A Biopic That Locks the "King of Pop" Inside a Jukebox [Slate]

"Michael" Is Just a List of Hits, Neglecting the Inner Life
Finds the Peter Pan Metaphor, But Fails to Lead Us Deeper

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, "Michael" is a film that explores the life of Michael Jackson. Spanning from the formation of the Jackson 5 in the 1960s to his peak in the 1980s, the film follows the familiar formula of musical biopics, resulting in only a superficial portrayal of its subject's inner world. The "King of Pop," known for his controversy and boundary-pushing career, is ultimately reduced here to an overly one-dimensional character.

Still cut from the movie "Michael".

A Portrait Trapped in a Jukebox

"Michael" relies on the genre conventions solidified since "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2018): arranging hit songs in chronological order and recreating stage performances. However, this framework alone cannot capture the full essence of Michael Jackson. He was a star with not only artistic genius but also a complex inner life and a controversial existence. He broke racial barriers and reshaped popular culture, while also being at the center of constant controversy and misunderstanding.

Yet, the world portrayed on screen is fragmented and shallow. The brothers are relegated to the background, and his mother Katherine Jackson is confined to a few consoling moments. The adoring yet cold public, fellow musicians, and the barriers he faced as a Black artist are either omitted or glossed over.

Instead of tracing the trajectory of creativity forged in conflict with the times, what remains is merely the conflict with his father, Joe Jackson. Even this only repeats confrontations without deepening the character's dimensionality. Notably, even after the scene where Michael fires his father, his inner transformation is not concretely depicted.

Movie still cut from the film "Michael".

The acting also leaves much to be desired. Jafaar Jackson, Michael's nephew, physically resembles his uncle to a remarkable degree, but his focus on replicating Michael's high-pitched voice limits the range of emotional expression. Similarly, Colman Domingo's portrayal of Joe Jackson is hampered by heavy prosthetic makeup, making his expressions feel monotonous.

The film also falls short in depicting the creative process. The background behind the birth of hit songs is scarcely revealed, with only the filming of the "Thriller" music video being recreated in any detail. Collaborations with producer Quincy Jones, work with choreographers, and trial-and-error in the recording studio are all depicted only in fragments. By listing end results without exploring what lies beneath, the film ends up functioning as a giant jukebox. While it may provide nostalgia for fans, it falls far short of conveying the dramatic life and artistic journey of an individual.

Stills from the movie 'Michael'.

Direction That Ignores the Neverland Tragedy

Director Fuqua begins Michael's story with the violence inflicted by his father. He wields the whip, demanding perfect choreography and vocals. Absolute terror may drive the blossoming of genius, but it also destroys a person's inner world.

Even as an adult, Michael cannot put down J.M. Barrie's novel "Peter Pan." Peter Pan is not simply an innocent boy—he is a tragic figure, forever trapped in the present and stripped of memory. Michael's obsession with the book and his collection of pets can be read as attempts to escape a cruel history and seek refuge in myth. If the adult world is a stage of violence ruled by his father, then Neverland becomes a defense mechanism to freeze time and sever that causal chain.

The film depicts Michael firing his father and gaining independence as the completion of self-reliance. However, Neverland is not a space of liberation. It is a wall that postpones identity by refusing to grow up, and a territory for 'lost children' who cannot return to their mother's embrace.

Movie still cut from "Michael".

The real Neverland that Michael created was also a refuge cut off from reality. He built a fairytale environment with amusements and a zoo, but its owner, unable to grow, became depleted. Just as Peter Pan is trapped in an eternal present, forgetting the past, Michael's effort to erase trauma halted the accumulation of experience.

John Logan's screenplay fails to fully develop the Peter Pan metaphor to this point. It merely shows the act of cutting off Captain Hook's hand and feeding it to the crocodile as a symbolic rupture in adult time. By ignoring the psychological collapse brought on by frozen time, the film cannot convey the artist's struggle to become myth. It ends up as nothing more than the portrait the bereaved family wanted.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.