Michael: A Film Where Watching the Legendary Motown 25th Anniversary Performance is More Than Enough

The One and Only "King of Pop" and the Highly Anticipated Biopic

Is there anyone else to whom the grand and heavy title of "King of Pop" fits so perfectly other than Michael Jackson? It is safe to say that if not for him, no one would ever be able to permanently hold such an overwhelming title. Recently, biographical films depicting the lives of legendary singers and actors, such as Bohemian Rhapsody about the British rock band Queen and Elvis about the King of Rock and Roll, have been steadily released in theaters and received immense love from the public. However, there is undeniably no biopic that people have been waiting for as desperately, or that possesses as dramatic a narrative in itself, as the life story of Michael Jackson, the man who left the most massive footprint in the history of global pop culture.

The Daunting Challenge of Translating a Legend to the Screen

Paradoxically, turning the colossal figure of Michael Jackson into a single commercial film must have been an incredibly tricky, risky, and difficult task for the production team. Even though a long time has passed since his death, he is still remembered by billions of people worldwide who listen to his music daily, and he commands a massive, fiercely loyal global fandom unmatched by any other pop star. The standards and expectations the public holds for him transcend imagination. Furthermore, whenever documentaries—big or small—related to him were broadcasted in the past, the global attention and ripple effects, whether positive or negative, were so enormous that the mere news of a film adaptation felt like a monumental challenge.

Anticipation Over Worry: The Joy of Experiencing the Magic in Theaters

When I finally heard the news that his official first biopic, Michael, would be hitting theaters, my anticipation far outweighed any concerns. Of course, there was some worry about how his eventful and highly controversial life could be condensed into a single film. However, I felt the movie was entirely worth it just for the thought of being able to hear his magnificent music and witness his spectacular performances again through the giant screen and grand sound system of a theater. The public strongly remembers the facts that Michael Jackson was the greatest pop star in history and that he passed away so suddenly and tragically. Yet, because they do not know the detailed personal agonies and life trajectories hidden behind the brilliant spotlight, I was even more curious about the story the film would reveal.

The Absolute Mega-Hits That Changed Popular Music

Since Michael Jackson is an artist overflowing with a repertoire of masterpieces unprecedented in pop history, what songs would be selected to fill the screen was also a matter of great interest. Predicting the playlist before the release, I was certain that Billie Jean, Thriller, and Beat It would unconditionally decorate the film's climax. While there are countless legendary tracks, these three songs are absolute mega-hits that completely shifted the paradigm of popular music and represent Michael Jackson's identity itself. For countless people around the world, perhaps excluding the United States where pop originated, it is evident that these three songs were their very first introduction to the phenomenal existence known as Michael Jackson.

A Cultural Revolution: From "Listening" to "Watching" Music

Above all, Michael Jackson is the very instigator and cultural revolutionary who perfectly transformed popular music from an era of "listening to songs" to an era of "watching songs." When music videos containing his massive narratives were broadcast through the newly launched music channel MTV, the entire world was swept up in an unimaginable sensation. Just as K-pop and BTS are currently evaluated as dominating the world by being the biggest beneficiaries of the massive video platform YouTube in the global music market, Michael Jackson was the first to see through the true power of video media back in his day. The short film-style music videos, where a song was crafted into a mini-movie complete with dancing and acting, were something no one had dared to imagine and served as a cultural shock to humanity.

Defying Gravity: The Awe-Inspiring Choreography and the Moonwalk

In the realm of art, the praise "ahead of one's time" is likely meant precisely for Michael Jackson's foresight and ceaseless innovation. Particularly, the choreography and dance lines he showcased on screen and on stage went far beyond simply "dancing well"; they inevitably left viewers' jaws dropping in sheer awe. Among these, the "Moonwalk" performance he premiered on the Motown 25th Anniversary stage—which can easily be cited as the absolute highlight of the film—was so profound that the word "shock" does not even begin to cover it. For people of that era, seeing a human body create such an elegant, bizarre movement that seemed to defy gravity was a magical, unimaginable feat.

Unrivaled Musicality Behind the Spectacular Visuals

The astonishing sight of him smoothly gliding backward across the floor while making gestures as if walking forward is still enough to give you goosebumps when watched again on the big screen. Moreover, opening the era of visual music did not mean his musicality was ever overshadowed by his flashy performances. Michael Jackson's songs boast such a high level of difficulty that it is overwhelming for ordinary people to even attempt to sing along. Alongside his genius sense of rhythm riding on unique off-beats, his vocalization—freely navigating crystal-clear, high notes—and his signature rough breathing possess an originality that absolutely no one can imitate. Added to this, the overwhelming opening scene in the film recreating the legendary Pepsi-sponsored concert, where he jumps high from beneath the stage and appears amidst an explosion of smoke, maximizes his inherent star power.

The Irony of Success: Joe Jackson, the Beginning and the Culprit

The directing of his entrance, soaring up from below the stage via a lift, is a common technique frequently seen in today's K-pop concerts and international pop star shows, but to the public back then, it was more than enough to make him feel like a god-like entity descending from the heavens rather than a mere mortal. As a fan, my heart couldn't help but race at the fact that a biopic of Michael Jackson, a man with such overwhelming performance skills and stage presence, had finally been released. However, looking past the glamour and returning to the 'Jackson 5' days with his brothers, the film calmly illuminates that his father, Joe Jackson, was both the brilliant beginning of Michael and simultaneously the ultimate culprit of his tragedy. Whatever the intention behind his father's coercion and beatings may have been, it is an undeniably cruel irony that it was this brutal training that allowed him to begin his path as a singer in the Jackson 5 and eventually reach the very top.

The Tragedy of the Pepsi Commercial and a Perfect Portrayal

However, the trajectory of success violently constructed by his father ultimately became the shackles of a tragedy that bound him for life. As depicted in the film, the burn incident on the Pepsi commercial set—which marked the beginning of the most terrible ordeal and physical despair in Michael Jackson's life—hits the audience in a deeply heartbreaking way. This incredibly dangerous commercial shoot was, after all, a schedule he was forced to endure against his will due to the unreasonable demands of his father. One cannot help but sigh and think that if he had not suffered those horrific burns on his head on that set, the resulting agonizing pain and subsequent dependency on painkillers would never have happened, and consequently, the King of Pop we so dearly loved might not have passed away so tragically and senselessly. Meanwhile, Jaafar Jackson, Michael's real-life nephew who plays him in this film, perfectly resembles his uncle in appearance, voice, and signature gestures to a chilling degree, elevating the audience's immersion to another level.

A Cinematic Tribute That Leaves You Wanting More

While the overall plot and narrative structure of the film do not stray significantly from the conventional grammar of biographical films—meaning it might not feel entirely "groundbreaking"—the sheer value of this work is thoroughly justified just by the experience of listening to his prime-era music through a theater's massive sound system. If there is one disappointment, it is that the screen time dedicated to the performances of the three legendary masterpieces from the highly anticipated Thriller album era was edited much shorter than expected, leaving a deep sense of regret: "Are they really only showing this much of these great scenes?" The movie wraps up around the time of the Bad album release, but fortunately, it is said that the production of a sequel covering his even more turbulent and massive later years has already been greenlit, so we will have to look forward to the next installment. Nevertheless, the Motown 25th Anniversary performance scene recreated in the film alone was enough to deeply engrave the grateful realization that Michael Jackson is the only being in history who could so completely dominate such a massive stage with nothing but the sheer power of his own singing and dancing.