The Michael Jackson movie, aptly named Michael, is set to release this week, and ahead of its premiere, the film has been receiving mostly negative reviews from critics. However, one aspect of the movie, Jaafar Jackson’s performance, is shining through what many consider to be a bad movie.
Why do critics hate the Michael Jackson movie?
On Rotten Tomatoes, Michael debuted to a 30% score with 60 reviews in already. While the audience score is likely to outweigh the critic score by some margin, the film is largely getting panned critically. Amongst some of the reviews, many criticize the movie for being nothing more than a hyper-positive look on the pop legend without delving too much into his more complicated background and later issues.
Den of Geek’s Joe George says “Michael‘s deification of its subject makes it hard to enjoy the film as anything other than a work of devotional art or camp of the highest level,” while the Associated Press’ Jake Coyle chides that “blindly believing only in that celebrity, in that fantasy, is repeating a sad history all over again.”
The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey also notes that all the movie does is “recreate, in mechanical style, the most famous visuals of Jackson’s career.” This underscores the larger critical issues with the film, in that it simply acts as a clip show of some of Jackson’s more iconic moments without ever really diving into the history of the star. While some legal issues stopped the film from diving into his child abuse allegations, many critics seem to have wanted more substance and a deeper diving into Jackson’s life beyond just his hit songs.
However, one aspect of the Michael movie has received praise from people even through the more negative reviews.
What are people saying about Jaafar Jackson in Michael
Despite the Michael Jackson movie largely getting panned critically, one aspect of the movie that remains praised is Jaafar Jackson’s performance. Jackson, the real-life nephew of Michael, stars as his uncle in the film and has received nothing but buzz about his role in the movie, even if the film isn’t received well.
USA Today’s Melissa Ruggieri notes Jackson has studied his uncle’s moves “to perfection,” and shares many of the traits of the pop legend. Financial Times’ Danny Leigh, in his negative review, notes Jackson’s moves are “picture perfect,” while The Playlist’s Gregory Ellwood notes the movie, and Jackson, help “quench a nostalgic thirst” for Jackson’s legendary career.
ComingSoon’s Jonathan Sim also praises Jaafar, noting that his performance is “transformative,” and that he does a great job channeling his uncle’s moves and likeness. Although its still early, the success of Michael combined with Jackson’s praise could earn him some award buzz toward the end of the year.
