Michael: Jaafar Jackson Shines in a Surprisingly Shallow Biopic (4K/Blu-ray)

The Film:

It really is quite amazing that it took this long for there to finally be a biopic about one of the most legendary music icons who ever lived. Sure, there had been a few TV documentaries about Michael Jackson over the years, but somehow we had never gotten a big budget, theatrical film about the King of Pop until now. It's hard to imagine the intense pressure of trying to get something like that right, knowing full-well that millions of fans around the world are clamoring for such a project, but Oscar-nominated screenwriter John Logan and director Antoine Fuqua have taken up the challenge in an attempt to give them something worthy of the man's incredible career with their latest project, simply called "Michael."

On that note, it's been rather fascinating watching the reactions that both critics & the public have had to the film. The former were not very impressed, while the latter had more positive things to say about it, with their enthusiasm helping to boost the film's gross to over $1 billion, making it the single highest-earning biopic of all time. Now, at long last, it's time to see which group was closer to the mark. Were the critics right in their rather clear dismissal, or did the public do a better job of noticing its more positive aspects?

Starting in 1966 Indiana, Joseph Jackson (Colman Domingo) pushes his sons Michael (Juliano Valdi), Tito (Judah Edwards), Jermaine (Jayden Harville), Jackie (Nathaniel Logan McIntyre), and Marlon (Jaylen Lyndon Hunter) to rehearse as the band "The Jackson 5." With Michael stunning everyone as the lead singer, they are able to get gigs all over, including a major one in Chicago in 1968. It's here that they're discovered by Suzanne de Passe (Laura Harrier) of Motown Records, leading them to be signed one year later.

With their massive success, they're able to move from Indiana to a much bigger house in Encino, California in 1971. As the years pass, the head of Motown, Berry Gordy (Larenz Tate), suggests that Michael (Jaafar Jackson) could make it big as a solo artists, eventually leading to him signing a deal to make the album "Off the Wall," with the legendary Quincy Jones producing. However, despite the album being a smashing success, he continues to be held back by his domineering father, who forces Michael to continue working with his brothers instead of pursuing his solo career. Of course, as we all know, Michael is eventually able to muster up the courage to go his own way, leading to the true birth of one of music's greatest icons.

Indeed, fans have been waiting for such a film to come along for quite some time, and as we've clearly seen, most of them have been satisfied with the end result, but why then has it been so heavily dismissed by the critics? After all, it features a shining star performance from Jafaar Jackson (Michael's nephew), who embodies his uncle rather skillfully, not only in performing the megastar's unforgettable choreography, but also in his stunning vocal similarity. His portrayal is so striking that it's truly doubtful that they could've found anyone who could get closer to becoming the King of Pop.

There's also the inclusion of the music that we've come to know and love over the decades, from the early days of "The Jackson 5" to brilliant hits like "Billie Jean," "Thriller," and "Beat It." Watching Jafaar perform these incredible singles does provide a fair amount of toe-tapping amusement throughout the film, giving us a large dose of the young man's talent, while also constantly reminding us of what a musical genius Michael Jackson was over the course of his remarkable career.

That said, even with a fair amount to like about the film, there ends up being a rather glaring issue in its unwillingness to give us anything more than a very superficial overview of Jackson's life up to 1988. There's practically no depth here, no attempt to tell us more about the man and what inspired him to write his multitude of classics. It's basically the CliffsNotes version of his life, hitting the major points, but not going any further than it needs to in order to relay the events in a simple fashion, covering just what it needs to, and no more.

Obviously for most fans, this has been enough, for most fans probably aren't interested in any kind of depth, but rather a film that simply celebrates one of the biggest music icons of all time, which is does fairly enough. However, it's also a bit of a missed opportunity to really dive into his career and explore his greatness. Apparently the original cut of the film was four hours, so perhaps it was just a case of trimming out all of the details in order to streamline the runtime, or perhaps this was as far as the Jackson Estate was willing to let in go in regards to its depth.

Either way, "Michael" ends up presenting quite a mixed bag, one that clearly wants to honor the man, but which goes about it in a surprisingly shallow manner. In the end, if all you're looking for are the highlights, it may be enough to satisfy you, but if you were hoping for anything deeper, you may find yourself a little disappointed with the result.

Video/Audio:

"Michael" comes to 4K in a 1.85:1, 2160p Ultra High Definition transfer of marvelous quality. The picture is beautifully sharp & crisp throughout the entire 127-minute runtime, perfectly highlighting its multitude of amazing period details. Likewise, the Dolby Atmos audio track is spectacular, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and, of course, the music in excellent quality. Overall, Lionsgate has done a fantastic job in both departments for the film's 4K debut.

Special Features:

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough: The Making of Michael (60 Minutes): A fantastic hour-long look behind-the-scenes of the film, featuring interviews with the cast & crew.

Home is Where His Heart Is: Behind the Gates of Hayvenhurst (6 Minutes): A brief tour of Michael Jackson's house.

In the Mirror: Becoming Michael and Joe Time-lapses (4 Sequences, 4 Minutes): A series of quick featurettes showing some of the film's makeup transformations.

First Look (2 Minutes): A very short behind-the-scenes glimpse at the film.

Becoming Michael (2 Minutes): Another quick featurette that explores how Jaafar took on the role.

Before the Big Screen (2 Minutes): A featurette that takes a brief look at the film's musical performances.

On the Set of Michael (2 Minutes): Some of Michael's original band members visit the set.

Conclusion:

Antoine Fuqua's "Michael" gives us a star-making turn from Jafaar Jackson, whose ability to portray his uncle's movements & vocals is quite stunning, and features plenty of the music icon's unforgettable hits, but as a biopic of Michael Jackson, it sadly presents his life in a rather shallow & superficial fashion, hitting the highlights along the way, but unwilling to go any further than simply relaying the events. For those looking for a mere recap of his incredible career (up to 1988), it may be enough, but for those wanting anything deeper, it just might leave you a little disappointed.

Score: 3/5

Now available on 4K/Blu-ray.

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