Movie Number 16 of 2026
The Movie: Michael
The Cinema: Hoyts Victoria Gardens Extreme Screen
Runtime: Two hours and seven minutes
Stars: 3.75
I went with no pre-conceived ideas about what this would be like - and I'm glad I went in like this. Like many Gen-Xers I have a variable view on Michael Jackson. Genius? Weirdo? Trouble soul? Philanthropist? Abuse victim? Drug addict? All of the above, maybe.
However, I also remember loving the Jackson 5 cartoon as a kid, and the Jacksons' music permeated my younger childhood. I was never a Michael Jackson superfan, but I did enjoy his music. He was an incredible musician, and nobody can take that away from him
This movie is what I would call sanitised. It's obviously been made with the blessings of the family. Janet Jackson has been written out of this. His mother Kathleen, who is still alive, was treated sensitively. But I'm sure this was a cleaned-up version of his life from when he was a young child until his split with the Jackson family juggernaut in the mid-eighties.
I remember most of this history - I was there. Still, this is a very entertaining movie as long as you realise that this is the family's version of the history they want you to see. And this is okay. Look at is it like a story and go for the music - which is fabulous.
This movies takes us from the origins of the Jackson 5 in Gary, Indiana. The five boys (Germaine, Tito, Marlon, Jackie and Michael) are under the thumb of their perfectionist and abusive father, Joseph, played with chilling insight by Colman Domingo. I would not be surprised if there were some awards for his performance - he's outstanding. Joseph Jackson was borderline evil.
Michael is portrayed by two actors - Juliano Valdi plays Michael the boy with an incredible voice and dance moves. Jaafar Jackson, Germaine's son, plays older Michael - and his look is eerily similar to the Michael Jackson we all know at the time.
In the film, written by John Logan and directed by Antoine Fuqua, is cohesive. It does gloss over a lot of what would have happened at this time, a lot of which is not easy. A violent and abusive father. The racism of the age. The reliance on Michael's talent is all there.
You're also introduced to Michael's love of childhood games, books and toys and his desire to own exotic animals. Bubbles, thankfully is AI generated. Knowing this monkey wasn't real helped matters.
Redeeming the movie is the music, which is on brand, sounds brilliant and is just as I remembered it back in the 80s. All of the song and dance numbers incorporated into the film are wonderful. Jaafar Jackson's performance as the older Michael is superlative.
Also, the film stops short of going into all of the not-so-great things we remember about Michael - the marriage, the kids, the drug use (although the film introduces why he was on painkillers after the hair burning accident). This is not a bad thing.
In all, if you go to see this for the music, you'll be happy you've seen this. Go for a great cinematic experience and you'll probably be disappointed. The music, for me, was everything.
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