As much as it hurts me to say, I didn’t walk out of “Michael” completely moonwalking on air.
“Michael” follows the one and only Michael Jackson, from his days with The Jackson 5 up until his album “Bad.” In that time frame, we see Michael’s iconic performances and music videos, while also seeing his contentious relationship with his father and how he develops his own artistic identity.
I had VERY high hopes for this movie because just like everyone else on the planet, I’m a huge fan. So I’ll hold your hand while I say this. As much as I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film and was constantly tapping my feet and humming along, I couldn’t help but leave the theater disappointed at how surface-level the final product turned out to be.
I understand wanting to create a film that covers a large amount of someone’s life, but ultimately, there was too much happening for the audience to get a moment alone with Michael and truly see his personality.
What I did like
Jaafar Jackson plays Michael, and Jaafar is Michael’s nephew in real life. He obviously had that talent in his genes because there’s NO other person alive who could’ve perfectly executed Michael’s voice and mannerisms.
From the very first words Jaafar says, I was instantly convinced that I was watching Michael on screen. And being directly related gave his performance a personal feel to it, like he truly cared to show the world who his uncle was.
Even his dance moves were PERFECT — and honestly, the music video and concert sequences were my favorite parts of the film. I got chills watching the filming of “Thriller” because it felt like I was there in real life, a part of that set.
The live performances of “Human Nature” during the final Jackson 5 victory tour in 1984 and “Bad” when Michael is finally on his own in 1988 literally made me feel like I was in the crowd — I mean I had STRAIGHT chills. As a live music lover and avid concertgoer, these scenes made me feel transported into the movie.
Jaafar’s voice was dubbed over Michael’s, which blended seamlessly, but what’s really impressive is that anything acoustic was purely Jaafar’s voice — and I kid you not, he sounded exactly like Michael.
The boy who plays young Michael in The Jackson 5, Juliano Krue Valdi, KILLED his portrayal of Michael too, with his vocals also dubbed.
This movie is every bit as grand and blingy as you’d expect from a film about the King of Pop — but more important than that, Michael was portrayed as kind and generous. Throughout the movie, there are scenes of Michael visiting hospitals and genuinely having conversations with the people, not just simply visiting them for a photo-op.
They also showed his love and kindness for animals, which is shown when he gets his chimp, Bubbles. It’s even included that he donated all of his settlement money from an injury to the hospital burn unit where he was treated.
What I didn’t like
I’ve seen all the negative reviews saying that this film didn’t cover any of the allegations against Michael, but there was FAR too much content in this movie to fully explore that. Plus, this film only covers up to “Bad,” BEFORE any of those allegations existed.
Hear me out… this film feels surface-level because it’s trying to do way TOO much. It covers too many years and pivotal moments that none of them really get the depth they deserve, like the Pepsi commercial scene, where Michael’s hair catches on fire, and he gets severe burns and has to be hospitalized. That felt completely rushed over, and we never see Michael heal or show pain.
The best biopic I’ve ever seen sticks to a specific time in the artist’s life, during the making of a specific album. I know that’s not always realistic for biopics, but this approach works best for showing true emotion, instead of feeling rushed.
We didn’t get much time with Michael alone in his thoughts and his struggles. We never saw how deeply affected he was by his father’s abuse and controlling nature — not once did we see his own personal thoughts. Considering that his relationship with his dad is the film’s central conflict, it’s frustrating that we never really get a glimpse into what Michael is actually thinking or feeling.
It’s not just the heavier moments that are missing — we don’t get to see his personality either. There was one line that made me laugh where he said something along the lines of, “If I’m not here to receive these ideas, God might give them to Prince.” But beyond that, the film barely taps into his humor.
Michael was known as lively and funny, and he liked to tease people. Instead of seeing his internal world, we’re left with a version of him that feels defined only by what’s happening around him, not what’s happening within him.
The verdict
I’m rating “Michael” a three out of five stars because Jaafar’s performance was INCREDIBLE and a must-see, but the film did lack a level of depth to Michael that I was expecting.
I would’ve preferred a film honed in on a specific moment in time, like the making of one album, because this film is rushed. But no matter how rushed it feels, if you’re a fan (and I know all of you are), then you HAVE to see it in theaters — if not for the story, then at least for the chance to feel like you’re front row at a Michael Jackson concert.
