Over the years, we’ve gotten a plethora of music biopics depicting some of the most iconic artists of all-time. Yet, no biopic has been begged for more than Antoine Fuqua’s (Training Day, The Equalizer) Michael, based on the life and music of Michael Jackson.
With the cinematic power of Jackson’s music, the complicated dynamics of his family intertwining with his blossoming star status, and his nephew Jaafar Jackson portraying him, all the right pieces are here to celebrate Jackson’s impact and influence. And, for the most part, Michael delivers the immersive highs fans have been hoping for. But not without some missteps.
Now, it’s worth noting that Michael isn’t a complete telling of Michael Jackson’s life and is more of a first half glimpse – which clearly wasn’t the plan. It’s pretty well-known that a broken NDA caused significant changes to the film’s direction. There were big reshoots and rewrites that essentially caused the third act to change dramatically – with some parts being completely cut.
So, Michael chronicles Jackson’s journey from performing with his brothers in the Jackson 5 right up to him debuting “Bad”– all while his father/manager Joe (Colman Domingo) hovers over him. While that might seem like a bummer for those who want Jackson’s full story, especially his more controversial years, there’s still a great throughline arc to enjoy.
Those early years help Michael’s story stand apart from other biopics because the origins of the Jackson 5 are so intriguing, even startling at times. There’s this unmistakable magic of seeing Michael be a distinct voice within his family’s music from such a young age and a palpable awe that Fuqua captures in everyone’s face. There’s even a love for music and his craft in him that instantly makes you excited for his future, especially knowing the heights he reaches. Juliano Valdi’s performance as a young Michael is astounding. He’s phenomenal at capturing the presence Michael has in his music and the emotion he showcases ranges from pure innocence to crushing pain.
In general, the first act of Michael hits all the right notes in depicting the start of a one-of-a-kind journey to stardom, but not without touching on the painful reality of why he’s getting there. There’s a distinct coldness Domingo brings as Joe that highlights his cruel intentions. His determination to take his family out of their Indiana shortcomings makes Michael’s childhood being ripped away literally hurt and causes harsh fractures to form that makes the rise of the Jackson 5 not without its scars. It’s how Fuqua perfectly builds these mixed emotions into Michael’s early success that carry into his older years excellently, especially through Jaafar’s performance.
It’s stunning how Jaafar becomes Michael Jackson from the first second he’s on screen, and his performance is nothing short of miraculous. His ability to utter that soft voice and powerful singing with ease leaves you in awe and the passion and physicality he displays is jaw-dropping. He shows why Michael’s dancing prowess remains iconic and influential to this day. Not to mention, he’s able to make the escalating power struggle between Michael and Joe over him pursuing a solo career emotionally taut and resonant. The scenes between him and Domingo harness a tough sense of conflict that takes those mixed emotions and strings them into a necessary search for freedom. It’s why the final stretch is so potent beyond the music and even with things getting cut short, there’s still a conclusion within this arc that’s satisfying. Jaafar’s immersive work easily culminates in one of the best biopic performances of all-time and it must (I repeat MUST) stay in the Oscars conversation.
Even the way Fuqua handles these on-stage performances and captures the rawness of Michael’s music is impressive and big-screen worthy. His direction is really incredible with how he allows Michael’s voice to shine. The moments of him in a recording booth singing without any backing track literally induce chills and give his voice the gravitas it deserves. Then, when the film shows Michael crafting the Thriller album, we get these amazing glimpses into his vision. From a recreation of “Thriller’s” iconic music video to him coming up with the choreography for “Beat It,” fans will simply adore everything Fuqua brings to the screen. It all builds towards these intense on-stage performances that are worth the price of admission alone. The glitz and showmanship of Michael as a performer come through excellently and Jaafar’s performance elevates these scenes even higher. Fuqua ensures there’s nothing dull about watching Michael perform and it’s what gives the film a consistent, irresistible energy.
It’s just such a shame that Fuqua and company don’t have a deep enough story to go along with the excellence they bring. Michael only having this portion of Jackson’s incredibly fascinating story doesn’t totally damage the film and it does work in some aspects. There is some context given to why Michael is so connected with children’s interests, like Peter Pan and cartoons, and some foreshadowing of issues that eventually arise later in life. But without those later years that bring these themes full-circle, it feels like the film is delivering hollow ideas that don’t go anywhere. It’s where the film definitely succumbs to this narrowed scope, especially because we blast through plot beats at Sonic-level speeds.
The pacing in Michael is way too breakneck to get the most out of the relationships and ideas the film is trying to build. Often, we barely get time with other characters. So, the relationships Michael has with his brothers or eventual manager John Branca (Miles Teller) come off super thin when they could’ve been stronger. It would’ve been great to get his brothers’ reactions to his solo career developing or their father’s domineering presence over them. But we get none of that and there are many moments, including Michael’s inspiration for activism over gang violence, that feel flat.
Even the depiction of Michael Jackson desperately needs more variance to make a stronger connection with. Most of the time, he’s portrayed as so pure, sweet-feeling, and hopeful that he comes off more forcefully written as a character than a real-life figure. He’s just so one-note through every moment that you can’t help but feel like there are missing layers. Maybe they got lost with some parts of the film that got cut, but it leaves him a tad boring, which no one should want to hear with a biopic on Jackson.
Michael may miss the chance to be great because it offers a narrow version of Jackson’s life and struggles due to jarring pacing. But, it’s still a good experience that fans will surely adore. Jaafar’s performance is an absolute must-see and the larger-than-life showmanship that Fuqua provides alongside some solid emotional underpinnings makes Michael Jackson’s golden years a cinematic crowd-pleaser.
