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"Michael", a biopic about Michael Jackson, is officially happening.

All this bad publicity about Janet declining to be protrayed in this biopic. It looks like Rebbie also declined as well. Randy wasn't really represented either.

I didn't like it started off with the credits and the music was the live version of Wanna Be Startin Somethin. And then when the title credits are done, we just see Jaafar standing there in the Bad outfit and the music ends. That was a terrible edit of music.

Boys singing Never Can Say Goodbye when Suzanne de passe discovered them (there's a bit in the credit that mention this isn't correct)

We just from the Jackson 5 singing I'll be there to Michael talking to Quincy about his solo album. I mean who skips over them leaving Motown and going to Epic, that whole saga.

Didn't Michael fire his daddy during Off The Wall era?

We see Michael getting his first nose surgery. They have a updated picture of what his nose will look like after they're done. That wasn't possible in the 80s. Anyways didn't Michael claim his first surgery was from breaking his nose during rehearsal.

Joe is talking about the Triumph album and tour capitalizing off Off The Wall success. One brother said how are we gonna tour with Jermaine 🤦🏾‍♂️ at that point they had been doing tours and shows without Jermaine

why did they choose Ben off the Jacksons live to recreate

Then we hear Wanna Be Startin Somethin Again 🙄

Did the John Branca conversation really happen or was that emphasize too much

We see Michael writing parts of wanna be Startin Somethin and us true fans know that was written around Off The Wall era

The Joe Jackson makeup look like something from Michael Jackson's Ghost short film

The Joe Jackson scenes still irkkkk me and That Don King scene just piss me off. It wasn't needed at all. That Pepsi scene was omgosh. I loved when they constantly showed Michael going and visiting kids in the hospital even when he was in the hospital. When Michael was being told he was gonna need to take demerol for the pain, the scorer should've played Morphine.


Sorry but I really hated that Victory Tour scenes. From Human Nature performance being lipped to Bad Tour audio (knowing Michael didn't grab himself until later)

Then Workin Day & Night and acting like that was the one Michael made his announcement to 🤦🏾‍♂️

Should've included a shot of Michael working on We Are The World.

The only thing I really liked was showing Michael loneliness and human side

the cast for the brothers wasn't that great
 
All things considered. I really enjoyed it. I think Part 2 will be better because they probably wont have to do any sudden reshoots. My theater was clapping by the end. Jafaar nailed it. Probably the best on screen portrayal we've gotten. His voice was shockingly good. I only wish it was a bit longer.
 
Dtwmjj said:
We see Michael getting his first nose surgery. They have a updated picture of what his nose will look like after they're done. That wasn't possible in the 80s. Anyways didn't Michael claim his first surgery was from breaking his nose during rehearsal.
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The photos at the surgery are of Michael’s current face, not what his nose will look like after the surgery.

The nose break excuse comes from Tarraborelli’s book, so I wouldn’t take it as gospel. Remember, according to Michael he only ever had two surgeries. Take that as you will
 
So they've also cut out the Motown 25 rehearsal scenes. Without counting the footage they can't use and are leaving for Part 2 I wonder just how much was left on the cutting room floor which already seems it's plenty.
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When John Branca started listing his whole resume... now that's a scene they could really cut out in a director's cut. All I could think (and I'm sure everybody in the theater thought the same thing) was:

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robotchicken14 said:
The nose break excuse comes from Tarraborelli’s book, so I wouldn’t take it as gospel.
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It was also in Jermaine's book:

“What in the hell happened you?” I said to Michael, when I walked through the doors of Hayvenhurst one afternoon and saw his nose and cheeks covered with bandages. It looked like he’d gone 10 rounds with Ali: Michael seemed sheepish and the look Mother shot me suggested my question was insensitive. He had slipped and fallen near the bar in the living room, I was told. Broken his nose. Everything was fine. I don’t doubt that he had fallen but the consequent rhinoplasty led to the start of several phases of plastic surgery over the years, which the world seemed to obsess about it.
 
