On Apr. 24, ”Michael,” the long awaited biopic on the icon Michael Jackson, finally hit the big screen. This film takes the viewer through a whirlwind of emotions. One minute you will be crying, and the next you will be laughing hysterically. “Michael” takes the viewer on a journey through his life; a display of all the experiences that molded him into a global star. The cast put their entire hearts and souls into this movie, and their effort was not in vain. There is no movie that could or has come out this year that can outdo “Michael.”
The film kicks off with Michael when he was ten years old, performing with his brothers as The Jackson 5. His father, Joseph Jackson, would take things too far when training the boys to perfection, punishing the boys for their “flaws.” With these brutal teaching tactics, he instilled fear into the whole family. These harsh and draining practices stole Michael’s childhood, affecting him mentally and leading to his childish demeanor. Though he loved performing with his brothers, he still longed for independence.
Though the movie never shied away from the devastating scenes of Michael and his father, it still provided comic relief. One distinct comical moment is when Michael rescues a monkey named Bubbles, before introducing him to his family as his new best friend. The expressions on his family’s faces of shock and disbelief had the audience laughing boisterously.
The rest of the film showcases his rise to fame and how he used it for the good of humanity. Throughout his music career he promoted justice, equal rights, environmentalism and love. He wanted to use his fame to help people all around the world.
The casting was simply exquisite. Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s nephew, played the starring role with so much precision. Jaafar had been studying and training for this role for over two rigorous years. It felt like Michael himself was performing, especially considering how similar they look. His dancing obviously can not quite compare to Michael, but he comes extremely close. He trained with the choreographers that had worked with Michael, Rich and Tone Talauega, working to perfect his uncle’s dance.
He not only had every single move down to perfection, but he also replicated his mannerisms flawlessly. Jackson even matched Michael’s iconic high-pitched voice.
Another amazing actor was Juliano Valdi, who played the younger version of Michael. His acting was honestly incredible for a kid at only nine years old. He brought so much emotional depth when displaying how Michael was treated by his father. Valdi also had some amazing dancing ability bringing great energy throughout The Jackson Five era.
For authenticity, they blended their voices with Michael’s for any singing scenes in the film, but even without the alterations, both actors were incredible singers to have matched his pitch so well.
The music in the movie was obviously wonderful, considering it was straight from Micheal Jackson’s catalog. The show featured a lot of his most popular music, such as “Billie Jean,” “Thriller” and so much more.
This was such a fun movie to watch, and it was a great representation of Michael’s life.
