'Michael' "Who's Bad?" This Movie Is

There are biopics, and then there’s propoganda. A biopic would be a film like Nixon, a story that offers a human portrait of a deeply flawed man. Most of the time, however, you get films like Michael, a two-hour advertisement, made by the family, for the fans, and not anyone who’s looking for anything more substantive other than “daddy abused me.” The Jackson family so tightly controls the narrative that the writers aren’t allowed to explore anything that would make it meaningful. It’s not the lack of Jackson’s pedophile charges, but the bafflingly flat third act in which not only does nothing happen, but it’s painfully obvious that the filmmakers just used leftover footage instead of completing the title’s story.

Michael Jackson probably wasn’t a pedophile. In fact, he may have saved Macaulay Culkin from going to Epstein Island. If your movie is going to tell Michael’s story, then show how he’s innocent. Or something from the most interesting part of Michael’s life. You could make it about how parts of society tried to tear Michael Jackson down, while people like his fans kept his spirits up. Now there’s a movie you can make for the fans that isn't propagandistic. Instead, we get a cowardly film that doesn’t want to offend anyone while treating its protagonist like he’s a perfect human being. The film is so devoid of controversy that even the staunchest Michael defenders might get major creepy vibes from its morally head-scratching final shot. Why end where your story should begin?

For as horrible a person as Joe Jackson was, the film does such a poor job at establishing him as a terrifying figure that you might end up agreeing with him. Yes, he physically abused his children, yes, he worked them all endlessly, but look at where he got them. If it weren’t for Joe, the Jackson 5 might all be pumping gas or working at steel mills. You’re not supposed to agree with Joe’s methodology, yet the movie doesn’t do a good job at digging into how Joe’s rigorous work schedule screwed up his kids. Because, despite them all being rich, the Jacksons are some weird people. So why not explore how bad old Joe made each kid a mess? This might be Michael’s film, but his family is a big part of the story that’s oddly left out. We know the rest of the Jackson 5 only through public perception, and in this film, we know them only by name.

The movie wants to make itself about intergenerational trauma while also serving as a highlight reel of Michael’s biggest hits. What we get is a disaster of a narrative film that grasps at the most obvious storytelling points imaginable. This isn’t a biopic, it’s a product. A product that is no more substantive than The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Every issue is simplistically answered with the father using his belt.

I’m sorry, but life is more complicated than that. If you’re going to tell Michael Jackson’s story, then it has to be complicated. Not because he may have diddled kids, but because his whole family is clearly traumatized. If Joe’s upbringing left a price on fame, we don’t see it. What should be a deep look at “Is fame really worth it” is boiled down to an easy “yes,” making all the scenes of Michael standing up to his father come across as more bratty than brave.

If there’s one strong point in the movie, it’s Michael’s nephew’s portrayal of him. Jaafar Jackson’s depiction of his Uncle is uncanny. From the voice to the dance moves, you’d swear you’re watching the real Michael. The performance is an incredible replica that seeks to reach Michael’s heart without simply imitating his iconic persona. It’s too bad that the family fortune wouldn’t allow Jaafar to play with anything interesting other than copying his Uncle. An even stronger performance comes from the young Michael played by Juliano Valdi, who has the singing voice of an angel. When he has his elongated musical sequence, it’s amazing. Maybe they cheated, and ADR’d it.

One of the weakest links in the cast may be Colman Domingo as Joseph Jackson. Domingo just doesn’t have that hard edge he keeps trying to push in almost every project he’s cast in. He’s too likable to come across as cruel. Yet keeps getting cast as a villain when, in reality, he’s better suited for a positive role. If Denzel Washington (who’s worked with Director Antoine Fuqua before) were cast as Joseph, now, then the audience would have something to fear! To make matters worse, the structure is terrible.

This has to be one of the most obviously reshot movies to come out since The Rise of Skywalker. The amount of fluff Michael produces is cringy. If you watch closely enough, you can easily notice when the movie was reshot. It’s around the midway point when Michael visits kids in hospitals and brings inner-city gangs together through the magic of his celebrity. Certainly, Michael did do great things for the community, but do we need to focus on it for close to twenty minutes? Also, when you get to the final twenty minutes of the film, you could fall asleep during all of its dazzling dance moves, wakeup during the credits, and miss nothing. That’s not an exaggeration; the final twenty minutes of Michael equate to using every piece of B-roll and jamming it together for “an ending.”

All of these complaints about avoiding controversy or not diving deep enough will likely be met with scorn by many readers. Paying vendors may just want to see a loving portrait of MJ with impressive musical reenactments. For fans who only liked to be shown gingling keys, that’s perfectly fine. If you only want the basic, low-effort minimum of a nutshell biopic, you got it. But for folks who actually want to see a good movie, don’t waste your time on this wasted potential.