Despite some red tape holding up the movie earlier this year, we finally have the first trailer and release date for Michael. We get some great glimpses into how the film will portray moments from the late Michael Jackson's career, but my biggest takeaway is just how much his nephew, Jaafar Jackson, resembles the King of Pop.
After nearly falling apart due to legal problems with the third act, it looks like Michael is going to hit on all the high points of Jackson's career. Based on the trailer, it appears that the movie will cover Jackson's rise to prominence in the Jackson 5, as well as his peak success as the world's biggest pop recording artist.
Jaafar Jackson Looks Just Like Michael Jackson
The highlight of the footage for me is Jaafar Jackson, the son of Michael's brother Jermaine. I'm glad the movie went the Straight Outta Compton route, and I make this comparison because to me, this is as spot on as when O'Shea Jackson Jr. played his father, Ice Cube. Michael wouldn't work if the lead actor didn't resemble one of the biggest celebrities Earth has ever seen, and it likely would've held the movie back, especially during the pre-release where social media responses can make or break a project.
Is The Scope Of The Movie Too Ambitious?
CinemaBlend saw footage of Michael a long time ago at CinemaCon, and one valid concern about the movie also arose with the Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody. This appears to be an attempt to encapsulate Jackson's entire career in a single movie, and given that he was famous for decades, that seems like an impossible task.
The movie appears to cover the highlights of Jackson's career, but it remains to be seen how much of the less savory aspects will be addressed. We do know for sure that the movie's third act, which initially involved the allegations of "sexual offense contacts" with 13-year-old Jordan Chandler, had to be removed due to a legal agreement with the family never to dramatize that event.
It's also worth noting that Jackson's daughter, Paris Jackson, announced she had distanced herself from the movie in September. The pop star's daughter said that she provided notes about aspects of the script that didn't sit right with her, and when they were ignored, she decided to move on. Jackson did note, however, that the movie will likely be loved by his dedicated fandom, which still lives in the "fantasy" of what his career was like. It's an interesting perspective, and one that almost makes me want to see the movie more to get an idea of what she's talking about.
I'm thrilled to see Michael when it arrives in theaters on April 24th. We'll see if the final cut of the film lives up to the hype in this trailer, and has us bumping the late pop singer's hits all over again.