IT has been a long time coming, with the Michael Jackson biopic finally arriving on the big screen. One that’s particularly sanctioned by the Jackson estate, complete with full cooperation and granting rights to access the late King of Pop’s entire music catalog. And with Graham King serving as one of the co-producers, whose Bohemian Rhapsody brought Oscar glory to Rami Malek’s best actor triumph, the aptly titled Michael looks set to hit big, really, really bad. No doubt this is Antoine Fuqua’s huge undertaking in his decades-long career since his feature film debut in The Replacement Killers back in 1998. But given his earlier music video background directed the likes of Toni Braxton, Prince, and Stevie Wonder, he’s the right fit for the job.
Now, let’s get this out of the way first. Fuqua doesn’t reinvent the wheel, other than following the tried-and-tested formula like A, B, C. John Logan’s screenplay condenses Michael’s milestones of his early life and career, highlighting his childhood era, performing as the lead singer of The Jackson 5, to his solo success throughout the pivotal 1979-80s period. Nothing deep since Fuqua navigates Michael’s story pretty straightforward.
Of course, in an ideal world, I would like to see the director delving into Michael’s inner psyche and his personal life, particularly how vacant he is beyond his superstar fame. Fuqua does get into the latter, but only covers the surface level. This may come across as a major disadvantage, but, surprisingly, I enjoyed most of the movie thanks to Fuqua’s assured direction.
The 127-minute runtime flies by, with the overall pacing hitting the right note. The movie gets off to a groovy start with the familiar catchy beat filling the background, followed by loud chanting and Michael walking out of the tunnel towards the stadium, before Fuqua takes us back to 1966 in Gary, Indiana. Young Michael (Juliano Krue Valdi) is in his tween years, spending most of the time after school rehearsing songs with his brothers – Jermaine (Jayden Harville), Marlon (Jaylen Lyndon Hunter), Tito (Judah Edwards), and Jackie (Nathaniel Logan McIntyre) – at home as The Jackson 5 in front of his strict father, Joseph (Colman Domingo). Domingo’s no-nonsense patriarchal role dominates the earlier stretch, showing authority over his children. He demands that they keep rehearsing as he sees fit, even if their mom (Nia Long) pities the children for going through the rigorous routine.
Unlike other kids his age, Michael’s childhood is almost non-existent, and he has no choice but to listen to his dad telling him what to do. To Joseph, discipline matters, and any mistake results in harsh physical punishment. The Jackson 5’s hard work eventually pays off after Motown’s creative assistant to Berry Gordy (Larenz Tate), Suzanne de Passe (Laura Harrier), is impressed with their performance, notably Michael’s unique vocal prowess. It’s worth noting that Valdi equally steals the show here with his undeniable energy and confidence performing some of The Jackson 5’s signature songs from ‘I’ll Be There’ to ‘ABC’.
The movie then jumps to Michael’s (now played by Jaafar Jackson) adult years, covering his determination to live a professional life under his own terms without his father’s interference. He also wants to break free from The Jackson 5, preferring to go solo by working with producer Quincy Jones (Kendrick Sampson, in an otherwise competently acted role that I wish Fuqua didn’t gloss over since Quincy Jones plays a significant part in shaping Michael’s one-of-a-kind musical identity). Their partnership led to the release of the ‘Off the Wall’ album in 1979.
But it was his groundbreaking 1982 follow-up album that got me interested the most, easily one of the best segments in the movie, including the pitch-perfect recreation of the groundbreaking ‘Thriller’ short film featuring Michael in the iconic werewolf makeup and matching red leather jacket and trousers. Credits go to Bill Corso (A Series of Unfortunate Events) for his attention to detail in the makeup department and Marci Rodgers’ spot-on costume design. Interestingly, the casting reportedly took over two years of worldwide search to find the right person to play the coveted role before Fuqua settled for Michael’s real-life nephew, Jaafar Jackson, after a successful screen test.
Casting someone like Jaafar Jackson with no prior acting experience is a massive risk, and yet, the first time I saw him on the big screen, he nailed his late uncle’s childlike and soft-spoken introverted personality, contrasting with the musical genius of a perfectionist during his work routine. As a singer and dancer himself, Jaafar looks effortless during the song-and-dance sequences, regardless of singing ‘Thriller’ in the making of the short film or performing the trademark moonwalk on stage during his ‘Billie Jean’ performance on the 1983 television special of Motown 25 – Yesterday, Today, Forever.
While he perfected Michael’s vocals and moves through the years of intensive training, he managed to surprise me with his better-than-expected acting performance. I was initially worried he might end up looking either stiff or wooden whenever the scenes do not involve him singing and dancing. But thankfully, his soulful eyes and subtle body gesture did a great job of embodying the late Michael Jackson without coming across as a mere impersonator.
Michael finally culminates in the showstopping concert sequences, echoing the same winning third-act strategy seen in Bohemian Rhapsody. Except that Michael is just one half of the two-part biopic saga. Whether the second chapter goes deeper into the late King of Pop’s 90s and 00s era, addressing his later scandal and highly publicized trial, remains to be seen. But right now, do yourself a favor and go catch Michael on the biggest screen possible.
