Michael Review

Credit - Lionsgate Films

Michael Jackson isn’t just an icon; he’s THE icon. Considering no other entertainer has ever reached his level of global reverence and influence, Jackson’s story deserves more than a movie. It should be the perfect movie. Michael, Training Day director Antoine Fuqua’s attempt at bringing Jackson’s life to the screen, is not even remotely close to meeting that mark. However, while it’s almost as flawed as most of the previous Jackson biopics, Michael manages to do what its subject did best – entertain.

All things good about Michael start with its incredible cast. From top to bottom, there are no misses here. The strongest of the pack is Jaafar Jackson, the King of Pop’s real-life nephew and the adult Michael onscreen for the majority of the film. DNA might give him an advantage, but Jackson’s performance goes far beyond a mere resemblance. His portrayal of his uncle is by far the most humanized approach to MJ these eyes have seen in a film that wasn’t a documentary.

He’s not adept at dancing like the late Wylie Draper in The Jacksons: An American Dream (or Myles Frost in his Tony Award-winning turn as MJ) and is pretty far behind in comparison to most impersonators there. Yet, he more than makes up for not being an accomplished stepper in other ways. He hits all the right emotional notes with charisma and the depth to balance the child-like innocence with the emerging maturity that trademarked MJ’s journey into adulthood and artistic independence.

Colman Domingo’s turn as Joe Jackson is next in line of the cast’s highlights, but he’s certainly not the only stellar supporting performance. Juliano Krue Valdi (young Michael), Nia Long (Katherine Jackson), and Larenz Tate (Berry Gordy) all deliver performances in limited screen time that I would have loved to see more of.

The film’s costuming is another hallmark. Costume designer Marci Rodgers is probably Michael’s surest bet for awards season. Her thread-for-thread rendering of MJ’s most iconic outfits spanning from the Jackson 5 days to the kickoff of his Bad run instantly unlocks core memories for people of a certain age.

Sadly, a slew of creative choices behind the camera almost undermine the good that Michael’s aforementioned wins bring to the screen. The culprits are the script, directing, and cinematography. Heck, the cinematography alone might warrant a separate think piece.

When it comes to John Logan’s script, it’s closer to mid than rock bottom. His intent to craft an MJ story that isn’t a trauma bomb is admirable and necessary. At the same time, Logan played it too safe, robbing Michael of the other things that drove MJ to be great. Yes, MJ’s rise to fame is more than Joe Jackson’s abuse, but skipping the other inspirations makes it appear as if his career was gifted to him.

Fuqua’s gaffes are a little more complicated. They’re more so the pitfall of having so much to work with and not figuring out exactly what to do with it. Where Fuqua went wrong was either not sticking to his vision for Michael or not having a vision at all. It appears he wanted to ensure Michael’s focus remained as positive as possible and on the music. Instead, it feels like one of those YouTube music playlists you get sucked into if you leave the autoplay setting on - basically, a series of scenes that make no point other than to play MJ’s music.

The way Michael was shot is my biggest gripe. The biggest example of questionable camera angles and cuts is the iconic MJ performances throughout the film, specifically the Motown 25 performance. The issue is the decision to use shots and angles of the audience reaction and parts of MJ’s body to create a spectacle instead of centering on the actual spectacle – full views of MJ dancing. Ironically, there’s a scene in the film where MJ points this out to the “Thriller” Short Film Director character (John Landis in reality, but nameless in Michael to keep things clean), and yet, it’s a constant issue throughout.

As a cinephile who picks apart every detail of a film without bias or an agenda, I was disgusted by a lot of what I saw in Michael. It’s one of the worst shot films I’ve seen in a long time. The story it tells completely glosses over MJ’s genius to the point an MJ listening session on Apple Music, Spotify, etc. would do more justice.

Still, as an 80s baby who was too scared to sit through the “Thriller” video, and yet the happiest four-year-old alive when he got the Thriller jacket, Jaafar Jackson’s performance (sans the dancing) and the costumes hit me with enough nostalgia to still enjoy the show.