My Experience with the Movie
I told my husband on Friday, "I'm going to say something to you that I've NEVER said." He was understandably leery, waiting for it. "Let's go to the movies." I haven't been to a movie in 10 years, and that was when I went with him and his daughter to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (spoiler alert: It wasn't no Harry Potter.....). I had given up on Hollywood. Everything is so unoriginal. Such junk. No meaning, no story. Just explosions, idiotic story lines, and sex. We don't even watch movies at home unless it's something good from the 70s/80s/90s.
Then along comes Michael. I was never a FANatic. Just a fan. I was lucky enough to grow up during what I consider to be the peak of fun music. I was in 7th/8th grade during Thriller. I had a Michael Jackson scrapbook in an album. Knew all of the songs. But after that brief tween era, I just respected him for the talent and honestly magic that he oozed. I loved the upbeat music. It still makes me smile. He had that "it" factor that is lacking in all of the new "talent". We'll never see another Michael. Ever.
So I wanted to go see the Michael movie. The first movie I've truly wanted to see since the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter franchises. Knowing the music, I wanted to see it in the theatre with awesome sound. There were no car crashes, explosions, or gratuitous sex. Just an amazing story and 2.5 hours flew by! I hated that it ended, even though I really don't want to see anything past where it did end. This was the Michael I remember and want to remember.
I was actually contacted by a reality show about 12 years ago about the Jacksons, and filmed scenes with Jaafar and his mother (she was quite over the top, he was very understated and quite lovely). The show never made it to air I don't think. I have to say, while I never forgot that it wasn't Michael on the screen, I don't think anyone could have done a better job. There were two points where I actually gasped- just brief seconds where you really could see Michael and not Jaafar. One was the first shot in the Thriller makeup.
Maybe it will be another 10 years before I go to the theater again. Maybe I never will. And if I don't, this movie was a highlight to end on! I'm still humming and singing the next day!