Michael Review:
Just finished watching Michael on Amazon Prime. First off, a quick heads-up if you’re going into this expecting a standard documentary with talking heads and archival footage—it’s actually a fully scripted, big-budget biographical movie.
Antoine Fuqua directed this, and he definitely brought some of that gritty, intense energy he’s known for. The story spans from the early Jackson 5 days in the 1960s right up to the Bad World Tour in the late ’80s. It’s a massive chunk of history to cram into one film, and writer John Logan manages the timeline decently, even if it feels a bit episodic. One minute you’re watching the kids rehearse in a cramped house in Gary, Indiana, and the next, you’re thrust into the absolute madness of the Thriller era.
The big question everyone had going in was whether Jaafar Jackson could actually play his uncle. Taking that on as your film debut is wild, but he honestly kills it. It never feels like a cheap Vegas impersonation. He captures the quiet, eccentric speaking voice just as well as the explosive stage presence. Juliano Valdi plays Michael as a kid, and he deserves a lot of credit too—especially in the heavy scenes showing the sheer pressure the brothers were under.
That pressure mostly comes from Colman Domingo, who plays Joe Jackson. He is terrifyingly good here, portraying Joe not just as a cartoon villain, but as a deeply demanding, complex force. The rest of the supporting cast is stacked, too. Nia Long brings a lot of heart as Katherine, Miles Teller is solid as John Branca, and seeing Mike Myers pop up was a total trip.
If I have any real gripes, it’s that the movie clearly wants to protect its subject. By cutting off the narrative in the late 1980s, it completely avoids the heaviest, most polarizing controversies of Michael’s later life. Because of that, it can feel a bit sanitized, like a authorized highlight reel. It’s also quite long, and you definitely start to feel the runtime in the final stretch.
Still, if you’re just looking for a look at the creative process behind the music and the sheer chaotic scale of his peak fame, it’s worth a stream this weekend. The recreations of the iconic music videos and live performances alone make it worth putting on.
