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The Official 'Michael' Bio-Pic Thread

alanram said:
That’s just untrue. The film is way too expository. The producers did not follow the number one rule of storytelling: show, don’t tell. You don’t see his loneliness, his struggles with the media, or vitiligo. You just hear them talking about these things at very specific beats. The movie does this so you can’t say anything is not covered, while, in fact, nothing is truly covered.
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Pardon me I see where the pushback comes from now. Maybe “great” was the wrong word to use. I’d say it did a good job humanizing him. For it to be great it had to dig deeper
 
Themidwestcowboy said:
Pardon me I see where the pushback comes from now. Maybe “great” was the wrong word to use. I’d say it did a good job humanizing him. For it to be great it had to dig deeper
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The point is that there’s no dramatic weight in anything that is said, simply because you don’t see it—you just hear it in a very expository way. It doesn’t feel natural, and it fails to add depth to Michael’s character. Contrary to what I’ve seen people saying, I think this movie does not present Michael in a different light in any way. It portrays him as a shallow person, lacking courage but with a good heart. His main struggle throughout the whole movie is to get out of his father’s management, but the film takes no time to explain why he wants that so badly. The character just repeatedly says:

“I wanna do my own thing.”
“I just wanna be myself.”

The film takes one of Michael’s known struggles and builds the whole plot around it. But even that core dilemma isn’t fully developed. The entire plot is carried by Domingo’s performance, which manages to add a bit of realism to a story that is otherwise sugarcoated and incomplete.
 
Themidwestcowboy said:
This is my review of the Movie and beware, it’s a bit long but I think I got my points across.



Michael review: The curse of the three-act structure

1: Opening Experience: Atmosphere

The atmosphere at the cinema was awesome. There were so many different people there, old, young, white, black, brown. Many were wearing MJ apparel. People were singing his songs both before and after the movie, and it just struck me how incredible Michael’s reach truly is. He really unites people all over the world. It was very heartwarming to see. People were singing, laughing, and crying during the movie, and I didn’t expect that kind of reaction.

2: What the film does well

A human side of Michael:

I have to say that I disagree very much with the notion that this movie didn’t humanize Michael. On the contrary, I think it did a great job showing why he was the way he was. His loneliness and isolation from being famous at such a young age, which led to him having pets as friends, was heartbreaking (although I think they overdid it with the animals). There is also something that was very understated but was there nonetheless, his tendency to avoid conflict. Although it was mainly a response to his father, it planted the seed that it stemmed from his childhood. It also did a good job of showing his altruism, visiting kids and giving them gifts and everything. The Pepsi and the hospital sequence was handled with care, and that was actually my favorite part of the movie.

Jaafar as Michael on and off stage:

Jaafar completely nailed it. He became Michael, and I really had to do a double take many times. Everything from his mannerism to his voice, it was pitch perfect. It wasn’t a parody. I bought into it more than I did when Jaafar actually performed. This may be because I’m so used to how MJ performs that when something isn’t 100 percent correct, it takes me out. But even then, his stage performances were great. They couldn’t truly have found someone better. At first, I was a bit skeptical of the inclusion of the Bad performance and how it would flow in the overall narrative, but man, I was completely immersed. That was a strong way of ending the movie.

Coleman Domingo as Joe

Coleman Domingo, what a performance! I was on the edge of my seat every time he was on screen. They had him moving like a Batman villain. As soon as a door closed, there he was, face covered in shadows, waiting lol. This was a powerful performance. The story made him a bit one dimensional (and let’s be honest, almost all supporting characters were one dimensional), but I think it worked.

Visuals and production design

For the most part, I thought that the art direction was great. The clothes were fantastic, very true to real life. I also thought the stage designs for the live shows were good. Some parts looked a bit fake with the CGI and what not, but that is to be expected. I kept thinking to myself, “Imagine seeing the Bad Tour in this quality with these angles” haha.




3: Where the film falls short

Underdeveloped portrayal of his musicianship:

I was very disappointed with this. I wasn’t expecting a detailed breakdown of how the songs came together, but I was expecting more of Michael’s musicianship as the author of his most beloved songs. I think Bohemian Rhapsody did a better job with this. We got short beatboxing and some lyrics, and that was it. It would have been so great to actually show him guiding the musicians in the studio. Imagine showing the creation of Billie Jean where MJ beatboxes the bass line, and then him stopping them and saying something like


“No, it needs to be more emphasis on the first bass note.
DUN dun dun dun dun, DUN dun dun dun. You got it?”

