If you grew up in the 1980s and 1990s like I did then there was no escaping a man who became the highest selling artist of all time. In a way his music became a soundtrack to your life whether you liked it or not – even some 40 years later I still remember attending my very first Sky Show and while I can’t remember what the fireworks themselves looked like I can remember that it was the first time that I ever heard Man In The Mirror… a song I still love today.
Earlier this year I experienced the magic of Michael Jackson return to audiences when I got to see the Michael Jackson stage musical and now, once again, we see the icon return to cinemas as director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) brings his story to the cinema in the form of Michael. Excuse the puns but the big question here is whether the film would be a thriller or if it would just be plain bad!
Written by John Logan (Gladiator), Michael follows the career of Jackson from his early days of performing with the Jackson 5 through to when he goes out on his own for his Dangerous World Tour.
We see the abuse that Young Michael (Juliano Valdi – Arco) suffered at the hands of his father, Joseph (Colman Domingo – Lincoln), as he literally beat the Jackson 5 into the band he wanted them to me. During this time we also shown the pain that his mother, Katherine (Nia Long – Big Momma’s House), endures as she watches her husband’s action.
From there the film chronicles the hold that Joseph has over the older Michael (Jaafar Jackson – The Jacksons: Next Generation) and his brothers as the Jackson 5’s success creates a better life for the entire family. Then comes the big challenge of Michael wanting to embark on a solo career with the help of producer Quincy Jones (Kendrick Sampson – How To Get Away With Murder) and his manager John Branca (Miles Teller – Top Gun: Maverick).
Magic
As a film Michael really does have some special moments. Scenes such as Michael connecting with his adopted pet chimpanzee Bubbles and his love for animals brings a real human element to him as a person. Likewise, the film is probably at its best when it shows the deep moments that Michael had when he was given the freedom to have natural conversations with the likes of his head of security Bill Bray (KeiLyn Durrel Jones – How To Die Alone) and John Branca.
The film also has the courage to explore the abuse suffered at the hands of his father and how in a way that contributed to Michael staying in a childlike state for his whole life. There is one powerful scene that depicts a young Michael watching children play outside and laugh before he is grabbed by his father and a moment later beaten for not rehearsing. It is a brief moment of the film but it captures a strong part of what made Michael Jackson become the man we know he became.
The film also captures the magic that Michael wanted to bring to the world as we see him not only write some of his classic tracks but also the inspiration behind some of his most iconic video clips – including the one we all remember in Thriller. Together, Fuqua and Logan place great little Easter Eggs throughout the film as a young Michael pours over books such as Peter Pan and has childhood toys on his dresser that one day will inspire his career.
For all of its great moments though there are some things about Michael that drag it down as a film. Only going as far into his career as the Dangerous World Tour seems a kind of get out of jail free card in that it avoids the more controversial side of Jackson’s life such as the child abuse allegations. However, that still doesn’t explain key things being missing from the story – the main one being Janet Jackson. Yes, we know that it is legal reasons and in-family fighting that caused her to be left out of the film, but given that she is his sister and how their careers inter-crossed it does feel like a huge hole in the film when she is not even mentioned.
What does help overcome that downfall though are the acting performances. Jaafar Jackson (who is actually Michael’s nephew) is sensational in the role of Michael. This kid is going to become a star, that is easy to see from the first second he appears on screen. Plus he captures every characteristic of his uncle from his voice right through to his iconic dance moves.
Also brilliant are Colman Domingo, who eats up the screen as the conniving and brutal ‘villain’ in this piece, while every scene that KeiLyn Durrel Jones appears in is heartfelt. While he only has a small role in the film he makes every second of screentime count.
While Michael does an amazing job of capturing the early career one of the world’s biggest music icons what it overlooks is glaring. Still, this is a great tribute to the career of Jackson’s music and is a must see for all music fans.
Michael is currently screening in Phuket and is rated 13+
3.5/5 Stars
David Griffiths has been working as a film journalist for over 25 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. He currently hosts a film podcast called The Popcorn Conspiracy. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes accredited reviewer and is an alternate judge for the Golden Globes Awards. You can follow him at Facebook: SubcultureEntertainmentAus.