“Michael,” the new biopic about the early life of Michael Jackson, has arrived in theaters to a storm of mixed reviews and major backlash. The film has been accused of covering up the darkest aspects of Jackson’s legacy, while fans have largely embraced it.
Here’s everything you need to know about the controversy.
Why is “Michael” called incomplete?
In the last two decades of his life, Michael Jackson was repeatedly accused of sexually abusing children, Forbes reported. Jackson and his heirs have consistently denied the allegations, but Michael has never mentioned the accusations. The film depicts Jackson’s life up to 1988, ending before allegations of assault against him began to emerge in the 1990s and beyond.The film arrives in theaters seven years after Jackson’s legacy was revisited with the documentary “Leaving Neverland,” which included lengthy interviews with two men who claimed they were sexually abused by Jackson as children.
Jackson’s family called the allegations in this documentary “tabloid character assassination” and took legal action against the broadcaster, resulting in “Leaving Neverland” being removed from circulation.
Expensive reshoots that changed the film
According to Variety, the final chapter of “Michael” originally dealt with sexual assault allegations made by 13-year-old Jordan Chandler and the subsequent police investigation in 1993. That plotline sparked early backlash after a leaked script report claimed the biopic “desperately wants to convince you that Michael is innocent.”
However, the controversial story did not reach the final conclusion. During the editing phase, it was discovered that the Jackson family had been prohibited from portraying Chandler or his family in any film. As a result, all references to the child abuse allegations were removed in an extensive reshoot, estimated to cost between US$40 million and US$50 million.
How the cast and Jackson’s family responded
Jafar Jackson’s co-star Colman Domingo addressed the NBC backlash, explaining that the biopic covers “the making of Michael” and hinting that a sequel could continue the story.
He said: “The events of the film take place in the period from the 1960s to 1988. It does not address the first allegations. There is a possibility that it will be a second part that may deal with some other matters that happened after that.” “It’s about the making of Michael, how he grew up and how he was trying to find his voice as an artist and be a solo artist.
“Jackson’s nephew, Taj Jackson, posted his thoughts on social media, writing: “Sorry media, you can’t control the narrative about Michael Jackson’s real identity anymore.
Audiences should watch this movie. They will decide for themselves. And you can’t handle that.”Jackson’s daughter, Paris, also shared in a video posted last September, saying, “A large portion of the film targets a very specific section of my father’s fan base that still lives in fantasy.”
How is Michael doing?
According to Forbes, “Michael” received sharply split scores, with the press receiving a 38 percent score alongside a 94 percent audience score, reflecting the clear divide between general viewers and those with reservations about the film’s approach.Michael finally portrays a version of the King of Pop that Jackson’s fans have always wanted to see on screen.
