I remember it like it was yesterday, hopping in the car to head to elementary school with my mom, blasting tracks from Michael Jackson’s “This is It” album. It evoked a feeling of happiness and joy inside of me that I had never experienced before. Fast forward 10 years, and with the release of “Michael,” a biopic about the life and legacy of the King of Pop, I find myself reliving those same emotions as his music is brought back to life on the big screen.
The film stars Jafaar Jackson, nephew of Michael Jackson, in his acting debut, as he brings his late uncle’s legacy onto the big screen. The story follows Jackson’s upbringing as he grew up with his four brothers in the small town of Gary, Indiana. It delves into the hardships caused by their father, Joe Jackson (Colman Domingo), as he used his tough love to transform his sons into the Jackson 5. As Michael grew up, he struggled with the idea of his own independence as he navigated through his rise to stardom. By the end of the story, Michael had broken away from the demanding control of his father, and he began to pave his own path and tour without his brothers or his father.
One of the elements that make this film great is how director Antoine Fuqua centers the story around themes that relate to Michael’s parenthood and guardianship. The film highlights the abusive and manipulative relationship between Michael and his father, and how he never felt fully free of his father’s control when it came to the music industry. The strain on their relationship leads to Michael feeling the need to hire entertainment lawyer John Branca (Miles Teller) to “fire” his father from his life.
As the relationship between Michael and his father gets worse and worse over the course of the film, the relationship between Michael and his bodyguard, Bill Bray (KeiLyn Durrel Jones), grows stronger. The scenes between Bray and Michael are among the best of the whole movie, as they emphasize a more real and natural side of Michael where he is free to vent about his conflicts with his dad and his plans for the future. Fuqua makes it clear to viewers that Michael viewed Bray as another father figure, and there is even evidence of a heartfelt message that Michael wrote to Bray in 1992, where he detailed how much he cared for and loved him.
Another aspect of this film that helps it shine is the incorporation of Michael Jackson’s music into the soundtrack of the movie. Every pivotal moment in the story is accompanied by one of Jackson’s award-winning songs, from “ABC,” by The Jackson 5 in 1970, to “Bad,” by Michael Jackson in 1987. This is what brings audiences to the theater, and it’s a huge reason why “Michael” is currently breaking records, as it recorded the highest worldwide opening for a biopic, surpassing “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Oppenheimer.”
While there are many enjoyable moments in this film, there are also parts that I didn’t enjoy. With a run time of two hours and seven minutes, it still felt like the film was rushed. There were moments, such as Michael’s deliberation process on certain songs and scenes, and when Michael dealt with identity issues, where it felt rushed, and it would’ve made the film better if those moments were more fleshed out. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Fuqua noted that the film was originally going to be three hours and 30 minutes long, but was cut short due to legal issues regarding the allegations against Jackson in the latter part of his career.
Overall, this movie is an experience worth going to the theater for, solely based on the music aspect. However, the acting aspects of the movie by Jackson and Domingo provide a nice complement to the story as a whole, and viewers will surely enjoy this movie if they love both Michael Jackson’s music as well as his story.
