My Michael Movie Review!

I know you've been waiting a long time for this... maybe😂. The time has finally come for my Michael movie review! I think after my 4th viewing, I am ready to give a well-rounded review of this film. I have sooo many thoughts, but keep in mind I am not a professional movie critic! I'm simply writing down whatever comes to my head. And bear with me as I'm still in the thick of Michael mania, so I hope I make sense to you. Settle in!

I'll start by saying I am one of the biggest Michael Jackson fans ever. I'm sick at the fact I never knew he existed until the day he died. But I think I made up for it. I spent my formative years learning everything about him, and I became a super fan. So when this movie was announced and Jaafar Jackson, his nephew, would be playing him??? I was SOLD! I closely watched anything coming from production, and I waited with the rest of the Moonwalkers as the release date kept getting pushed back. It was truly a long journey, so when I was able to purchase early access tickets for April 22nd, I made sure I was in that theater. Now onto the actual movie!

The intro being live audio of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was chef's kiss. I was gagged one second in. That song turns out to be a recurring theme throughout the movie. "Human Nature" also appeared many times in the background, which of course made those scenes more emotional. The movie starts in Gary Indiana, with Juliano Valdi playing little Michael. I think casting absolutely made the right choice in choosing him. His emotions, dancing, and everything in between was spot on. I was also excited to see Colman Domingo as Joseph, and he made me hate him in the best way, which was expected!

I did not expect for Michael's younger years to be so short. The movie's runtime was only 2 hours and 7 minutes, which was entirely too short for me. Anyways, that period of his life felt rushed, but I think we still understood the point. Most of the audience has probably seen The Jacksons: An American Dream, which goes into a deep dive of Michael's upbringing. I wonder if that movie didn't exist, would Michael expand more on his early life? Either way, they definitely highlighted Joseph's abuse early on. I didn't get choked up during the first viewing, but later on I did seeing him struggle with the abuse, on top of being lonely as a child star😭.

Other than the rushed timeline, another thing that irked me was the group singing "Never Can Say Goodbye" before they even signed to Motown. Who wrote that?! I cringed thinking of what else they were about to mess up🫠. Not soon after the group signs with Motown and gets a couple Number 1s, we flash forward to Michael wanting to create a solo album in 1978. WAIT😭😭. We're missing a lot!! I would have been shocked if Kat Graham, the actor who was supposed to play Diana Ross, hadn't let us know her scenes were cut due to legal reasons. Hmm. Not only were Michael's teenage years so important to his growth, I was so excited to see Jaafar in that scarecrow costume from The Wiz! I'm not sure what truly happened, but Diana, you will be dealt with.

Jaafar NAILED that speaking voice. I could see why people were saying Michael's real voice was dubbed over his😭. The hair and makeup team also deserve everything given to them because he truly looked like Michael. In every era. I applaud the dedication and time he spent trying to act and dance like his uncle. Nepotism was not present here!

I absolutely love how they set up the creation of Off the Wall. The cut from him recording in the studio to filming the "Don't Stop" short film was chef's kiss😭. I'd keep going back to the theater just for that! Some people say we didn't need recreations of all the short films and performances, but I think they were completely necessary. Especially when we get to see the making of the music and films behind the scenes, it all added to the ✨magic✨ that is Michael Jackson. With that being said, I don't think we needed a play-by-play of the "Beat It" choreography. That scene felt like I was watching the broadway show, in a cheesy way.

The moments of watching Michael work in the studio were exactly what I wanted. Most people do not know about his creative process, and how ideas would come to him almost out of nowhere. This is where my obsession kicks in. He's watching different shows, reading his notes over and over, and I feel like I'm inside his mind. When he leans in, I lean in😳. They also could've done a little more with showing his perfectionism. I would have loved to see him becoming aggravated with trying to pick the track list for Thriller, and even him crying before its release because he didn't think it was "perfect." But that would've wrecked me, so maybe never mind.

The ONLY time I remembered I was watching Jaafar instead of Michael was the "Thriller" video😬. It seemed like he was trying so hard to get those steps right, and I don't blame him. I was still eating it up though!

A couple of things also had me scratching my head. I think my biggest ick was how they framed his first nose job. The movie implied he wanted to be "perfect," which was partly true, but they had him looking at Peter Pan when he made that decision. We know he loved Peter Pan, but I highly doubt he wanted to look like him. Also, he already had his first nose job before Off the Wall! Speaking of Peter Pan, they relied so much on that book I almost rolled my eyes. It's a great foreshadowing to building Neverland, though! I also wished they discussed his vitiligo a little more. This was a chance to widely clear up rumors about his appearance, and I fear they missed the mark.

The whole movie was emotional to me, but there were a couple scenes that actually tore me up. The first scene that had me sobbing was when he stormed out of the family meeting where Joseph told him he was going back on tour with his brothers. That "no sir, I told you what to think" from Joseph has been living in my head ever since! The way he was afraid to talk to Joseph broke me. And don't let Michael start crying, cause I'm done for😭! That dynamic between father and son continues throughout the movie, and ultimately made the ending so satisfying.

Jaafar will be getting that Oscar for the Pepsi burn and hospital scenes alone. I was truly on the edge of my seat. To watch everything play out the way it did was gut wrenching. And the dialogue between Michael and Katherine was heart breaking. Tears started flowing again when Michael was talking to other burn patients in the hospital, while being a patient himself!

I am SO glad they included the entirety of "Human Nature." That song continues to have everyone in a trance, and I love how they showed the emotions of the crowd during the song. I didn't mind that they used the recording from the Bad tour, even though in the movie, we were at the Victory tour🤷🏾‍♀️. I loved everything about that scene, including the striped pants.

The last scene where Michael finally tells Joseph he's going on his own was soooo satisfying. The switch of the song to "Workin Day and Night" instead of "Shake Your Body," because it added so much more to the story. I WISH I could go back to that night to see Joseph's face in real time. I also haven't mentioned it yet, but Bill was really the father that stepped up! That ending in total gave me just what I needed. Those intro chords to "Bad" sent shiversss. I don't think we needed the whole "Bad" performance this time, but of course Jaafar killed that scene. It's insane to think that was the first scene he ever filmed! The ending has me extremely hyped for part 2. Like I need it right now😗.

I think I covered everything I wanted to say? New thoughts come to me daily, so just ask if you have any questions 😂. Based off emotions, I give the film a 10/10. But if I had to be a critic, I would give it a 7.5/10 based off many inaccuracies that could've easily been avoided. Would I go see it again? Absolutely!