Michael
I genuinely think that people are just making up excuses to hate on Michael. “Oh, but it doesn’t address the allegations,” and it “glazes Michael,” THESE PEOPLE HAVE NOT WATCHED OR UNDERSTAND THE MOVIE. It is set between his childhood in 1966 to 1988, every allegation came after that, and they are making a part two, so they might address it there. And I don’t see the problem with glazing MJ, because the movie doesn’t, it celebrates him.
While yes, I understand that a lot of the songs didn’t need to be included in the film, at least at their full runtime like they were, as it just felt like filler to pad the runtime as an excuse to make this a two-parter. But also, it allows us as an audience to just vibe with the music.
But the best part of the film were the non-music parts, I think everything with Joseph Jackson is done great, Michael’s Vitiligo and Michaels relationship with his mother. It also shows a sadder side to Michael, as someone who wasn’t allowed to be a kid, and this is done greatly, with a lot of these childish elements being put in throughout the story, such as Michael buying hundreds of toys and having a pet monkey and a giraffe, which created for some great comedic moments.
Jaafar Jackson does a great job portraying MJ and sometimes I forgot it was even an actor, great casting by the casting team, with Coleman Domingo as Joe Jackson, Juliano Valdi as a great young Michael and everyone else does great too, Miles Teller had a pretty atrocious wig though.
Overall, while Michael does have some pacing issues, it is a great celebration of Michael’s music and the hardships and joys of his life. We give it a 72%
