Jaafar Jackson & Juliano Valdi Are Standouts In The “Michael” Biopic!

Spoiler Review

For a lot of global fans, they’ve been waiting years for a biopic about the life of “The King of Pop,” Michael Joseph Jackson. Written by John Logan (Skyfall) and directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), Michael starts with a young Michael (Juliano Valdi, Arco) quite literally trying to find his footing and his voice alongside his brothers in The Jackson 5. While their father and manager, Joe Jackson (Colman Domingo, Dead Man’s Wire), is hard on everyone, he’s especially critical of Michael, pushing him the hardest. Michael’s soft and sweet spirit is often viewed as a weakness by his father, while his mother, Katherine Jackson (Nia Long, The Banker), embraces it, advocating for all her children to experience and enjoy their youth, not just work all the time. This conflict plays out in the Jacksons’ marriage, with them often on opposite sides (and this is an understatement) of how to raise their children in show business.

So, while Joe knows his kids, especially Michael, are talented, his iron-fisted approach to using them to help get the family out of poverty alienates him from being the parent they confide in. This causes them to have deeper, more meaningful, and more transparent relationships with their mother. We see the beginning of Michael confiding in her about being unable to make friends because other kids didn’t see him as a child, but as an artist they were enthralled with. This leads him to read more books, create a world of his own, and develop a fascination with Peter Pan. When they are scouted by Suzanne de Passe (Laura Harrier, The Starling) and ultimately signed to Motown Records by Berry Gordy (Larenz Tate, Ray), we catch a glimpse of Berry’s heart toward Michael. He recognizes not only his talent but, more importantly, his heart, providing a safe space for him to grow in an ever-changing industry. Unfortunately, we don’t spend much time building this relationship onscreen because there’s a significant time jump.

Next, there is mention of The Jacksons having left Motown, and they’re living on a family compound in Encino. An older Michael (Jaafar Jackson, in his feature debut) is trying desperately to break out and record my favorite Michael album, Off the Wall, partnering with the legendary Quincy Jones (Kendrick Sampson, Miss Juneteenth). This causes tension between him and Joe because it means Michael wants to break away from his brothers musically and create new sounds and short films that we’ve never experienced before. Joe is hell-bent on the Jackson brand, using Michael to draw fans and attendees for the massive Victory Tour he was planning alongside Don King (Deon Cole, The Harder They Fall). Confiding in his head of security and father figure, Bill Bray (KeiLyn Durrel Jones, How to Die Alone), Michael gains the courage to remove Joe as his manager and hires John Branca (Miles Teller, Whiplash) as his entertainment lawyer, someone who believes in his vision of becoming the most talented, popular and innovative artist out.

While the stakes are high for Michael stepping out on his own, we get a deeper glimpse into his loneliness. Creating an animal rescue haven of sorts, he believes the animals are his friends and spends most of his time talking to them, playing with them or watching movies with his mom. His brothers grow and begin forming relationships of their own, while he remains fairly isolated in his thoughts and creative world. He spends time going to toy stores with Bill and visiting children’s hospitals to spend time with kids. Despite the level of control his father had over him, his heart for service and others continues to shine through. His creative genius, ability to transform sound and creation of Thriller highlight his visionary brilliance and otherworldly mind.

So, while the film is CGI-heavy, true fans of Michael will be in theaters for the performances and to hear the music they fell in love with. It’s those moments that make seeing it in IMAX worth the experience. To be in a room full of fans, singing their hearts out and sharing that collective experience while holding personal memories tied to the music is powerful. While audiences may not necessarily learn anything new, Part 1 of this biopic (and I say Part 1 because it ends on a “cliffhanger” with a London performance during the Bad era) may introduce new or younger audiences to a glimpse of Michael. But for me, Part 1 felt like a 1.5x speed version of stories I already knew, as the child of a parent who followed the Jackson family’s careers and someone who experienced Michael across decades myself.

It was a reminder of the rich legacy he and his family built, one that will forever be cemented in history. While I was alive during the Pepsi commercial burn accident, the film did open up more about just how physically and emotionally difficult recovery was for him, as well as his father pushing for the Victory Tour to keep the Jackson brand alive, prioritizing it over his child’s health. With every biopic, viewers wonder how much is fact versus fiction. This is no different, but the pacing is so fast that it leaves more to be desired. My only hope for Part 2 is that certain moments are allowed to linger. I hope we see the community Michael eventually builds outside of his family, how stepping out on his own personally led him to creating new friendships and relationships and the impact on his life.

We also know his relationship with John Branca wasn’t perfect, so will that be explored? I would have loved to see the deleted scenes and storyline with Diana Ross (Kat Graham, How It Ends) to have remained, showing just how close they were. Their families were deeply connected, and it would have been meaningful to see the depth of that decades-long relationship.

In Part 2, will we see Michael grow into a husband and father? I hope so. There are so many eras left in Michael’s story and so many versions of his growth as a human and an artist that I hope we get to witness on the big screen.