Michael

The finished product has more than justified the cost. From the casting to the costumes to the full-fledged concert performances, Michael lives up to the legendary status of its namesake.

If you want to relieve some of the MJ magic, Jafar, Fuqua, and those timeless bangers will quench a nostalgic thirst that will make you want to forget all that “negative stuff.” For a few moments anyway.

The music is great. Jaafar Jackson is a star. But the movie itself is uncomfortably problematic in a way that’s hard to overlook.

No one expected this long-delayed piece of Michael Jackson pop-aganda to lay bare the man behind the myths and myriad controversies in forensic style. And yet… this soft-ball character study of the King of Pop only doubles down on the former, while completely ignoring the latter, hitting all the usual dreary biopic beats along the way.

There are very dark chapters in Michael Jackson’s life that one would not expect a film with the full endorsement of his estate to approve. It’s understandable, even expected, for these kinds of works. But what makes “Michael“ come underneath that generously low bar is that it refuses to paint its subject as anything less than saintly. It truly feels like this version of Jackson has been deified, shown to be consumed by his talent but without any dramatic stakes to accompany his triumphs.

Michael, or Bohemian Jacksody, is a film of listlessness and inhumanity that can’t help but suck the energy out of the room. No matter where you come down on Jackson as a person, this film is entirely the opposite of what he was, both as an iconic performer and a controversial tabloid figure. Who would have thought that such a carefully controlled, estate-permitted biopic might actually do more damage to an artist’s legacy by making him so uninteresting?

Whatever you think of Jackson, he was driven to create spectacular and innovative entertainment. And yet the film has none of that spirit. It was clearly intended as a tribute to him as a person, but it's a grievous insult to him as an artist.

Absolutely fantastic. Easily the best biopic going, ignore the low reviews and hate, they're clueless

I'm neither Michael Jackson's biggest fan nor his biggest critic, but there's no denying his status as one of the most influential artists in history. That's why I think 'MichaeL succeeds as an introduction to his life, even if only on a surface level. The biggest strength is the music. Surprisingly, this is one of the few musicals where I actually wanted more songs. Michael's catalog is so iconic that I found myself wanting to stay in those performance moments. Colman Domingo is also outstanding, delivering an intimidating and powerful performance that creates genuine tension whenever he's on screen. Unfortunately, that's where most of my praise ends. Jaafar Jackson isn't bad, and at times he genuinely feels like Michael, but his voice often sounds forced, while the dubbing is simply awful. The film also rushes through major events, prioritizing spectacle and 'Thriller' over deeper exploration. Most notably, it completely avoids the controversies that shaped Michael's public image. Whether you believe they should define him or not, omitting them feels like a major gap. Perhaps they'll be addressed in the sequel. Overall, it's not a bad film, but I expected more. It never bored me, yet it felt rushed and incomplete, never fully capturing the magnitude of Michael Jackson's legacy.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Chapter 1: ‘I am different from other kids’ – Little Michael has no friends his own age and stands out clearly, because he already knows that his life belongs to music. For that reason alone, Michael already seems to be emotionally different from other children. Meanwhile, his family life is characterised by a lack of love, which he receives only from his loving mother. His father gives the impression that he does not know what love is and relies on disciplinary measures, regularly beating Michael when his expectations are not met. Overnight, Michael and his brothers become big stars.Chapter 2: “I am a black artist.” – Back in the mid-70s, the Motown record label was home to mostly black musicians. Nevertheless, due to ethnic bias and racism within the music industry, it was difficult for black musicians to achieve real success. Michael is determined to make it: first and foremost for himself, but also to pave the way for other black musicians to follow in his footsteps. At the same time, his solo success meant distancing himself from his father, who had become so desperate due to his son’s solo success that he betrayed his son yet again. He wanted to heal his trauma through his own **** audience gets to know very little, if anything at all, about Michael as a person. The only aspect that one could say stands out to some extent is Michael’s inner child, which was never able to flourish due to his father’s abuse. Neverland – also the name given later to his estate – is a refuge for outcast children in *Peter Pan*. This island symbolises dreams, a carefree childhood that little Michael never had and which, as an adult, he still longs to experience.Overall, Antoine Fuqua’s film is lacking in several respects. His direction lacks any real message and feels as hollow as a Wikipedia page, failing to convey even a hint of emotion or depth. After watching this film, I know just as little about Michael Jackson the man as I did before. The concert sequences are far too long; whilst they are well performed by Jafar Jackson, they are exactly the same as those found on concert recordings. Furthermore, the film’s editing is a disaster, at times seeming as clumsy as the editing of a school project.

The movie consists of recreation of well know videos from Michael while everything behind-the-scenes is so deliriously fabricated and far from the reality than whats actually the point? I rather just watch the original videos from the actual Michael