The movie about the life and career of Michael Jackson is already controversial, but it's also suffering from a major risk in making the biopic genre's biggest problem much worse than it already is. Michael will continue the recent trend of centering a film around a major entertainer, but the consistent problems with biopics make the Michael Jackson movie an extremely risky move. One of the world's greatest performers of all time, any project about the King of Pop must be done right and not in a way that comes across as cliché.
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A Michael Jackson Biopic Risks Swaying Its Audience About Real-Life Events
Any type of biopic usually presents the subject matter in a positive way, despite any real-life problems the entertainers faced. A figure like Michael Jackson creates problems for this film because while his music career was undoubtedly world-changing, it was linked to child molestation accusations against him that surfaced later in his career. Although he was acquitted, it effectively tarnished his reputation for the last few years of his life. Movies like Blonde succeeded because it wasn't a biopic, but you can't portray a film about Michael Jackson in an entirely positive light when his actual life wasn't always that way.
Incorporating the allegations against Michael Jackson in his biopic will influence audiences no matter how they're portrayed. The HBO documentary Leaving Neverland depicted Jackson negatively and was incredibly one-sided, however it swayed some viewers to believe that the musician wasn't who they initially believed him to be. Jackson's ers will ultimately feel sympathy because of what he endured, but it's a heavy topic that should be interpreted onscreen to convey moviegoers of what might have actually happened without showing any bias.
How A Michael Jackson Biopic Could Avoid This Movie Issue
Any biopic about Michael Jackson doesn't have to incorporate every major event of his life. The Jacksons: An American Dream television film focused more on the Jackson 5 days, so centering Michael around the "Thriller" era might be the more appropriate way to go. Elvis took a different approach with its biopic by utilizing narration, so telling the story of Michael from Jackson's point of view could provide more insight into what he was going through during his troubled times. Focusing on the musical aspect of Jackson's biography could lead the filmmakers to neglect to tell any negative portions.
Whichever way Michael is adapted, failing to incorporate Michael Jackson's accusations into the narrative will certainly be criticized. Jackson's career isn't necessarily defined by the numerous allegations, but they were still a significant portion of his life that cannot be ignored. Biopics aren't always positive from start to finish, but the best thing that the team behind Michael can do is embrace the good that Michael Jackson brought into the world while not shying away from the personal troubles the singer endured that plagued his career for decades.
