The Michael Jackson biopic is deep as a puddle – but will still make millions

The Michael Jackson biopic doesn’t have to be good, it merely has to serve up the musical artist’s back catalogue to his fans in a cinematic setting – and it does just that.

It also must provide a performer who can convince as Jackson, which it does twice over thanks not only to Jaafar Jackson, the legendary singer’s real-life nephew who uncannily channels the late star, but also Juliano Valdi, who is exceptional as the young Michael.

However, it otherwise fails to reveal anything about the so-called King of Pop that we don’t already know and avoids delving too far into the complicated man behind the musical myth and mammoth hits.

But it doesn’t need to, for this is the movie his fans want to see: a sanitised and sympathetic look at the pop pioneer, complete with a stuffed soundtrack that reels off hit after hit from his breakthrough days with the Jackson 5 in the 1960s through to the phenomenal success of his solo career in the 1980s.

It hasn’t much ambition beyond being an extended music video – the same art form that Jackson helped establish – but Michael has no requirement to be anything more than that.

And it’s essentially critic-proof because, no matter what I write, this movie is all-but guaranteed to rake in hundreds of millions at the box office.

Michael is comfortable to lay bare the well-documented brutality of patriarch Joe Jackson towards his kid, who he ruthlessly drills and shapes for stardom, but abruptly ends before it addresses any of the molestation allegations against Jackson which began in 1993.

In fairness this is because, as the Jackson estate (who served as a producer) has now learned to its cost, a clause in the settlement with one of the singer’s accusers, Jordan Chandler, prohibits his mention or inclusion in any movie.

This reportedly cost the production around $15million in reshoots, delayed release by a year and left it to screenwriter John Logan to rewrite the movie’s dramatic arc solely around Jackson’s rise to the top, the pressures of fame and the brutal treatment he faced at the hands of his father Joe (an admittedly quite terrifying Colman Domingo).

So far, so standard biopic fare, giving nothing particularly specific about Jackson other than emphasising the remarkableness of both his God-given talent and work ethic from a young age.

‘In this life, you’re either a winner or loser,’ Joe snaps at his kids, so it’s no surprise that the young Michael gravitates towards his mother Katherine (Nia Long), as well as ending up with a menagerie of pets – including an unconvincing CGI version of Bubbles the chimp – as his only friends. Kids his age only want to stare.

The movie does touch on his vitiligo, his lifelong insecurity about his nose (helped along by Joe) sparking plastic surgeries, and the Pepsi commercial incident which left him with second-degree burns. However it doesn’t really do enough to truly show the man Behind the Mask; it’s only painting in broad brushstrokes, and Antoine Fuqua’s direction barely registers.

But there’s no denying the magic of the songs, from I Want You Back? and Who’s Lovin’ You to Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, Thriller, Billie Jean and Bad.

The music is never rushed, with respect paid and an understanding of the hits and moments fans will want to see in full. Human Nature, in particular, sees Jaafar truly exude that once-in-a-lifetime star quality and movement. There is also technical mastery behind the movie’s ability to convince us that Jackson’s voice is coming out of both Jaafar and Juliano.

But otherwise a schmaltzy soundtrack plays during moments of heightened emotion from composer Lior Rosner that doesn’t help with Michael feeling distinctly ‘daytime TV movie’ in places.

Miles Teller and Mike Meyers also appear in small roles as key industry figures, but there’s very little for them to do other than act as plot devices in Jackson’s boundary-pushing musical journey.

Perhaps the most infuriating aspect is left until the (new) end though, where Jackson is at the pinnacle of his success and we’re simply told ‘his story continues’. How though, with all of the legal issues, remains a mystery.

Michael is released in cinemas tomorrow.

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