“Michael” Celebrates Everything Great About Music – Film Review

Added: 2026-04-29

[00:00:00]Music biopics seem to have been everywhere in the last few years. We have seen a real influx in music biopics. So, when I saw a trailer for the newest Michael about Michael Jackson, I thought do we really need another music biopic? And the answer is yes, because Michael celebrates everything that is good and everything that is right and everything that is great about the art form of music, the freedom of expression, the freedom of expression of that talent of movement, the expression of that sheer talent and joy of life, that creativity, that ingenuity that Michael Jackson had. This film I would say, without knowing the full story, is probably a sanitized version of the whole story. I would certainly expect. There are some darker undertones here. There are some things that you can infer from what's going on here, particularly from Michael's childhood. It is somewhat polished, but that actually makes this really, really good. It tells a great story of an individual at its heart with bags of vocal talent, ingenuity, creativity, and the joy of the art form. What Michael did so well, particularly with some of his early films, those short films that are in effect music videos, is that it brings two great art forms, cinema, video, film, and music both together in that MTV age. What an icon Michael Jackson was. There's great music in this throughout from the '60s, the Motown infused stuff from the Jackson 5, Gladys Knight's is here as well.

[00:01:26]And then you've got Michael's solo output from Off the Wall to Bad, where the film ends. The film ends in 1987.

[00:01:33]And I'm absolutely fine with this film not going any further on than Bad, because I'm aware, somewhat aware of the later allegations and negativity in Michael's life. But ultimately, what's the point on dwelling on them? This is a celebration of Michael Jackson's life, not knowing any of the other reviews.

[00:01:49]Maybe that's something that those reviews are criticizing.

[00:01:52]And I'm not that I'm blasé about that, that there might be some negativity afterwards, some allegations of some serious stuff. But this film to me was a celebration of Michael Jackson, the icon, Michael Jackson, the music, and Michael Jackson, the overall joy of music. I had a really, really good time with this film. The last biopic that I really enjoyed, and immensely enjoyed, was the Elvis biopic. And the Elvis biopic told the whole story. But that worked because, I think for the Elvis film, it had to tell the whole story to have that more rounded, tragic tragedy in that film. Elvis was overworked in the '70s, and that tragic ending makes it all the more a tragic story. But this, in contrast, was very much the beginning, although, when you think that this begins 20 odd years before it ends, maybe it's not the beginning. Maybe it's a new beginning, not to give too many spoilers away. But there's a grappling here between family, the values of family, and Michael himself. And I didn't think this needs to go any further than it did. In terms of the story it told, it told a very good one and a very compelling one for me. The Elvis film, yes, more compelling and more impactful for me, but Elvis is a really high bar. Elvis is one of my favorite films. This is still very good.

[00:03:05]And as I said earlier, I just can't honestly think why there is any bad press about this, any really bad press anyway. People, of course, are entitled to have their own view on a film, not like a film.

[00:03:17]I felt that at points this wasn't a five-star film throughout. It was really good at points, and it dipped a little bit at points, sure, but it certainly wasn't a bad film. And for people to be almost offended or really disliking what they saw, I just couldn't see that in this film.

[00:03:31]And so far this year we've had Elvis Presley in concert. We even had Song Sung Blue, the Neil Diamond tribute band film. And now Michael this year, all of which, in different ways, can celebrate the music that that the impact that music has on us. In Elvis Presley in concert, that raw concert feel and the joy that Elvis is having, his band is having, the audience is having. In Song Sung Blue, the tribute band and how the music can transcend generations and carry on. And then in Michael, the just sheer brilliance of Michael as a as a performer, as an artist, brilliant. Both from the artist and the audience that lap it up. But then, of course, you've got on the the other side, the cost of fame. All these films, to a degree, are going to tell similar stories, because I think a lot of artists grapple with the same issues. But the problem I had with the Springsteen film, Deliver Me From Nowhere, is that it was just too it was just too morose and depressing, if you will. Whereas, this, and I guess that maybe wasn't a music film at its heart. That was more a story about mental health, possibly. But this one really tells the story of another cultural icon in a brilliant time that I actually wish I was there at that time, because I was born in the 2000s, after that time of such icons in the '80s as Michael Jackson, Prince, George Michael, Madonna, Freddie Mercury, etc., etc. That list could go on. And you know what? I'm not bothered about picking who was the biggest. Was Elvis the biggest?

