‘Michael’ brings the magic back

(News4usonline) – With everything going on in the world today, a dose of good news has been far and between. 

The Lionsgate film “Michael” gives us a glimmer of hope and aspiration. Developed around the formative years of Michael Jackson’s life as well parts of his adulthood, “Michael” was made to showcase the humanity of the “Thriller” superstar. 

“Michael” is the kind of movie that is exactly what we need at this time and moment. The box office reflects as much. 

According to Box Office Mojo, Early numbers say that “Michael” made $97 million opening weekend and totaled more than $217 million ($217,365,000) globally. So, having gone to see “Michael” over the weekend, here’s my take on the film.  

This is a good movie in a lot of ways. From a historic perspective, it dives into the early life of Jackson and his famous brothers as they made the jump from humble beginnings to world renowned musicians and performers as The Jackson 5. 

The Jackson 5 was Jackson’s launch pad to superstardom as a solo artist. “Michael” is a fast-moving biopic that bounces around and attempts to touch every aspect of Jackson’s childhood and his growth into one of the greatest artist of all time. 

“Michael” is a visual trip down memory lane and galvanizes his legacy as to why he was widely celebrated as the King of Pop. Props should go to the two people chiefly responsible for re-creating the magic of Jackson, and that is Jaafar Jackson, the pop superstar’s nephew, and Juliano Valdi (Young Michael). 

Before we dive into the movie semantics, it would be unjust to not talk about the dual incredible performances by both actors. Both Jaafar Jackson and Valdi do wonders in bringing Jackson back to cinematic life. 

As the younger Michael, Valdi explodes as he comes across the screen. Valdi projects a young, vibrant, but vulnerable Jackson, whose youthful innocence on stage and off, gravitates you to his plight as a daydreamer who just wanted to be a normal kid. 

There is a scene near the beginning of the film (without giving away spoilers) where Valdi dramatically connects the raw emotion of the younger Michael going through a traumatic experience that brings you tears.    

As far as Mr. Jaafar Jackson is concerned, the first-time actor is simply sensational in portraying his famous uncle. 

For all the haters and critics, Jaafar Jackson must be given kudos for being lock-in-step with all of the movement, acing all the cadences, and nailing all the on-point dancing scenes that seemingly only Jackson could master. 

Jaafar Jackson simply owns every twist, every strut, and every dance step in “Michael” as if he were the one who created the magic. His performance is brilliant and it should be lauded. 

The revelation of “Michael” is not that it is groundbreaking, but it re-educates the general public just what kind of musical and global force Jackson was. 

Now imagine Jackson being in his prime knocking down chart-topping albums like “Off the Wall,” “Thriller” and “Bad” and busting out hits such as “Rock With You” and “Beat It” with social media being around. No artist today could compare to the social impact that Jackson had. 

As “Michael” runs through Jackson’s lineage of hits, starting with the Jackson 5,every person from the Baby Boomer and Generation X eras watching the film, has to feel a bit of nostalgia. Talk about taking a trip back down memory lane, “Michael”  does that and a whole more. 

The film allows you to travel back in time and recall the days of yesterday when life was much simpler and a different pathway moved in our lives. This odyssey called “Michael” puts into focus the struggles Jackson had in trying to establish his self-identity as an artist and as an individual away from his brothers. 

What gets in the way of Jackson’s ambitious solo aspirations is Joseph Jackson, his father. Joe Jackson is the patriarch of the Jackson family  and a strong, driving force behind the family dynasty. 

However, as “Michael” depicts, Joe Jackson was driven by power and control over his sons’ careers. That worked for awhile until Michael grew up and became a young man with his own thoughts and his own ideas of what his musical career would look like. 

When that happened, the control tug-o-war between Joe Jackson and Michael became more intense. “Michael” offers great performances by the supporting cast as well as the lead actors. 

Coleman Domingo shines as he dominates just about every scene he’s in as Joe Jackson. Nia Long offsets Coleman’s brutal embrace of Joe Jackson with a measured and incredibly nuanced portrayal of Katherine Jackson, Michael’s mother. 

And Larenz Tate is solid as music mogul Berry Gordy. Interesting thing to note is that outside of Katherine, the supposedly other two biggest female influences in Jackson’s rising career are missing in action. 

There is no Diana Ross. There is no Janet Jackson. There’s not even a mention of either of these two powerful musical giants. With that said, the power of “Michael” shows that the film is capable of standing on its own two feet without any help. 

Cover Art/Photo credit:  “Michael” – Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in Michael. Photo Credit: Glen Wilson