Michael

As time has gone on through the decades, we've seen a plethora of different biopics about singers in the limelight. We have biopics on singers, such as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston, Bob Marley, to mention a handful. So, now to add to that ever growing list is "Michael" about the 'king of pop' Michael Jackson.

"Michael" is the cinematic portrayal of the life and legacy of one of the most influential artists the world has ever known. The film tells the story of Michael Jackson's life beyond the music, tracing his journey from the discovery of his extraordinary talent as the lead of the Jackson Five, to the visionary artist whose creative ambition fueled a relentless  pursuit to become the biggest entertainer in the world. Highlighting both his life off-stage and some of the most iconic performances from his early solo career, the film gives audiences a front-row seat to Michael Jackson as never before. This is where his story begins. Through Michael's (Jaafar Jackson) upbringing in Gary, Indiana, by his dad, Joe Jackson (Colman Domingo) and his mom, Katherine (Nia Long), the starting of his career as the lead of the Jackson Five, to his breaking away from them to go solo with his new manager John Branca (Miles Teller), to his Pepsi commercial gone awry, he lead a rather tumultuous life all the while not really experiencing anything of a normal childhood or life in general. 

This was directed with incredible delineation and oreciseness by Antoine Fuqua ("The Replacement Killers" '98, "Bait" 2000, "Training Day" '01, "Tears of the Sun" '03, "Lightning in a Bottle" '04, "King Arthur" '04, "Shooter" '07, "Brooklyn's Finest" '09, "Olympus Has Fallen" '13, "The Equalizer" '14, "Southpaw" '15, "The Magnificent Seven" '16, "The Equalizer 2" '18, "What's My Name: Muhammed Ali" '19,"Infinite" '21, "The Guilty" '21, "Emancipation" '22,"The Equalizer 3" '23, "Troublemaker: The Story Behind the Mandela Tapes" '26) plus TV, TV movies, shorts, videos and a plethora of music videos. This filmmaker simply improves with each and every project he is attached to--his sequencing, staging, pacing, cohesiveness in his films are effortless and this film is no exception. His "Training Day" and "The Magnificent Seven" films are definitely a couple of his best. This film was dissected with amazing clarity and he was able to get his actors to dig deep in the way they conveyed their respective characters. It was equally well written by John Logan ("Bats" '99, "Any Given Sunday" '99, "Gladiator" 2000, "The Time Machine" '02, "Star Trek: Nemesis" '02, "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas" '03, "The Last Samurai" '03, "The Aviator" '04, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" '07, "Rango" '11, "Coriolanus" '11, "Hugo" '11, "Skyfall" '12, "Spectre"'15, "Genius" '16, "Alien: Covenant" '17, "They/Them" '22) plus TV, TV movies, shorts, videos and and a video game. As with Fuqua, this writer is a seasoned pro with work that is a list of artful projects. This was formatted as a flashback as has occurred in many films, especially biopics, but this clearly showed us how Michael became the individual he became through the different incidents in his life letting the audience in on his way of thinking. The only aspect of this film that was perplexing was that after Michael's London tour in 1988, the screen then shows three words which says, his story continues, which I certainly wasn't expecting, but was definitely purposed.So, there's more than likely a continuation. And the cinematography by Dion Beebe acs/asc ("Crush" '92, "Chicago" '02, "Collateral" '04, "Memoirs of a Geisha" '05, "Green Lantern" '11, "Gangster Squad" '13, "Into the Woods" '14, "13 Hours" '16, "Mary Poppins Returns" '18, "The Little Mermaid" '23) plus other films,TV, TV movies, shorts, videos and music videos) was absolutely stunning as are all his productions. He certainly brings out the color, the vividness and clarity in his films. 

Certainly if you love Michael Jackson's music, you'll be in that heaven. I'm not expressly a Jackson fan, however, with all objectivity, this film was amazing--acting, writing, directing, photography. Apparently Michael Jackson's nephew (Jaafar Jackson) played the part of Michael as an adult in this and considering this is his first film, he will go places. If you like that up close and personal feeling, this is presented in an IMAX format as well. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                       Rated: PG-13                                       127mins.