My First IMAX Experience! Blown Away to the Moon: Thoughts on the Movie 'Michael'
I've been wanting to see the movie 'Michael' for so long, and I was finally able to go!
I also saw 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' the music biopic by the same production team, in theaters back then.
At that time, the live performance scenes were so good that I thought,
'Oh, this would probably be even better if I watched it in IMAX or something.'
There are many movie theaters in my neighborhood,
and while they support 4DX and SCREEN X, IMAX is only available at theaters that are quite a distance away...
But I thought, 'If I don't see this in IMAX, I'll definitely feel like I'm missing out!'
So I chose to experience my first-ever IMAX screening!
I was so excited! My first time watching a movie in an IMAX theater!
The effect was apparent even before the main feature started.
After the usual trailers before the movie finished, the trailers for IMAX-compatible films began.
The latest film from director Christopher Nolan and the latest in the Kingdom series.
Already at this point,
due to the intensity of the IMAX film,
'This is a battlefield where sand is blowing!'
'Shin is swinging his sword right there, fighting a life-or-death battle!'
I felt.
A completely superior movie experience.
I'm so glad I came!
And then, the movie began.
General Synopsis
Under a strict father,
the Jackson family, and Michael, climb the ladder to stardom while receiving training that was at times close to abuse.
While gaining more associates in the agency and music industry,
and becoming an unparalleled top-of-the-top superstar,
he couldn't make friends of his own generation,
and in an environment where he wasn't seen as a human being, his animal friends, including Bubbles, increased around him.
While depicting the creation of super-hit songs,
and the accident that would have a painful and fatal impact on his later life,
in the end, he breaks away from the father who kept suppressing him,
and performs 'Bad' proudly on his live tour a few years later.
The story continues... that's about where it leaves off.
What was good
1. The Live Performance Part
The live performance part was seriously great, as expected.
Of course, I imagine it's worlds apart from the real Michael or a live concert experience,
“He gradually starts to look like Michael”
If you can enjoy Jaafar Jackson's highly convincing performance with the power of the latest technology, you can't complain.
It makes you want to raise your arms and sing along, doesn't it?
It's perfect for a cheering screening.
2. How Those Masterpieces Were Made!
Setting aside the chronological changes and minor details,
the depictions of the early works and
the creation of self-explanatory masterpieces like Beat It and Thriller
were simply incredibly exciting to watch.
I felt the same vibe here as in the part where We Will Rock You was born in the movie Bohemian Rhapsody.
Beyond that, seeing Michael's unstoppable groove during his first recording and the atmosphere of the studio made the music industry setting feel fun and authentic.
3. The Soundtrack
Since it's a music film, and the subject is Michael Jackson, it might be obvious, butthe soundtrack is really good.
Not only where Michael's songs are used prominently,
but even the melodies that play in the background for a split second make you think, 'Is this that song?' with all sorts of connections.
Even if that weren't the case, I think the soundtrack is high quality.
The questionable parts
1. The script...
Honestly, for me, this is the only questionable part.
I fully understand that there were unavoidable constraints, such as circumstances where scenes that were originally shot couldn't be used,
or having to cut down the number of characters,
but even so,
the story felt way too much like a digest, and
most of the characters only appeared in one scene or felt like cardboard cutouts.
It was full of characters who appeared just to fulfill a role and then left,
which perhapsmade me feel Michael's loneliness in a way that wasn't intended.
The story felt too much like a digest,
and even the main conflict between Michael and his father (Joe)
left me feeling a bit underwhelmed.
I couldn't fully empathize with it,
and it felt like this 'conflict structure was just a device to serve as the backbone of the film'
a bit too much, but beyond that,
the resolution was also hard for me to accept personally.
The scene at the final performance of the massive Jackson family tour,
which was forced upon them by his father.
The climax is the scene where Michael ad-libs,
'I'm not performing as a family anymore!'
= focusing on the solo career he wanted & not being his father's puppet!
declaring this to the world, but...
Despite all the buildup,
'Michael can't even look his father in the eye,'
'He's terrified,'
he doesn't have a direct confrontation and instead just makes a one-sided declaration during the live show and that's it.
It felt like that to me, anyway..
(Or at least, that's how it appeared to me.)
Wait, if that's the case, hasn't he grown at all?
I suppose showing his brothers agreeing with this declaration and the audience going wild is meant to show that Michael's efforts paid off
and that the power balance has completely shifted, but...
Personally, I just can't get on board with it.
As for his father's final scene, he just gets shoved aside backstage by Michael's friend and staff member as if he were a nuisance.
'So even the rejection was left to someone else...'
is what I ended up thinking.
I'm sure there are plenty of other ways to interpret it, though.
However, it definitely played its role well enough by creating a whirlwind that involved a wide range of audiences, including those not from the Michael generation like myself,
and by undeniably re-establishing Michael's presence in the modern day.
Above all, and I'll say it again,the IMAX live performance parts were absolutely incredible!!!
At the theater shop, there were quite a few young people enthusiastically discussing the movie while buying the soundtrack and pamphlets. That's great!
The End
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