Michael

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, Michael follows Jaafar Jackson’s Michael Jackson as he overcomes an abusive (yet successful) childhood to become one of the most popular and famous musicians on the planet. Filmmaker Fuqua, armed with John Logan’s screenplay, delivers a watchable yet rather underwhelming biopic that’s hindered by its almost aggressive adherence to the genre’s conventions and structure – with the picture, generally speaking, unfolding exactly as one might’ve anticipated and dwelling on episodes of a decidedly (and increasingly) tiresome nature. (This is particularly true of the recurring emphasis on Michael’s been-there-done-that relationship with his abusive father, Colman Domingo’s Joseph Jackson.) It’s clear, then, that Michael‘s passable vibe is due predominantly to its stirring performances, with Jackson’s strong work as the controversial protagonist matched by eclectic periphery players like Miles Teller and Mike Myers, and assortment of undeniably electrifying music numbers, with, in terms of the latter, Fuqua offering up extended (and impressively accurate) renditions of such iconic Jackson songs as Thriller and Bad – which, despite an often palpably overlong running time, ultimately confirms the picture’s place as a decent-enough endeavor that serves as an okay primer into the King of Pop’s life and career.

**1/2 out of ****