Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in “Michael” (Photo Credit: Glen Wilson/Lionsgate).
(“Michael” trailer courtesy of Lionsgate Movies)
Michael Jackson was bad, dangerous and invincible during his lifetime.
And in the biopic “Michael,” his nephew Jaafar Jackson (son of Jermaine Jackson) is special and magical, as if he not just embodies the “King of Pop.”
But Jaafar’s performance is as if Michael reincarnates into his nephew, giving fans one more glimpse of the greatest entertainer of all time, on and off the stage.
Jackson entered the national spotlight with his brothers, The Jackson Five (Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon) at 11 years old.
From 1969 to his unfortunate passing in 2009, fans and critics seemingly knew everything about his life, good, bad and ugly.
But there is one thing to know about a celebrity through the lens of paparazzi.
However, there is another thing to know about the actual person.
With “Michael,” filmmaker Antoine Fuqua does an exquisite job of humanizing a person who seemed like a superhero for the children of the 1970s and 1980s.
Even though Fuqua shows the human side of Michael, there was something about him that glowed and shone when others seemed dull and pale in comparison, even his talented older brothers.
In “Michael,” Jaafar glows like his uncle.
He has Michael’s speaking voice down to a science.
Jaafar captures Michael’s gentle spirit.
He shows Michael’s kind and giving attitude.
The rookie actor shows his uncle’s playful, childlike nature.
And he shows his comical side, as he tells his brothers that he is trying to channel the Creator because if he is not available when God is giving away ideas, He might give those ideas to Prince instead.
But before Michael realized just how special he was, he was just a poor Black boy from Gary, Ind., as his father Joseph (Colman Domingo, “Wicked: For Good”) describes him.
And it is in Gary in 1966 where the biopic “Michael” begins.
Jackson’s origin story has been told countless times, most notably in the 1992 miniseries “The Jacksons: An American Dream.”
But while the miniseries focused on the entire family story, beginning with Joe and Katherine’s courtship in the late 1940s and ending with the 1984 Victory Tour, “Michael” breezes through the King of Pop’s formative years.
Nevertheless, “Michael” does not sugarcoat Joe’s harsh treatment of his sons, as he desperately tries to keep them out of the steel mills of Gary.
Great is not good enough for Joseph.
Therefore, anything less than perfection often results in the belt, even for someone as great as young Michael (Juliano Valdi).
But Joe’s willpower and the work ethic he instills in his boys lead them from performing in local nightclubs to Chicago’s Regal Theater to signing with Berry Gordy (Larenz Tate) and Motown Records.
The hits pile up for The Jackson Five in the early 1970s.
And before too long, Michael is itching to begin an adult solo career, separate from The Jacksons.
That is where the true conflict in “Michael” begins.
Michael has a talent that is bursting at the seams.
Sure, he loves his family.
And without his father’s teachings and the support of his brothers, he would not have had such a strong foundation.
But sometimes, people outgrow their loved ones from a business perspective.
And sometimes, a person is never meant to be tied down to a group setting because the gift in them is so great that it cannot be contained, not even by family.
While no one can relate to Michael’s talent, many people will relate to branching out on their own.
Moviegoers will relate to being a child and their vision for their future not being quite what their parents envisioned for them.
What should a person do in that situation?
Should they continue making others happy at the expense of their happiness and success?
Or do they focus on themselves and what makes them happy?
That dilemma shows the human side of Michael, the side that many people will relate to.
Is it your life?
Or does your life belong to others?
Fans of Michael will know who he eventually prioritizes.
But despite how electric “Michael” is, it is also painful to watch at times, specifically when he has his first plastic surgery.
The attempt to look and be perfect for the public makes it almost impossible for him to appreciate his God-given beauty.
Nevertheless, people can’t underappreciate the beauty of his talent and the music he gave to the world.
Jaafar is the star of “Michael.”
But Domingo’s performance as Joe is so good that moviegoers might go home disliking the Jackson patriarch more than before.
Unfortunately, “Michael” has some inaccuracies with dates and songs that true Michael stans will catch.
The movie begins in 1966.
The Jackson Five practice songs like “Big Boy” in their Gary living room.
However, that song did not come out until 1968 on the local label, Steeltown Records, before they signed with Motown Records.
Nevertheless, it is great to see those Steeltown songs like “You’ve Changed” get some love.
Furthermore, before signing with Motown in “Michael,” The Jackson Five perform “Never Can Say Goodbye,” with the same choreography they used on “The Flip Wilson Show.”
That is impossible because that song and performance did not happen until 1971, and the group signed with Motown in 1986.
“Michael” contains some awkward moments because Janet, Randy and Rebbie Jackson are not portrayed in the film.
The fact that Randy Jackson did not participate in the movie makes some group scenes unrealistic, like the opening sequence of the Victory Tour.
And since Janet Jackson did not participate, it makes some of the scenes at Hayvenhurst unrealistic.
“Michael” shows Marlon and Tito still living in their parents’ house in the early 1980s, when they had gotten married and moved out many years before.
But like Fuqua said, “Michael” is about Michael.
Amazingly, for a little over two years, Michael’s nephew becomes him on that screen.
And if things go correctly, Michael’s story will continue soon, and “Michael 2” will be another thriller.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
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