Spaceship said:
MJ never broke his nose. That was a lie he told Taraborelli. Katherine and La Toya confirmed he wanted a nosejob.

Are people really so gullible that they believe a young man who felt insecure about having a large nose just happened to break it, so he needed a nosejob? No, obviously MJ chose to have it done because he hated having a big nose.

Even MJ having hereditary vitiligo is hard to believe. He was bullied by Joe for having dark skin, so it's more likely that he bleached it. Vitiligo can be caused by abusing skin bleaching products.
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Proof he told taraborelli that? Just because RT said that it doesn't make it true.

How do you know taraborelli isn't the one who lied and made that up?

Why would Michael tell him that but not say it in interviews when he was being demonized for the surgeries or in his own book?

He NEVER claimed he broke his nose ever. That story only appears in taraborelli's book.

He was always honest that he got nose jobs because Joe teased him, he also said it helped him hit higher notes. He never said he broke his nose.

Also, it should be against the rules to say Michael bleached his skin. It's ableist and disgusting. Where are the mods??
 
MsAshley said:
the autopsy confirmed he had vitiligo. same with doctors reports that were presented in the trial. preponderance of evidence >mj lying (although he probably lied about breaking his nose)
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When did Michael ever say he broke his nose? He never said that. Taraborelli has no credibility. His book is filled with quotes from michael and other people that simply are not real because he was not present for the events he describes.
 
Harun said:
I have to say, unfortunately, that I'd give it a 3/10. The atmosphere is fantastic, of course, but the story clearly lacks depth. You don't see how Michael actually came up with his songs. He turns on the TV and suddenly he's writing "Beat It"—that's the depth. It also doesn't show how his "Off the Wall" Sound came from (Studio 54/ The Wiz etc). Dialogues are very flat. They didn't deliver what was promised, and by that I mean the directors. You can clearly see that there were a lot of difficulties during filming, presumably with his family and estate. Jaafar is simply breathtaking on film. There was so much potential, especially with such a cast. What happened? Michael deserved something much deeper. Now I can understand all the bad reviews. By the way, I went to see it twice in a row.
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Harun gives the movie he's been trashing for over a year a low rating.

Is anyone suprised?

LOL
 
I just saw the movie tonight. Took my family and everyone enjoyed it and had great time. We did see it in a premium theater and the visuals and sound were outstanding! If you a can get past a few things and just roll with it, the movie is fun and you really have to take it for what it is. Jafaar is the only person that could have pulled this off. Sometimes he does fool you to thinking it’s Mike. The boy who plays young Mike was really good as well. I would guess this movie will have a long life as well once it hits streaming. There a millions of closet fans 😂
 
Delighted to see the biopic is an absolute smash hit as predicted. Going again to see it in IMAX on Sunday and hopefully will fit in a third viewing before the following weekend. It’s not perfect but Jaafar is sensational and it’s the event of the year by far.
 
alexbism said:
Am I the only one that feels a part two is unnecessary after having watched this movie? Especially if they can't mention the allegations.
Like, what would they talk about? They already got the "Joseph is evil" storyline out of the way and the "MJ wants to shine as a solo artist and make the biggest selling album of all time" too. They could talk about his pill addiction and how bad he felt in his skin, plus his vitiligo and lupus but seeing how they barely mentioned it in the first movie, I don't know if they would elaborate on it that much in the sequel as well.
And how can they talk about anything past 93 without addressing the elephant in the room ? His life had shifted so much after 93 that it's impossible in my opinion to make a movie without being able to mention it.
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They can still show the 2005 trial

My wish is that they can still show 1993 as well and change the names (after all, the Flex Alexander movie did that). The image of MJ still performing after finding out the news is too powerful to NOT be portrayed on film.


