The Michael Jackson biopic "Michael" directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jafar Jackson is about to be released. However, the film encountered harsh reviews from the media in the early days of its release from ban. Among them, IGN only gave the film a score of 3, and bluntly stated in its review that the film "makes Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, one of the most controversial, electric and groundbreaking figures of the 20th century, extremely boring."
IGN pointed out in its review that the film's narrative is too rigid in the mechanical advancement of the timeline and the listing of highlight moments, resulting in an overall lack of real dramatic tension. Although the film attempts to cover the key points of Jackson's career from the Jackson 5 brothers to his adult career, this "jukebox-like" treatment only makes the character lose his soul. IGN specifically noted that the film's depiction of the complex relationship between Jackson and his father, Joe Jackson, was "drawn and silently repetitive" while other family members and band members were almost reduced to background.
On the performance level, IGN believes that the leading actor Jafar Jackson showed a serious attitude in imitating the appearance, especially in Jackson's quieter and introspective moments in the film, which showed a thoughtful side. However, in order to pursue an accurate imitation of Jackson's voice, the actor's lines were limited to a falsetto range, severely limiting the ups and downs of emotion. In addition, the film editing frequently switches to long shots or background shots during dialogue sections, so that the character's emotional expression always maintains a "safe distance" from the audience. IGN commented that this approach "processed Jackson's voice just as the father character's prosthetic makeup processed his expression in the film" and became an unexpected metaphor for the film's biggest mistake.
Director Antoine Fuqua's handling of the film was also criticized. IGN pointed out that Fuqua captured those stage performances that were supposed to change culture in a "dull, straightforward" way. Jackson's classic moment of performing "Billie Jean" live in 1983 and demonstrating the first moonwalk in the film looked "just another day at work" rather than a historical moment when an artist entered god-level mode. IGN felt that Fuqua lacked the visual energy and skill displayed by Baz Luhrmann in "Elvis" and was unable to capture any true dimension of Jackson as a person or performer.
The film also underwent major content adjustments during the production process. According to previous reports, the content in the original script involving Jackson's sexual assault accusations and subsequent legal proceedings was not included in the final film because the Jackson estate reached a settlement with the accusers. These contents were originally the dramatic core and central narrative framework of the film. IGN commented in its review that no matter how glorified or preachy the content may have become under the helm of the legacy, they "sound far more engaging than what ultimately ended up on screen." The resulting film was considered a "tensionless, flat, paper-thin story" that was too protective of Jackson's image to the point of turning him into a "cartoonized philanthropic genius."
It's worth noting that the film leaves room for potential sequels at the end, as the story ends relatively early in Jackson's career. IGN commented that this "climax promise that the story might continue feels like a threat."
Overall, IGN said in its review summary: "No matter where you stand on Jackson as a person, this movie is completely contrary to his essence as an iconic performer and controversial tabloid figure. Who would have thought that such a carefully controlled, estate-sanctioned biopic could do more damage to an artist's legacy by making him so boring?"