“Michael” was released in theaters on April 24, giving viewers a look into the life of Michael Jackson.
This biographical movie summarizes Michael’s childhood life, seeing him grow into fame starting from when he first started playing in a band, the Jackson 5, with his brothers at the age of ten.
Director Antoine Fuqua chose to cast Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s biological nephew, to play the lead role of Michael Jackson. Many viewers have said that Jaafar was able to nail Michael’s voice almost perfectly in the movie. Jaafar studied Michael down to every detail, including his mannerisms, dancing style, smile and corny impressions. According to Entertainment Weekly, critics said his acting was performed so well in this movie that they almost forgot they weren’t actually watching Michael Jackson. Even more surprising, this is Jaafar’s first-ever acting role. He had never acted before and hadn’t really been interested in it until he was offered this role.
Senior Kaden Richardson,who has watched the movie three times already, is definitely a fan of Jaafar’s.
“The Michael Jackson movie to me was incredible,” Richardson said. “I love the way the family kept a Jackson playing as Michael, and Jaafar definitely performed in this role. His mannerisms, voice, and dancing were all on point.”
Richardson appreciates the impact that the film has had on him.
“Another thing I love about this movie is it gives another generation, like myself, who have grown up without Michael, to have a new found love for an artist and the great things [he has] done,” Richardson said. “Michael to me is greatness. His pure heart is something I look up to, his drive, motivation, and want to improve is incredible. He’s a true role model and now a model a new generation can follow.”
Not only did Jaafar’s acting abilities highlight Jackson’s stardom well, but the outfits Jaafar wore in the move were actually the iconic outfits Michael wore himself. Lady Gaga has held over 400 outfits of Michael’s to ensure they keep their historical authenticity with the blessing of the family, according to TheThings. The family couldn’t bid enough money to win Michael’s clothes, leaving Lady Gaga to step in and acquire the clothes. Jaafar is seen wearing the famous original Thriller jacket, among other famous outfits from various tours.
The movie recaps Michael’s childhood, up until the beginning of him becoming fully independent from his family, following through with his solo career. At the beginning of the movie, viewers get to understand more about Michael and how he grew up in a harsh household where his father, Joseph Jackson, would abuse him, but his mother, Katherine Jackson, tried to take care of Michael and his siblings the best she could. His father cared more about the family getting famous and practicing until he thought the performances were perfect. This family first got famous through their family band with Michael and his siblings (Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Jackie), the Jackson 5. As the band became more famous, the father decided to become their manager to ensure he would get money out of their work. Going on more tours and gigs, Michael started to become more recognized in the group for his amazing voice. This led him to get his own record deal and start his solo career.
Michael’s dad tried to interfere with his solo career because he still wanted the Jackson 5 to continue, where he had control over his kids. The older the other siblings got, the less they wanted to be in the band and practice anymore, leaving more opportunity for Michael to pursue his solo career. Despite Michael’s father trying to interfere and stop him, Michael was able to break free and perform his music on tour.
His father was not the only hurdle to overcome.
The movie also informs the viewers about a Pepsi incident and plastic nose surgeries Michael had. “The Pepsi incident” occurred when Michael was trying to perform a Pepsi commercial and fire accidentally caught on his hair, burning the back of his head and giving him third-degree burns, according to USA Today. Michael was in the hospital for a good amount of time and was almost unsure if he was ever going to be able to perform again because of how many nerves were burnt on the top of his head. However, he did have a healthy recovery and was able to continue performing. Additionally, the movie shows Michael originally getting his nose surgery because his father used to call him “big nose,” making him grow more insecure about it and leading him to shorten it with multiple rhinoplasty surgeries.
The movie highlights Michael’s close relationship with his mom, siblings, and animals. Michael is seen watching movies with his mom multiple times throughout the film, laughing and smiling together, and is also seen talking to her for advice on his struggles in life. The movie shows a little bit about how Michael talks to his siblings but does not show anything about his little sister Janet and how close they were. Janet and Michael grew up extremely close to each other and shaped each other’s lives, so it was a little disappointing for viewers not to see her mentioned in the movie, but she did decline to be in the movie, according to the Today show. She did not want her and Michael’s childhood arguments to be aired to the public. Also, Michael is seen as having trouble finding friends growing up, so he buys a lot of different exotic animals to hang out with as his friends, like a llama, chimpanzee, giraffe, snake and others. The chimpanzee that he buys in the movie is actually still alive today and resides in the Center for Great Apes sanctuary in Florida.
Senior Timothy Shue also left the theater inspired.
“The Michael Jackson movie left a big impression on me because it depicted a person who had overcome so much adversity on a level a lot of people can’t understand, as he had such a peculiar upbringing and life,” Shue said. “He also has more raw talent than almost anyone else who has ever sung, which I think makes him a rare case of a star who deserves all of the fame he had and still has today.”
The movie will possibly have a sequel that will summarize the other half of Michael’s life, from his fame until his 2009 death, according to USA Today. This movie is a very heart-warming and empathetic story of the childhood of Michael Jackson and how he grew into his fame, touching lots of viewers. Many people have even contributed dances to Michael on TikTok, making trends in his music and dancing to honor him. The dance creators are @Dezi Lopez and @Vik White.
“Michael” is definitely worth the ticket purchase to watch in the theaters. I would rate it a 4.9/5 warrior star rating.