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alexbism said:
Have you seen the movie yet ? Curious to know what you think of it.
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Im thinking she is a bot or troll because she is only obsessed to call other fans as guilter when unrealased songs are leaking or something artistly things she keep the mouth shut. And I was bashing the movie? I was only a realistic person who saw very early that the things getting out of control with legal issues and everyone was bashing on me @kelley u owes me a big apologies u are like a bully
 
alexbism said:
Am I the only one that feels a part two is unnecessary after having watched this movie? Especially if they can't mention the allegations.
Like, what would they talk about? They already got the "Joseph is evil" storyline out of the way and the "MJ wants to shine as a solo artist and make the biggest selling album of all time" too. They could talk about his pill addiction and how bad he felt in his skin, plus his vitiligo and lupus but seeing how they barely mentioned it in the first movie, I don't know if they would elaborate on it that much in the sequel as well.
And how can they talk about anything past 93 without addressing the elephant in the room ? His life had shifted so much after 93 that it's impossible in my opinion to make a movie without being able to mention it.
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I still don't believe the settlement is the reason for the changes to the movie, but thats the excuse thats being pushed right now so I'll run with it to say people are forgetting that the settlement only pertains to the estate and Michael's kids

If the estate and Prince don't participate in a part 2, theres nothing stopping graham and lionsgate from showing the truth about 1993.
 
Zack44 said:
They can still show the 2005 trial

My wish is that they can still show 1993 as well and change the names (after all, the Flex Alexander movie did that). The image of MJ still performing after finding out the news is too powerful to NOT be portrayed on film.


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You're all delusional. Dunno how you can expect anything authentic after seeing the film. I don't even think a second movie is possible or a good idea considering it has to bring up the allegations - I know they're not going to handle it well. Everything in the movie is so amateurishly handled that I have no faith in them being able to handle something this heavy. I almost don't want to go through the media circus dragging his name through the mud again.

Btw the Branca stuff in the movie was unbelievably self glazing - incompetent loser who has completely mismanaged Michael's estate acting like he's all that ugh.
 
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I’m a huge Michael Jackson fan, aswell as my mother, uncle and late grandmother. I went with my mom to go see the biopic at our local IMAX theater. I had already seen the scathing reaction from the critics and the glowing reaction from the fans, but I want to go into the movie with an open mind. Well I finished it and when we went back to the car, my mom and I had the same reaction: meh.

I’ve been concerned for the biopic ever since the news dropped that because the Estate’s incompetence/poor communication with the filmmakers, they cut out the 1993 allegations from the movie. And then Paris’ infamous Instagram story where she brought up that it was just going to be a safe and generic Hollywood biopic like what they did with Queen and Mötley Crüe. Before all of that, I was very excited for the biopic to finally tell the cinematic life that MJ experienced. And despite everything, I still wanted to be excited for the movie. Yet it ended up being a pretty big dissapointment for me. Everything that Paris said what this movie was going to be (and she just read the first more comprehensive draft) was 100% on the money.

Let’s get the good stuff out of the way first. Jaafar Jackson is as good as everyone says he is. He really does become Michael, aswell as Juliano Valdi as young Michael. Colman Domingo is the perfect Joseph, he embodies the character so well with a very intimidating prescence. The concert sequences are also a lot of fun, especially seeing them recreated in modern times. They really do showcase what a charismatic and emotional performer Michael was. The colors and costumes are all very vibrant and delightful to look at.

Now time for the bad stuff.

My biggest problem is that it just goes from one major event in Michael’s life and career to the next without letting those events sink in and really develop the characters. For example, we jump from 1971 to 1978, and I was like what the hell. There was SO MUCH that happened in between: the early solo work, the Jackson 5 not including Jermaine leaving Motown, rebranding as the Jacksons, becoming songwriters of their own, The Wiz, Michael’s puberty, all of it is just nowhere to be seen. That’s unacceptable.

Not to mention all the people that weren’t in the movie: No Diana Ross, Bobby Taylor, Frank DeLio (only a blink and you miss it cameo), Rebbie, Randy, Janet, they are all gone. And the characters they do have are just scene props. The brothers and LaToya are practically nobodies. Katherine and Bill Bray have some moments, and John Branca unnecessarily inserted himself in others, but nothing that stands out. The only two characters that get anything close to an arc are Michael himself and Joseph.

