After exploring the lives of music icons with hit movies like Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketmanagain The Complete UnknownHollywood brought the story of the King of Pop to the big screen with director Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic, Michael. Actor Jaafar Jackson stars as his uncle, Michael, in a film that charts the life of the music star, from his time performing with his family in the Jackson 5 to his solo career.
Given the unusual and controversial legacy Jackson left behind, Michael it had to meet high expectations to present the star’s story on the big screen. As intended as the first part of the Michael Jackson film duology, Michael provides a solid starting point his story, exploring his complex character, difficult relationship with his family, and unusual achievements as a musician.
Michael’s character
The first act of Michael shows actor Juliano Krue Valdi portraying the singer as a child. He does an exceptional job of portraying the wonder and turmoil within a young star. Then we moved on to the old Michael Jackson, Jafaar disappearing as he asked for the spirit of his late uncle. The dazzling visuals and dazzling choreography also make Jafaar’s music as incredible as the real Michael Jackson.
Although the songs and dances are amazing, Michael works as well as an in-depth character study. Like his hero, Peter Pan, Michael Jackson is portrayed in this film as a child who never grew up. Because of the work that was forced on him in his youth, he could not mature like other children. He couldn’t even relate to other kids his age because they only saw him as a celebrity. So, he surrounded himself with animals he called his friends, essentially turning his home into Jumanji.
However, like his hero Peter Pan, Michael Jackson is portrayed as a child who cannot grow like everyone else because of the work that was forced upon him in his youth. He couldn’t even relate to other kids his age because they only saw him as a celebrity. So, he surrounded himself with animals he called his friends, essentially turning his home into Jumanji.
We also see that Michael’s pursuit of perfection as a famous musician made him very insecure. Not only is she trying to hide and treat vitiligo, but she is also undergoing surgery to make her face even and make her nose smaller. The way she tried to maintain her youthful appearance through surgery highlighted her struggle to grow up like everyone else.
The Jackson family
Since the movie focuses on Michael Jackson, it doesn’t delve much into the stories of his siblings. However, it explores his troubled upbringing and how his parents shaped him into the complex man he is.
Specifically, the film explores the toxic, abusive relationship Michael had with his father, Joe (Colman Domingo), who tries to profit from his children’s talents, saying he’d rather not work in a steel mill for the rest of his life. Joe puts a lot of pressure on his children to be perfect, successful players, hoping to turn the Jackson family into a household name like Coca-Cola.
Ironically, Joe pushes his family to do the Pepsi commercials that lead to the accident that burned Michael’s scalp, showing the damaging influence he had on his children. This parallels Michael’s dynamic with Joe in real life. We also see how Joe punished his son by whipping him with a belt.
Simply put, if Michael is Peter Pan in this movie, his father is Captain Hook. Domingo makes Joe a memorable presence in the film with his beguiling beauty and menacing aura. Although Joe is portrayed as a horrible father, his actions are shown to be driven by a desire to escape the economic hardships that black people like him faced in America at the time.
Currently, The new Prince of Bel-Air star Nia Long gives a lovely performance as Michael’s mother, Katherine. Although Katherine sits back most of the time, watching her husband go through the rest of their family, she eventually stands up and supports their son’s decision to play alone. Likewise, KeiLyn Durrel Jones helps create some heartfelt moments as Bill Bray, Michael’s bodyguard and the closest thing he has to a good father.
Michael’s influence
Part of what made Michael Jackson such an icon was the huge impact he had as a black musician. The film gives ample time to explore how Michael broke down racial and cultural barriers through his career in the music industry.
For example, we see Michael recruiting members of the Bloods and Crips to star in a music video It failedhoping to spread love and unity through music. The real Michael Jackson did this to end the violent feud between the two gangs, reportedly shelling out $150,000 out of his own pocket to make the video.
We also see Michael break new ground by having MTV broadcast his music and his Thriller video. This happened at a time when MTV avoided playing music by Black artists, reportedly to avoid scaring some viewers with the soul music that “the rest of the country” would like.
So, we see Michael tear down that wall with some help from a CBS Records executive, played by Mike Myers in another memorable cameo in the background. Bohemian Rhapsody. This bold move saw Jackson rise to even greater success, cementing his status as a superstar.
Alleged abuse of Michael’s children
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Michael he had to deal with allegations of child abuse against Jackson. However, Variety reported that the filmmakers had to reshoot the third act Michaelsince they cannot legally represent one of Jackson’s accusers, Jordan Chandler.
Instead, the third act of Michael focuses on the singer’s recovery from his pyrotechnic accident and his final tour with the Jackson 5. The movie leaves the door open to explore the second half of his controversial life in a proposed series, ending with the tag line, “His Story Continues.”
We can all agree that, to make a biopic about Michael Jackson, the allegations against him should be considered. They were a big part of his life, and remain an important part of his public image almost 20 years after his death. But after seeing the final cut of Michaelit was clear that these allegations, along with his history of drug abuse, would be better looked at in turn.
As the first film depicts the early part of Michael’s life, it focuses on his pursuit of independence as he tries to start a career on his own and break away from his father. The investigation into Jackson’s alleged child abuse is another issue that cannot be adequately explored in one third of the movie. Examining these allegations in the first movie would also divert the focus from Michael’s character.
Michael he tries to combat the negative image surrounding the singer by portraying him as a flawed but kind-hearted person. We see Michael visiting injured and terminally ill children in hospitals, spending time with them and signing autographs, something he does in real life.
The filmmakers’ decision not to address the allegations against Jackson will now be controversial. However, from a storytelling perspective, these allegations can be better explored throughout Michael’s life in the second film.
Overall, Michael succeeds in exploring the good and bad parts of Michael Jackson in the first part of his life. We see how the singer left an indelible impact on pop culture as a Black artist, all while having a difficult upbringing as a child star with an abusive father. It’s clear that there’s a lot to look at for Jackson in the film, though Michael he sets the stage with bright and exciting music.
Michael debuts in theaters on April 24.