And then him briefly showing how to get the drum groove correct, saying:


“Yeah! yeah, that’s smelly!”

And then someone, preferably Quincy, asking how he remembers all the details, and then we get the famous lines:


“It’s all inside my head. Every string part, everything.”

I’m just thinking out loud, but I think this was a missed opportunity.




A story constrained by the Three-Act Structure/ Heroes Journey:

This is actually the main thesis of my review, the curse of the three act structure and the hero’s journey. I just don’t think it works for biopics. Because of this structure, they had to settle on an obstacle to doubt to failing to overcoming the obstacle. This became the breaking free from Joe and the family arc, and everything had to serve this direction. Every choice, cramming unnecessary parts together, became a victim of this. Important moment in his life, both personal and artistic, felt like transitions rather than fully realized experiences. This led to surface level exploration. Things happened to him, yes, but we didn’t see the psychological reaction to them except for surface reactions like the vitiligo, nose surgery (this was very heartbreaking though, a very touching scene). These things happened at the height of his career. Imagine being the biggest celebrity in the world, the most photographed person, relying on your appearance as part of your brand, and now a disease starts to change that. What’s going on inside? There must have been so much internal conflict. Now imagine another layer, you suffer third degree burns to your head and now have to wear wigs or hairpieces for the rest of your life. There’s so much internal conflict to explore, but unfortunately, they only touched the surface because they had to move on. Everything had to serve the three act structure of Michael breaking free from Joseph and the family. It just didn’t allow enough time for the narrative to breathe.

Overextended Jackson 5 section:

I never thought I’d say this but I think the Jackson 5 overstayed their welcome. This is just my arm chair director opinion, but they could have used much of the Jackson 5 material as quick flashbacks when something needed to be referenced instead of cramming it all together in the beginning. I understand how vital this part is for understanding him, but I felt it dragged a little too much. I do disagree with what some people have expressed here regarding the need to show Michael go through more harm by the hands of Joe. We don’t need to see a child get beaten repeatedly. The first time was enough and the other allusions to it were fine.



4: The inevitable fan nitpicks

Of course, as a fan, I have trivial complaints lol. There were too many inaccuracies, such as:


Michael wearing the striped pants for the final Victory Tour

Him not wearing a jacket during the beginning of WBSS

Working Day and Night replacing Shake Your Body Down in the farewell speech

Them singing Never Can Say Goodbye before being signed to Motown (wtf?)

John Branca.

This isn’t really a complaint, but did Jonathan Moffett play drums on the recreations? His playing style is so distinct and it felt a bit different in certain parts. I could be wrong, but that’s how it felt to me.

All in all, I may have been slightly disappointed with this movie (I wasn’t really expecting the next Godfather), but I really did have a good time and I did enjoy it. People around me were laughing, crying, singing along during the movie and it was such a communal experience. It’s no secret that we as MJ fans have had some difficult years leading up to this, and it felt, and still feels, so great that we could come together and celebrate this thing for Michael, even if we didn’t love the movie.



Rating: 7.0/10
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I have to agree with most of your review. The cinema experience was simply magical. It felt different in the best possible way to see that level of hype around Michael Jackson again, especially after years of tabloids and constant accusations.

I also felt your nitpick about Working Day and Night replacing Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) at first, but then I realized it works as a symbolic choice. Michael saying goodbye while Working Day and Night plays feels like he’s telling Joe he carried everything and now he’s done.

On a deeper level, it was actually clever.

I’m okay-ish with what we got in the end. There were clearly a lot of things cut or avoided for legal reasons, so I can’t fully blame them for taking the safer route.

Maybe the second movie will dive more into Michael’s musical genius, especially during the era when he was at his creative peak. That would be the perfect chance to show the side of Michael Jackson that casual audiences rarely understand. Not just the performer, but the visionary creator.
 
innuendo141 said:
I think you are mixing up a movie vs a documentary. A movie is entertainment, art and escapism.

You are looking for a documentary.
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I doubt that's the case. I'd go watch Moonwalker if re-released, and back in the day, did go o for MIB 2 only because of Mike's cameo.

Just not interested in Myles Frost, Jafar or even others singing Mike's songs (like the 30th anniversary tribute).
 
Been in a bit of a low mood so still not been to the cinema yet to see the movie but am delighted to see such high audience scores and it’s making mega amounts of money on opening weekend too.

A big STFU to the haters and critics!