This segues into another problem, and that is that there is not really an emotional or thematic core to the movie. The arc is really just Michael trying to break away from Joe’s influence which is a very weak arc if you ask me because it was only a small but pivotable part of Michael’s story. It didn’t define his life. The core should have been Michael being developmentally stunted and lonely. Now the reshoots definitely contributed to that, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is a problem. These things are only hinted at in the finished movie, and they go absolutely nowhere.

Finally, from a filmmaking perspective, the movie is very bland and lacks an artistic vision. From the opening credits alone I knew we were in trouble, with the most generic font and transition ever. And while I like the lighting and color grading, the actual cinematography was very standard with no variety in how its shot or how it frames the characters. The editing was also pretty by the books, and I even caught a glaring mistake during the Motown 25 performance. When Jaafar does the back-and-forth head turn before the moonwalk, the movie cuts to the audience. When it cuts back to Jaafar, he does it again and then moonwalks. That was such a sloppy edit that I was surprised it made it past post. I shouldn’t have expected more from Antoine Fuqoa, who only has one great movie under his belt (Training Day) and all the rest in his filmography range from okay to bad.

You might think I hate the movie like the critics do. Well I don’t. The critics were completely full of shit with whining about the allegations not being in it, despite the movie literally trying to and the possibility of a sequel. But when has the media been fair to Michael?

There was one silver lining. While my theater was not packed, it had a majority of the seats filled. And the audience was really getting into it. Laughing and even dancing to the music. Nothing too crazy, but you can tell they love Michael Jackson and love re-experiencing his great music and live/video performances again. So that is something that I am happy about, that people are falling in love with MJ all over again. In that regard, I want this movie to do well financially both for the community bonding over Michael and admittedly out of spite for the media.

That being said, I’m upset because Michael Jackson deserved better. He shouldn’t have a biopic that’s just alright, it should have been amazing. The world’s greatest entertainer deserved a movie (or preferably a miniseries) reflective of the fascinating, tragic, and groundbreaking life and career he had, and this movie does not deliver on that. The Estate just saw another marketing opportunity for Michael’s music and did the bare minimum making it so they can get an easy return on investment. Even by their standards (The Cirque du Soleil and Broadway shows were amazing), this was just a huge missed opportunity. The movie gets a 5/10 from me.

But what did you guys think? Whether you agree or disagree, be sure to let me know as I’m very interested in your opinions.
 
We'll never get a movie that goes into detail about his life and fans have to accept that. The movie was very meh and nothing worth seeing twice......people praised Jaafar but to me, he was cringe in a few scenes, mostly in the Thriller short film and Bad clips.
 
dam2040 said:
There's a very quick "big nose" remark - why didn't they double down on it?
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Yes. As much as the movie focuses on Joe as the antagonist, I felt they spent way too little time explaining why MJ became who he was as an adult. Yes, there's the one beating and the fleeting big nose comment (so fleeting I doubt any non-fan would even pick up on it), but very shortly and abruptly after that we see adult MJ fairly randomly getting a nose job and building a zoo at Hayvenhurst. In the latter scene Joe even functions like the straight man, observing the 'silly madness' as though he's the stand-in for the viewer. Overall his portrayal just felt too cartoony to me, and not menacing enough.

Similarly, I felt Hayvenhurst seemed a bit too cozy. Fun popcorn nights, the brothers always supportive and in a great mood, animals walking around everywhere. I'm sure all that was there, but we know how lonely MJ felt at the time, and how suffocating and intimidating Joe being present in that house must have been for him. It comes across a little in the scenes in his room (which were quite good), but I think not nearly enough.

Even with all the limitations they faced, I do think they could have fairly easily added more depth to the film.

But it is what it is. I went in with zero expectations and enjoyed myself. Certainly not a great film, but not the disaster the critics make it out to be either. Jaafar and Juliano Valdi did a really good job - that's probably the best portrayal of MJ we can realistically expect from anyone.
 
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