Movie Review: ‘Michael’ See It In IMAX

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There has been no shortage of movies, television series, specials, or documentaries about the life and career of Michael Jackson. Even casual fans probably know many details about his life and can name a lot of his hits. Consequently, this new musical biopic does not really add much to Michael Jackson’s legacy. However, Jaafar Jackson (Michael’s nephew in his film debut), along with director Antoine Fuqua and writer John Logan and various other cast and crew members, does a fantastic job of recreating some of the more iconic moments from Michael’s early years showcasing some of the troubling and more lighthearted times as he rises to global superstar.

If you are looking for salacious details about allegations for which he was acquitted during his only trial, this is not the movie for you. After all, this movie’s producers include Michael’s family and estate, so of course they would not want to focus on allegations they consider to be untrue. What this movie is is a look at Michael’s career path from the creation of The Jackson 5 in the 1960’s through the end of The Victory Tour in the 1980’s coupled with Michael’s desire to make the world better and his struggle to break free from his abusive, dominating father (portrayed by Colman Domingo).

The cast is perfect. Jaafar Jackson almost had me believing he was Michael matching his speech patterns and dancing movements. Nia Long beautifully portrayed Michael’s mother, Katherine. Miles Teller and Mike Myers were almost unrecognizable (at least, to me) as John Branca and Walter Yetnikoff, respectively (honestly, I still wasn’t sure Yetnikoff was being portrayed by Myers until the credits rolled). And Colman Domingo has a commanding presence as Michael’s father, Joe, which makes everyone on screen cower in both dramatic and humorous ways.

The music is as great as ever. If nothing else, this movie reminded me of how much I loved Michael Jackson’s music, which may have been part of the point of the movie, but it works. The performances were so well shot that the theater audience cheered and applauded a few of the songs. I even think I heard the theater audience singing along at least once; I’d be lying if I said that I did not quietly mouth along with a couple of songs, notably Thriller and Billie Jean.

The story moves at a brisk pace covering 20+ years of Michael Jackson’s life in a little over two hours and never feels sluggish. We see Michael grow while maintaining his child-like optimism and curiosity but also struggling with certain insecurities. The film ends with a hint that a sequel might be on the way, much like how a Marvel movie ends with “(character) will return”, though there was no post-credits scene at the screening I attended. Overall, I enjoyed the story, the acting, and especially the music. The screening I attended was in an IMAX theater and I would recommend that if you can; the performances looked spectacular and the IMAX screen.