Michael (film): A good film and a little conspiracy theory of mine to go along with it

I wanted to go and see this film when it was in theaters but my logic kicked in the day I was thinking of going to it. You see, I believe there are a few types of movies that are greatly enhanced by being in the theater and you can't replicate that same experience at home, no matter how much you spend on your home theater. These sorts of films are normally action or fantasy films and often they can be really good in the cinema even if the film isn't really that good. I use all the Jurassic Park films as an example here: none of those films are particularly noteworthy (outside of maybe the first one) yet they are continually very good experiences in the theater.

When it came to Michael, I really felt like this was a film that would be just fine at home and being in front of a huge screen with a loud sound system wasn't going to change the experience all that much, so I held off. I think me and my $25 or so made a wise decision here.

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I am old enough to have been aware of my surroundings for most of MJ's career although I was just a baby when the "Rock with You" album was released and I don't think I was born when the Jackson 5 were a big deal. I did see the meteoric rise of Jackson though and was a child when Thriller was released and yes, that was a very very big deal.

This movie documents Michael Jackson's departure from his family to being a solo artist and the main focus of the movie is about how his father Joseph was a rather oppressive figure in Michael's life, although you can't help but realize that had his father not been so much of a driving force that the world might not have known about Michael at all. He might just have been some dude in Indiana that was really good at karaoke had his Dad not been such an asshole.

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I gotta give some real credit to the cast here. If there is one person that would be very difficult to emulate it would probably be Michael Jackson. The reason why the world went so gaga for the dude is because of the fact that he was so unique and unusual. Even if you were not a fan of pop music you probably liked MJ's work. I always enjoyed Jackson's music even after I was in college and had kind of determined that metal was my thing. Michael Jackson was on of those musicians that had the following of everyone and I don't think many people were ashamed to admit this. I wasn't and I was very particular about what sort of music I would listen to.

This is kind of touched upon in the film and how everyone loved Michael, regardless of what they were all about. While I am sure some creative liberties were taken they state that MJ was inspired to get actual gangsters from the Bloods and Crips into the "Beat it" video after hearing about gang warfare on TV.

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his iconic look and high pitched voice are on full display in this film and I gotta hand it to Jaafar Jackson, who is Michael Jackson's actual nephew, for his portrayal of the "King of Pop."

I bet this was a tough sell to put this guy in that role because he doesn't exactly have a huge CV of acting experience. He is Jermaine Jackson's son.

If I hadn't looked that up I probably wouldn't have known but whether or not you are related by blood to Michael, you probably still have to work a ton in order to accurately emulate the man who is arguably the most famous musician of all time.

This movie concludes at the "Bad" (the album) portion of Michael's life and it is more about his struggles with his father than anything else. Speaking of which Colman Domingo is someone else who I am not all that familiar with despite the fact that he has won an Emmy and has been been nominated for two Oscars! His performance as Michael's father, Joseph, is absolutely outstanding and I guarantee it will result in another Oscar nomination and I'm betting on an Oscar win for best supporting actor.

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If you watch this film for no other reason you should do it for this. Not only does he absolutely nail the role of an oppressive but ultimately loving father, but they were able to make him genuinely look like Joseph the real person as well. It's kind of uncanny.

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Now briefly I want to discuss my conspiracy theory about this film. The documentary that recently dropped on Netflix about the child-exploitation trial about Michael Jackson didn't really present Michael in the best light. While they didn't go so far as to say that MJ was guilty and got away with it, they kind of hint at exactly that. The Jackson Family is still a money-making machine and always will be, and in a way I feel like this film's release date kind of feels like damage control in a way. The fact that it has made nearly a billion dollars in worldwide box-office take is just an added bonus.

Ok, that's all I have to say about that

Should I watch it?

I kind of think that all the people that were going to watch this already have done so or at least the HUGE box office would indicate that this is the case. However, if you are one of the people that has been avoiding seeing it for perhaps the same reasons that I did, you really should see this. I would be willing to bet that you will learn a thing or two about Michael and the rest of the Jackson family while doing so. Is it all true? Well, who knows? I would imagine there was a lot of creative liberty taken and of course they want to protect the Jackson family. Regardless though, this is a very entertaining film that takes us through the years before things started getting really strange with Michael.

I started the film up intending to watch just a bit of it and then go to bed but ended up watching all of it. For me anyway, that is a sign that a film is truly top drawer.

_{it is not yet possible to watch this anywhere as part of a basic subscription. You can legally rent it for around $20 (which I think is too much) on almost all streaming services. It is not available on Netflix and is unlikely to ever be.}