After seven years in the making, the first official biopic of the late Michael Jackson is out in European theatres now and hits US cinemas tomorrow.
Michael, the Antoine Fuqua-directed and estate-approved film which chronicles the King of Pop’s rise to stardom, has been critically panned and widely accused of whitewashing MJ’s troubled life. A lot of criticism levelled at the film concerns the decision to not engage with the child sexual abuse allegations made against Michael Jackson, as well as the choice to leave out anything of dramatic value that could paint the late superstar in a negative way.
As we wrote in our review of Michael: “Michael only functions as an insultingly blatant hagiography. It removes everything from his early life story that could be deemed contentious, including allegations of violent abuse by his father Joe (Colman Domingo), his early encounters with sex, or his growing body dysmorphia linked to the toll celebrity and trauma took on him.”
We added: “No need for any of that in this drama-free, formulaic and estate-controlled excuse to sell more albums. Instead, this biopic is sanitized to the point of being translucent and only caters to undiscerning fans who just want to hear the hits and witness recreations of iconic MJ moments.”
Predictably, the critical backlash has not landed well with family members and the stars of the film, who have spoken out against the negative reviews of Michael.
Michael Jackson’s nephew Taj Jackson, who is the son of Tito Jackson, has criticised the coverage of the biopic, writing on X: “Sorry media, u don’t get to control the narrative anymore of who Michael Jackson truly was. The public gets to watch this movie, they will decide for themselves. And you can’t handle that.”
In a follow-up post, he added: “Can’t wait till some critics have to eat crow. And yes I will be that petty.”
It’s easy to regain control the narrative when you introduce a new generation to an overtly sanitized and safe version of a complicated life, but moving on...
According to previous reports, an earlier version of the film did address the 1993 abuse allegations levelled against Michael Jackson, which emerged when 13-year-old Jordan Chandler’s family spoke out. However, lawyers for Jackson’s estate identified a prior settlement that “precluded any depiction or mention of them in a film”.
This resulted in Michael ’s planned 2025 release date to be delayed by a year, with the Jackson estate reportedly funding up to $15 million to have scenes cut and parts of the film reshot, according to Variety.
TJ Jackson, the younger brother of Taj Jackson, also took to X to share his plans to rewatch the film. “Why? Because I’m proud. I wouldn’t miss this opportunity to be masked in the electrifying energy that will be in that theatre for nothing,” he wrote. “My uncle deserves this, my cousin earned this and his loyal supporters are owed this. The world will be reminded or learn who MJ truly was and I can’t wait!”
As for Colman Domingo, who plays Jackson’s father Joe in the film, he was asked on US talkshow Today what he would say to people who belive that Michael is whitewashed.
He replied: “The film takes place from the '60s to 1988, so it does not go into the first allegations in, what, 2005? Basically, we centre it on the makings of Michael. It's an intimate portrait of who Michael is."
The actor added that the film tells MJ’s story “through his eyes” and that there is “the possibility of there being a part two that may deal with other things that may happen afterwards.”
Indeed, the final version of the film does end prior to the release of the album of ‘Bad’ in 1987 - with a title card that reads: "His story continues”. Still, that doesn’t account for leaving out anything else of interest.
Not all the Jackson family members are on board though...
Last year, Domingo claimed that Michael Jackson’s two eldest children, Paris and Prince, were “very much in support of our film”.
This led Paris to clap back at the claim, writing on social media at the time: “Don’t be telling people I was ‘helpful’ on the set of a movie I had zero per cent involvement in lol that is so weird. I read one of the first drafts of the script and gave my notes about what was dishonest / didn’t sit right with me, and when they didn’t address it, I moved on with my life. Not my monkeys, not my circus. God bless and God speed.”
In follow-up posts, the 28-year-old model and actress said she “butted out” when she was told the production would not address her notes.
“A big reason why I haven’t said anything up until this point is because I know a lot of you guys are gonna be happy with it,” she wrote. “A big section of the film panders to a very specific section of my dad’s fandom that still lives in the fantasy, and they’re gonna be happy with it.”
She added: “The narrative is being controlled and there’s a lot of inaccuracy and there’s a lot of just full-blown lies. At the end of the day, that doesn’t really fly with me. Go enjoy it. Do whatever. Leave me out of it.”
Another Jackson family member has reportedly spoken out against the film: Janet Jackson. The pop icon is said to have been “very critical” of the finished product, according to TMZ.
Most of the Jackson family who were alive during the film's time period, but Janet is notably absent.
During the film’s Los Angeles premiere on Monday 20 April, La Toya Jackson spoke to Variety about Janet's absence, saying: “She was asked and she kindly declined so you have to respect her wishes.”
Regardless of controversy and critical mauling, Michael will doubtlessly be a box office hit. Lionsgate studio is aiming for $70 million in US opening weekend, and the international distributor Universal is expecting the box office outside the US to be up to $80 million. If those predictions come to pass, a $150 million start at the global box office would be a record start for a music biopic.
Still, we recommend you spend your money elsewhere and follow Paris Jackson’s example: stay away.
