• Director: Antoine Fuque
• Screenplay: John Logan
• Cast: Jaafar Jackson, Colman Domingo, Nia Long, Juliano Valdi, Miles Teller, Laura Harrier
• Cinematography: Dion Beebe
• Editing: John Ottman, Harry Yoon, Conrad Buff IV, Tom Cross
• Score: Lior Rosner
• Genre: Musical biographical drama
• Runtime: 127 minutes

Michael Jackson was a trailblazer. A (once) black artist who captivated the world at a time when MTV initially refused to play the music videos of artists of colour. He definitely wasn’t a perfect person. There is a heavy cloud of controversy hanging above his head, and ultimately this biopic, due to the unsavoury allegations of child sexual abuse.

It doesn’t help that this film completely whitewashes (pardon the pun) his life. Granted, it covers the period 1966-1988, from Michael’s childhood to the ‘Bad’ tour of ’88 and these accusations started in 1993.

I still found it an uncomfortable watch. Not in terms of artistic merit though. The pacing is fine; there’s a lot of ground to cover in those two decades but it never feels rushed. Colman Domingo is solid as the tyrannical Joseph Jackson, more of a boss than a father to his sons. And the actor playing Jackson 5-era Michael, Juliano Valdi, is a real talent in the same way as the young Michael; untouched by the corrupting influence of fame.

It’s the glazing of Jackson I find distasteful. There wouldn’t be an interesting story without the element of struggle; in this case, the domestic abuse in the Jackson household. Yet portraying him as some sort of wholesome hero is something I can’t swallow. Whilst recuperating from the burns caused by the Pepsi incident, he spends time with children in hospital. What is meant to be touching comes off as creepy with context.

Most of Michael’s siblings minus Janet, who’s distanced herself from this project, and the deceased Tito, are listed as executive producers. Adult Michael is played by Jermaine’s son Jaafar. Very much keeping it in the family. You wouldn’t really expect such a close-knit clan to turn on their brother and portray him as a perverted child molester.

Despite the contentiousness, he’s a popular figure. The movie has done wonders at the box office and thus, there’s talk of a sequel covering the latter half of his life. Will Part 2 address the allegations directly? Or will it gloss over them in favour of more song-and-dance numbers?

“Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”? If the potential sequel continues this veneration, I think I’ve already had enough.

My rating: 5 / 10