By Molly Tursi
Correspondent
Since the reign of the “King of Pop,” few musicians have held a flame to the meteoric fame Michael Jackson achieved in his life. Fondly remembered as the figurehead of 80s pop, Jackson extended his star power from his beginning as a fledgling child performer in The Jackson 5 to his spectacular solo career. Even in death, Jackson’s legacy continues to shine through to the now and beyond.
As a once in a lifetime talent, Jackson’s image cannot be eclipsed by any stage presence today, but his nephew Jaafar Jackson comes admirably close. Competing with the inordinate number of MJ impersonators, Jaafar Jackson channels the spirit of his uncle to paint a portrait of the artist as a dazzling young star in the biopic “Michael.”
Announced in 2022, “Michael” stirred up mixed feelings of anticipation and hesitancy for fans of the legendary pop star. Beginning in 1993, Michael Jackson has been the subject of controversy for decades, with an onslaught of allegations tarnishing his celebrity. In the wake of the incendiary 2019 documentary “Leaving Neverland,” the production of “Michael” was indefinitely compromised.
Although Jackson’s allegations remain in heavy discourse, “Michael” was eagerly put into production by director Antoine Fuqua. Taking creative liberties with Jackson’s biographical depiction, Fuqua had a specific objective in mind: to breach the barrier of fame and experience Michael Jackson through his flawed personhood.
In an interview with Deadline, Fuqa explained, “I wanted to humanize Michael. I wanted people to get to know him: How eccentric he was, how he was as a young man. I always felt that younger generations didn’t know Michael or his story. In order to tell anything about Michael, you had to remind people about the magic of him, the power of the music, and the fun that he brought into the world and his own insecurities. He’s one of the most complex characters to tell a story about. My approach was to ground him as much as we can, so that he’s relatable to anyone outside of being on that stage.”
“Michael” was released in United States theaters on April 24. The film has already broken financial records over its explosive opening weekend, raking in $217.4 million at the global box office according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film chronicles Michael Jackson’s humble beginnings growing up as a young boy in Gary, Indiana, alongside his four (in real life, there were five Jackson brothers; however, the movie truncates the nine Jackson siblings to five for efficiency), to his resounding solo career.
As per Fuqua’s directorial intent, the film approaches Michael Jackson’s life with compassion for the person, and especially the little boy behind the icon. The 12-year-old actor and Michael Jackson impersonator, Juliano Krue Valdi, plays an endearingly precocious young Michael Jackson, whose coming of age falls under unique circumstances.
Experiencing the unconventional childhood of a child prodigy, Jackson is relentlessly exploited by his mercenary father and manager, Joe Jackson. Convincingly played by the wide-ranging actor Colman Domingo, Joe Jackson acts as the formidable foe of the story. While “Michael” is a commemorative story of resilience, fame and untouchable talent, the insidious presence of a strained father-son relationship lords over the story.
“Michael” marks Jaafar Jackson’s acting debut, a special feat for the singer-actor, who honorably portrays his late uncle’s orbit in superstardom. Jaafar’s scrupulosity to the idiosyncratic cadence, disposition and musical agility of the singer is rivaled only by Michael Jackson himself. Spectacularly emulated, Jaafar’s efforts pay a striking homage to his Jackson heritage.
The movie ends while the fuse is still burning, proposing to audiences that there is more to come. A sequel to “Michael” is possible, made permissible by its torrential success at the box office.
Commenting on a sequel, Fuqua told Billboard, “He’s a superhero on the stage. Just like a human being, movies have the power of empathy to just say this is a human being. No one is perfect. It was important to take the audience through a process of how do you get to wherever it’s going to go in a second movie; for people to get a bigger idea of his personality and what shaped him.”
The triumphant turnout of “Michael” mirrors that of the singer himself, who is still celebrating posthumous winnings. Replete with sensational music, enveloping cinematography and pristine sound design, “Michael” is an absolute romp that raises the artist back to life in its fleeting two-hour runtime.