I can’t believe how much the audience seem to really love this movie and can’t wait for part 2. Seen reports of people going to see it more than once.

Also a lot of comments from people saying it takes them back to their childhood and happy memories. I think many people have forgotten just how much a special talent MJ was.

He is truly back in a big way ❤️
 
Themidwestcowboy said:
Working Day and Night replacing Shake Your Body Down in the farewell speech
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I also wondered this, but my fiancée suggested it was a creative decision. In the context of the script, MJ quitting the band while singing a song about being worked to the bone (and looking Joseph right in the eye when he does it) holds quite a bit of narrative weight and character development. Given that they used MJ’s speech verbatim and thus referenced the real video, I’m inclined to believe she’s right.
 
Moonwalker1992 said:
I have to agree with most of your review. The cinema experience was simply magical. It felt different in the best possible way to see that level of hype around Michael Jackson again, especially after years of tabloids and constant accusations.

I also felt your nitpick about Working Day and Night replacing Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) at first, but then I realized it works as a symbolic choice. Michael saying goodbye while Working Day and Night plays feels like he’s telling Joe he carried everything and now he’s done.

On a deeper level, it was actually clever.

I’m okay-ish with what we got in the end. There were clearly a lot of things cut or avoided for legal reasons, so I can’t fully blame them for taking the safer route.

Maybe the second movie will dive more into Michael’s musical genius, especially during the era when he was at his creative peak. That would be the perfect chance to show the side of Michael Jackson that casual audiences rarely understand. Not just the performer, but the visionary creator.
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AlwaysThere said:
I also wondered this, but my fiancée suggested it was a creative decision. In the context of the script, MJ quitting the band while singing a song about being worked to the bone (and looking Joseph right in the eye when he does it) holds quite a bit of narrative weight and character development. Given that they used MJ’s speech verbatim and thus referenced the real video, I’m inclined to believe she’s right.
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Yes, now that I think about it I’m inclined to agree with both of you regarding Working Day and Night. I first thought it had something to do with Randy being the co-writer, but your explanations makes much more sense.
 
I'm seeing the film for the fourth time in the cinema, this time in IMAX and the original language. All I care about now is the visuals and the feeling of being close to Michael; we can't change the story anymore.
 
Moonwalker1992 said:
I also felt your nitpick about Working Day and Night replacing Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) at first, but then I realized it works as a symbolic choice. Michael saying goodbye while Working Day and Night plays feels like he’s telling Joe he carried everything and now he’s done.
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Completely overlooked that you said this way before me, haha. Yes, definitely enjoy the decision.
 
Many non-fans I spoke to who watched the film said they wanted to see more of Michael's creativity, for example, how exactly he wrote the song or how he had control of the recording studio, and that all of that was missing.
 
AlwaysThere said:
Completely overlooked that you said this way before me, haha. Yes, definitely enjoy the decision.
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Haha, no worries at all. I actually see it as a nice confirmation that we picked up on the same detail. Always cool when someone else catches and appreciates those little details too.
 
us box office this weekend ( estimations):

friday ( $39,900,000)
saturday ( $32,500,000)
sunday ( $25,000,000).
 
Alyssa said:
Hey @Arklove , what did you think of the biopic?
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Hey girl! I've seen it twice now and I thought it was phenomenal! Blown away by Jaafar, his mannerisms and everything else were spot on. I thought the plot was a little weak and I wish they would have elaborated on a lot of moments but otherwise I thought it was fantastic and I really enjoyed it. How about you?
 
Arklove said:
Hey girl! I've seen it twice now and I thought it was phenomenal! Blown away by Jaafar, his mannerisms and everything else were spot on. I thought the plot was a little weak and I wish they would have elaborated on a lot of moments but otherwise I thought it was fantastic and I really enjoyed it. How about you?
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Honestly the mannerisms and even the wee laugh...just spot on. At times you'd certainly think it was Michael. I get you about the plot, it definitely was a bit lack-luster. But to see the story on the big screen in high defo was amazing. I felt so emosh watching.


Ps... Jaafar as mj...hello 😉 lol
 
Alyssa said:
Honestly the mannerisms and even the wee laugh...just spot on. At times you'd certainly think it was Michael. I get you about the plot, it definitely was a bit lack-luster. But to see the story on the big screen in high defo was amazing. I felt so emosh watching.


Ps... Jaafar as mj...hello 😉 lol
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That's for sure 🥵
 
Many people talking about Jaafar’s ass 😂particularly during the Human Nature scene!

He’s hot property at the moment
 
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