Luiz Fernando
@Luiz_Fernando_J
Just watched
#MICHAEL this afternoon, and it’s EASILY and by far the most entertaining, accessible, crowd pleasing biopic I’ve ever seen.
#AntoineFuqua crafted this music biopic as the ultimate communal cinematic experience, where
#JaafarJackson soars achieving what I thought to be impossible task of reviving
#MichaelJackson in front of our eyes as he disappears into the king of pop’s persona and makes us believe the megastar is once again alive & at his peak!Structurally, the film follows a very straight forward narrative, more like a TV series, less like a complex character examination. And yes, it is shamelessly a celebration of the myth of Michael Jackson, but above all, it gifts Michael & his fans with the empathy usually denied to megastars & specially denied to Michael Jackson. That in itself is the most rebellious act this film could have delivered, in a day and age when it became socially acceptable to condemn and to cancel at any cost while the “walk in my shoes” motto is less and less appreciated & practiced.It’s also a movie about family.Not the idealistic one Hollywood often promotes. The real family, with all its shades, where love, hate, exploitation, manipulation, indifference, partnership, brotherhood, union and loneliness are all present, and where
#ColmanDomingo shines as business obsessed, abusive & oppressive father figure
#JoeJackson, while
#NiaLong as the classic abnegated matriarch
#KatherineJackson plays by the rules and fails to protect her sons from her husband & suffers in silence for that, trying to do her best when his husband is not looking.But as the Jackson’s mother says to Michael “don’t let anyone prevent you from shining your light, not even yourself” and the movie takes that lesson close to heart, using
#Michael’s unmatched musical & dancing talent to shine brighter than the darkness, solitude & disgrace of his real, private life.And there is when
#MICHAEL soars, delivering unrivalled entertainment with competent editing & montage of some of the most iconic moments of Michael’s career. But it all only works so powerfully because
#JaafarJackson gives his all & transfigured into his uncle, with such a precise voice & movement work that it seems absurd to think he is not a seasoned actor. I don’t even know if any seasoned actor would be able to achieve what he has.Watching
#Michael in a Dolby cinema made the loud, larger than life musical scenes feel epic, powerful and exhilarating. It’s impossible to prevent your feet & arms from reacting instinctively to the iconic beats. And that’s the biggest triumph of the film, the communal experience of a whole auditorium overwhelmed by the same moments in the same way.The final musical act which also culminates into a turning point we long awaited for as the set up finally pays off, literally makes you leave the theatre in the mood for fun & for shining your own light, despite anything negative going on in your life, like Michael in this film is portrayed doing over and over again. Because music and dance can heal the world and bring people together. Words from Michael himself.
#Michael does not try to reinvent the wheel, nor does it try to subvert what the collective consciousness knows - or believes it does - about Michael and his family.There is no self indulgence here. It’s clearly a film carefully designed for audiences to enjoy and for fans to love and feel like his idol was respected, celebrated and treated by the filmmakers with the compassion and empathy he unfortunately rarely had while alive.Yeah, the controversies outside Michael’s already controversial family drama are nowhere to be seen. But I won’t be hypocrite here, and I have to admit that I haven’t missed them! If this was a character deep dive, yeah, I would be disappointed. But as the celebratory, entertaining experience it sells itself as, I think it succeeds as it is.
#Michael is already in Cinemas, but officially opens in the US this FRI.
