Michael: Watch It If You Dare, and Tap Along to the Music

Before ever seeing Michael Jackson’s likeness on the screen, a concert recording of Wanna Be Startin’ Something’ rises over the Universal Pictures indent, as audiences cheer and Michael “heehee”s. That opening alone is capable of moving even the most reluctant of moviegoers to tears.

The film opens with a prologue set on stage in 1988, before taking us back to Gary, Indiana in the 1960s to witness the early years of the Jackson 5. This period is marked by hard work and abuse for an 8-to-10-year-old Michael, and to a lesser degree his brothers — all orchestrated by his father, Joseph, who is framed as an overbearing visionary. As the film moves into Michael’s teenage years and adulthood, his brilliance sets him apart from his siblings, and he slowly breaks out, not without more than a few tears. Along the way, the film thrills the audience with all the favourite MJ hits, while leaving us with little more than we already knew coming in.

There is no question that Michael Jackson’s music transcends time, and that his star power was and arguably still is unrivalled. Whatever “it” is, Michael had whatever was even bigger than it.

However, if you’ve followed the news anytime in the last 30 years, you know that Michael Jackson’s celebrity persona has been dealt a few blows, as accusations of child sexual assault kept being brought against him — all of which he denied, and all of which are missing from this film, which only deals with the early part of his life.

Michael is portrayed as an abused child who possesses exceptional musical gifts on which he is forced to capitalise. He loses himself in cartoons, builds friendships with animals, and watches old Hollywood films that end up influencing his work. He donates money to children’s hospitals, unites the gangs of LA, and puts out hit after hit. Michael does no wrong. And unfortunately, no other character in this film is spared from this personality scrubbing. Even the antagonist, Michael’s father Joseph, gets a milder portrayal than the well-documented public infidelity and abuse he was infamous for.

Also missing from this film are some influential relationships in Michael’s life, such as his closeness with sister Janet, and his friendship with Diana Ross — which was filmed with Kat Graham portraying the Queen of Motown, but was cut due to legal considerations.

The problem with the estate-approved biopic is not so much that the vignettes from Michael’s life are inaccurate, but rather that so much is omitted that it paints an incomplete picture, therefore taking away the main attraction of a biopic: finding out who the artist was behind closed doors. This is especially a letdown in this case, because Michael Jackson was a deeply mysterious figure.

But more importantly, Michael’s image is so sanitised that it panders to a faction of the public who would rather enjoy the fantasy of MJ than wrestle with his reality. And that is not a small part of the audience, as evidenced by the record-breaking opening weekend and the film’s 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film made $97.2 million in North America and close to $220 million worldwide in its opening weekend, recouping its initial investment in just a couple of days.

Still, the film is not only watchable, it is a touching tribute to an unparalleled musical talent, if you can find it in your heart to separate the art from the artist. Michael’s concert scenes are powerful, his performance genius is on full display, and his fragility inspires protectiveness in the audience. There are also some wonderfully whimsical moments, like the introduction of Michael’s CGI pet monkey Bubbles.

But the real reason to go see Michael is the — and we cannot stress this enough — STELLAR performances from both actors playing Michael: Juliano Valdi playing the young Michael, and Michael Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson playing the adult Michael. At moments, it’s easy to forget that you aren’t watching Michael himself, and when you are aware that it is in fact Jaafar, you can’t help but marvel at how he carries the weight of this immense legacy seemingly effortlessly.

Excellent performances are also given by Coleman Domingo as Joseph Jackson, Nia Long as Katherine Jackson, Miles Teller as John Branca, and KeiLyn Durrel Jones as Bill Bray, as well as the actors playing Michael’s siblings, who make an enjoyable film out of a wanting screenplay.

We will be waiting with bated breath to see how director Antoine Fuqua deals with Michael’s legal woes, should a sequel materialise. This film had to omit the 1993 case against MJ due to a clause in the settlement — one of many changes made with legal considerations in mind.