The Michael Jackson portrayed in the new biopic “Michael” is a saintly musical genius.
He’s a precocious superstar both fueled and terrified by the harsh criticisms of his megalomaniac father, Joseph.
He’s a visionary who possessed more talent than he knew what to do with sometimes, but managed to channel it into everlasting art in the forms of albums “Off the Wall,” “Bad” and the biggest-selling recording of all time, “Thriller.”
That Michael – the eternal Peter Pan with the glistening voice and head-spinning dance moves, the animal lover who claimed his only friends were his pets, the philanthropist who comforted young burn victims at their bedside – is what “Michael” showcases.
By ending the film circa 1987 during his then-record-breaking “Bad” tour, producers ensured that viewers experience a haloed version of Jackson. Not even an epilogue card acknowledges the child sexual abuse charges brought against him in the ensuing years, nor is his 2009 death from an overdose of painkillers and sedatives.