[00:04:55]Was Michael Jackson the biggest? You know what? I don't really care, because they all contributed to music and that great, varied art form. And you can look at that with Michael himself. Not being a Michael head as such, I know some of the greatest hits. I think from this I might well go and listen to some more of my Michael's music. But from what I've heard, you've got that blend of soul, funk, R&B, even some rock influences with the likes of Eddie Van Halen's great solo on Beat It.

[00:05:23]And the one other thing that this really does, I talked a little bit about tribute bands, but what this film does is keeps the music alive. I know somebody of my age would know Michael Jackson's music. As the years go on, though, is that going to dwell away a little bit? Now we've entered that more nostalgic retro period for more '90s music, the likes of Oasis. I wonder whether Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, George Michael, as I've mentioned, those icons from the '80s, whether those will stay relevant. Seems a shame for them not to, because this music is so timeless. And another thing I've been watching this morning from this, again, it inspires you to go down a bit of a rabbit hole. I've had this for a long time, my Michael Jackson number ones, the DVD. This was another thing that the record companies used to put out and be able to fleece you for for money before all this stuff became free to watch on YouTube. But it's no algorithms, no adverts, so very good this. And particularly the Thriller video, it's just absolutely brilliant, an iconic in its own right, just brilliant. Still really enjoyed it. More pleasantly, because I think I wasn't expecting to enjoy this. I was really vibing with the music, really enjoying the music. And the film ends, not to spoil anything, there's an extended concert piece at the end. I was wondering when it was going to finish.

[00:06:35]But to be honest, I was quite happy just to watch the concert piece, and I would have been happy just to watch 30, 45 minutes of that concert piece. And I don't know if that's inspired by watching the Elvis concert film, I'm not sure. But nevertheless, really, really good. The acting, compelling, believable. I believe that this is Michael Jackson, something that other biopics have had against them, and I think that's helped, I'm sure, by his nephew Jaafar playing him as a older, more adult self. But the child was brilliant as playing Michael. The actors around him are great. I think his mother and his father are both really compelling managers. Managers?

[00:07:10]Characters, I was reading something else. His manager, which I was going to say. He also managed Neil Diamond, by the way, his manager did. I liked that bit. The pictures on the wall at the CBS office, you've got Bruce Springsteen's The River, you've got Journey's Escape.

[00:07:22]I just love the attention to detail with these music films, if they're done right. And there's so much, I think, for for me as a music fan that maybe more of a film, not music fan, might get from this. So, that's why I wanted to share my angle of this. Another film I think I need to go back and watch after watching this is Bohemian Rhapsody, which I watched years and years and years ago at the cinema, but I have got it to be able to watch it at home. Because at the time I was critical of the details that that film didn't get right, what happened and what didn't happen. Whereas, I don't know all of this story, and I've said this before, that I do wonder that there are the biopics of the artists that I, not saying don't like, but don't know a lot about. Bob Dylan last year was another good example. I really enjoyed those. Is it more that I'm going in with the likes of Freddie knowing more of the story and going, "Well, that didn't happen. This isn't an accurate representation."

[00:08:12]The Michael Jackson story is the same as that Bob Dylan idea, that I don't know all of the story. So, for me, I'm not bothered whether it's totally accurate or it's not totally accurate, unless it's, of course, it's totally misleading. I've got a bit of a problem with that. But unless if it bends the truth slightly to give a bit of a net better you know, that's okay. And I don't really want to go further into this story. I know there are documentaries and blah, blah, blah.

[00:08:35]I'm happy just to leave it with the sanitized version that I've got and just enjoy the music. You can see some of the CDs I've got of Michael Jackson behind me. And I had, if you couldn't tell already, a great time. I think we've been inundated with biopics. Not that I've seen them all, but I've certainly seen a few over the last few years. I don't know if it's just because I'm more conscious of it, but there seems to be more now than there are ever. And actually, given the icon that Michael Jackson is, I'm actually amazed it took this long to serve the Michael Jackson story up. But for me, it's a brilliant film. I'd probably give it, on a good day, which is a good day today, I'll give this a nine out of 10. So, this is definitely one to watch, and while you can, one to definitely see on the big screen.