Michael is a biopic that tells the story of Michael Jackson’s life and his rise to stardom. The film begins at the inception of the Jackson 5, riding the wave of success into a solo career as a household name in the ’80s. With so much success in viewing Michael’s artistry, his creative drive remained his greatest vice. 

The Road to Stardom

Michael details the humble beginnings of the Jackson family in Gary, Indiana. The family is led by Joseph Jackson, who assembles what will be known as The Jackson 5 with Michael as the lead vocalist. The discipline that Joseph instills in the group leads them to be signed by the world-renowned label Motown. This brings the world of the Jackson family to greater heights, with Michael perceived as an even greater talent beyond the familial ensemble. With so much promise, Michael steps out on faith as a solo artist, becoming the artist known today as the “king of pop.” 

As far as a biopic goes, Michael is as hollow as an urn without ashes when it comes to detailing his personal story. There aren’t many personal moments, and the ones we do get aren’t layered and detail things that are already known. There were so many moments to add integral details to his lived experience, and the film really played it beyond safe. Aside from this huge misstep, the film is rushed, and there are so many moments and scenes that were cut, which shows immensely. For example, the way the Jacksons were signed to Motown was hardly even showcased, and Michael and his brothers were huge players in the success of Motown. The Jacksons’ move from Gary, Indiana, to Encino was a horrible transition, which was another pivotal moment for the Jackson family. The best moments of the film (for the most part) are the music numbers. This is where fans and audiences will more than likely connect and, if at all, be pleased, because there was so much emphasis placed on these scenes that if they weren’t done justice, the cost would be too high. 

The pacing of this film was back-and-forth and tremulous because there was way too much ground to cover. The film should have easily been split into three parts and worked as a trilogy. The Jackson 5 in itself is a film on its own, and then leading into the early stages of his solo career would have worked perfectly. For the conclusion of the trilogy, where this film ends, is actually how they could begin the conclusion of a trilogy, and it would be better for audiences because the Bad tour of 1988 was such an important moment. Michael was at his peak. The choices made for Michael were too controlled for a biopic, and it never leaned into a personal background from a nuanced lens.

Performance of Reality

Any director tasked with directing a Michael Jackson biopic was and will always be held to a standard that could be deemed as unattainable. In Antoine Fuqua’s case, there is so much that can be surmised. It’s fair to say that he wanted to be respectful to the Jackson family and follow the estate’s rules. While this is admirable, it dilutes the film’s significance by failing to lean into the not-so-high-and-mild moments. That is ultimately where this film suffers because nothing goes beyond the surface, leaving nothing but cinematic music numbers to be desired. It could even be said that the halt of the production in its final stages of filming caused the creative direction to dissipate from what was originally expected. In those cases, the film should not have been touched until all paths aligned and were vetted. This film personifies that result. What Fuqua does well is capture the sheer essence of the musical numbers; this is the one thing that can easily be celebrated. The story’s rush and pacing ruined the film’s moments and anticipation, aside from the lack of layered personal storytelling. As this film ends as only half of Michael’s story, there is lots of room for Fuqua to improve and make a better half if there is another installment on the horizon. 

The supporting cast is massively flawed, though most are well-acted. Larenz Tate’s portrayal of Barry Gordy, as showcased, was well depicted and one of the few personal scenes that made an impact on Michael as a young artist. Aside from that, his role was cut from that point on, which is a disservice to the Motown era that Jackson gained notoriety from, given the weight the name Motown holds. Another portrayal that was noted, only cut short but questionable due to the timeline, was Laura Harrier’s portrayal as Susanne de Paase.