones, Kendrick Sampson, Deon Cole.
Michael Jackson was, arguably, the biggest and most influential music star of the 80s, with hit albums like 1984’s multi-Grammy award winning Thriller selling over 50 million copies. This biopic, written by Oscar nominee John Logan (Gladiator, etc), traces his rise to fame, and covers most of the key points of his journey, but it inevitably comes across as a little formulaic.
This entertaining biopic follows Michael’s journey from the late 60s, when he was a member of the family group the Jackson 5, to embarking on a solo career, concluding with his successful sell out solo BAD tour at Wembley Stadium in London in 1988. This biopic was created on the back of the success of 2022’s MJ The Musical, which was set during the rehearsals for the BAD tour. The stage musical grossed over $300 million.
As a young ten-year-old Michael (played by newcomer Juliano Valdi) was the standout performer with the family group, but he often suffered at the hands of his rather brutal, emotionally abusive father Joseph (a commanding Colman Domingo), who saw his sons as a path to fame and fortune. Joseph drove his sons mercilessly, pushing them constantly during rehearsals, but it was Michael that seemed to bear the brunt of the physical abuse.
Eventually, the group was signed to Motown Records and were very successful, allowing them to move to Los Angeles. But Motown head Berry Gordy always thought that Michael was the most talented member of the family and had the potential to become a star.
But Michael often retreated into his own private world, where he read Peter Pan, played with his toys and his pets, including Bubbles the chimp. He grew up lonely and insecure.
As he reached adulthood Michael (now played by Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson in his debut film role) became determined to forge his own path away from his family and his father’s toxic influence. He wanted to take charge of his own musical direction, which led to him writing and producing some of the biggest hits of the late 70s and early 80s – especially the Thriller album and its memorable hit Billie Jean – and creating some stunning and influential music videos. He hired entertainment lawyer John Branca (Miles Teller), who oversaw a stable of music stars, as his manager, and Branca helped chart his rise to superstardom.
Director Antoine Fuqua is better known for his violent action movies (The Equalizer series, etc) but here he exercises restraint. He depicts some of Jackson’s seminal achievements as well as recreating the shooting of his iconic music videos for Beat It and Thriller. He even recreates the notorious advertisement for Pepsi in which his hair caught fire, leading to an addiction to pain killers. The film’s soundtrack features plenty of hits from his extensive catalogue, and the live concert sequences are superbly staged with plenty of energy and excitement.
Jaafar Jackson completely inhabits the role of Michael, and does a fantastic job of capturing his looks and signature dance moves and mannerisms. He depicts him as vulnerable, childlike and lonely, but he also captures his sense of determination as he finds the courage to finally stand up to Joseph. Domingo is very good and intimidating as Joseph, the manipulative, controlling and nasty patriarch. Nia Long is sympathetic as Katherine, Michael’s supportive and caring mother who tried to shield him from Joseph’s excesses. Teller is good as Branca, but his character is a little bland and lacks detail. KeiLyn Durrell Jones also has a nice presence as Bill Bray, Michael’s bodyguard and loyal friend who senses his loneliness and tries to protect him. Mike Myers pops up in a small role as CBS executive Walter Yetnikoff.
However, given the involvement of Jackson’s family in the production, the film does tend to whitewash his image a little and avoids controversial topics. The absence of Janet Jackson due to legal reasons is also a glaring omission. The film comes across as hagiography, and it almost paints Jackson as a saint as he is seen visiting sick children in hospital and willingly interacting with his young fans. Part Two, which will follow shortly, will supposedly touch upon the controversies and ugly allegations that dogged Jackson during the late 90s and early 2000s and be a bit darker in tone.
Michael is a film that will certainly please fans of the singer and his music.
★★★☆
