Antoine Fuqua’s Michael, released on April 24, explores how legendary pop star Michael Jackson rose to fame — from getting recognized in his childhood family band, the Jackson 5, to exploring a solo music career and becoming one of the biggest entertainers of his time. The biographical picture reveals the early personal strife the Jackson brothers faced, but mostly highlights the musical genius and artistic power that Michael Jackson exuded. 

Breaking records with the most successful opening weekend in music biopic history, Michael is doing extremely well in theaters, despite a plethora of poor reviews –– a testament to Jackson’s cross-generational impact and his artistic mastery. 

The film stars Jaafar Jackson, the singer’s nephew, as Michael Jackson in his acting debut. The large supporting cast is led by Colman Domingo and Nia Long, who portray Michael’s parents, Joe and Katherine Jackson, respectively. Beginning with the early moments in the singer’s life and ending with the release of his 1988 album Bad, the film explores the external and internal pressures Jackson faced as he rose to fame and the ways his upbringing shaped his personality and the music he created. 

The actors displayed their incredible skills, remaking some of the most important moments in Jackson’s life. However, though the actors were able to bring these moments back to life — sometimes even uncannily — the script fell short, reminding the audience that the moments they saw were mostly crafted and inauthentic.

Fuqua, however, does an excellent job of highlighting the music that the singer created. Many scenes do a remarkable job recreating the iconic music videos that Jackson produced. In particular, the adaptation of the “Thriller” video is nearly identical to the original. In each scene, Jaafar Jackson puts a great deal of energy into replicating even the slightest of his uncle’s movements.

Watching the film in the theater, I could see that my fellow audience members were clearly impacted. People in front of and behind me were singing along to the music and audibly reacting to some of the most heartbreaking scenes. All this to say, watching the film makes Jackson’s immense following evident and shows how his artistry brings people together. 

Despite eliciting joy in viewers, many have criticized the film for its lack of realism. Leaving out major controversies and glazing over the abuse Jackson experienced in his life doesn’t do much to let the viewer into the singer’s personal life. However, while this critique is partly true, the film does do a good job of showing and alluding to many of the various struggles in his life, such as mistreatment from his father and eventual drug abuse. I’m not so certain the film even needs to go into that much more detail about his personal life. 

Making the film simply about how Jackson’s traumatic experiences influenced his art-making and about the art itself is far more important than remembering the traumatic events themselves. The film is intended for Jackson’s fans, and that is fine. While the initial version of the film included the allegations of child abuse from later on in Jackson’s career, this was cut for legal reasons and replaced with a reshot ending. As a result, the final product doesn’t set out to reveal the truth behind the singer’s life, instead choosing to relive the early highlights of his musical career.

In that way, the film is excellent. It depicts how Jackson wanted to be known not just as a Black singer, but as the best musical artist. It shows his talent, even at such a young age, and how it transformed as he became older and pursued a solo career. The film also illustrates how he aimed to connect people through the music itself and extends his wish to connect by bringing us together to watch his music alongside others. 

The one thing about this film that is annoying is that it breaks up the singer’s story into two parts. Since it concludes in 1988, twenty-one years before Jackson’s untimely death, it certainly leaves the viewer wanting more. However, a sequel is rumored to be in the works.

Overall, the film does a fantastic job of reminding us of Jackson’s musical genius, even though few reminders are needed, given that he is the “King of Pop.” It is a wholesome reminder of the late artist’s talent and shows how his legacy lives on. Michael is a sweet watch and is worth seeing with family.