Michael Jackson biopic Michael may have secured some of the most damning reviews of the year – but cinemagoing audiences have rendered a different verdict.
The musical film was heavily criticised by reviewers, many of whom claimed that the film “whitewashed” Jackson’s legacy by ending its story in 1988, years before multiple child sexual abuse allegations against the singer emerged.
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a critics’ score of just 40 per cent at the time of writing – a “Rotten” number indicating that the majority of critics issued negative reviews. Earlier in the week, the figure was even lower, clocking in at just 31 per cent.
However, the audience score, voted on by members of the public, suggests a resoundingly positive reception, with Rotten Tomatoes stating that the film has a 96 per cent positive “Fresh” rating.
While it is possible for these numbers to be manipulated in a process known as “review bombing”, other audience-feedback platforms similarly suggest that the controversial film has received a warm welcome among the general public.
On IMDB, the film, directed by Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua, has an aggregate rating of 7.6 out of 10. The film-based social media site Letterboxd, meanwhile, has seen the movie earn an average rating of 3.6 stars out of 5, with the majority of ratings placing between 4 and 5 stars.
Michael stars Jackson’s own nephew, Jaafar Jackson, as the “King of Pop”, and features supporting performances from actors including Nia Long, Mike Myers, Miles Teller and Colman Domingo.
Despite controversy surrounding the film and its depiction of Jackson, Michael is also shaping up to be a major hit at the box office.
In the UK and Ireland, the film recorded the biggest ever opening day for a musical biopic, beating the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, which similarly opened on a Wednesday, as well as Elvis and the Elton John film Rocketman, both of which opened on a Friday.
In a one-star review of Michael for The Independent, critic Clarisse Loughrey wrote: “The draw of Michael, Bohemian Rhapsody producer Graham King’s turn at the life of the King of Pop, isn’t the desire to understand Jackson as a person or as an artist, or to grapple with the weight of his legacy as one of the most pivotal cultural figures of the 20th century.
“It exists to be consumed as an act of allegiance, as proof of fandom. It resists story in favour of content, in making sure fans see what they expect to see, whether that be the ‘Thriller’ video or ‘Bad’ performed live at Wembley in 1988.”
The film is in cinemas now.
