Music opinion: Why I won’t be watching the new Michael Jackson film — and why you shouldn’t either

As someone who practically lived in a trillby and makeshift sock glove as a child, my opinions on the new biopic “Michael” are something I write as a formerly devoted fan of the pop-superstar Michael Jackson.

While hearing even the introduction of ‘Billie Jean’ still stirs deep nostalgia, it is safe to say this is not enough to justify this film in today’s climate for me.

With ongoing high-profile abuse scandals dominating public discourse, my concerns come from the long history of accusations of child sexual exploitation made against the star.

Music News Blitz writer Katie Slater unpacks this tension.

The Allegations

While never ultimately convicted, Jackson’s later career was defined by a string of accusations that irreparably damaged his legacy.

Currently a total of nine victims have come forward, with varying stories of grooming and exploitation.

Evidence gathered by investigating police include fingerprints of the boys on pornographic magazines displayed in his room, and drawings done by a victim that matched the distinctive markings on Jackson’s crotch.

Although these aspects could not prove a guilty verdict in court, Jackson himself admitted to sharing his bed with children aged between seven and fourteen – describing the practice as “charming” and “innocent”.

Regardless of whether this lead to instances of sexual abuse, or if things remained as “harmless” as he claimed is, to some extent, irrelevant.

Sharing a bed with a child is undeniably grossly inappropriate and unacceptable in any real-life social setting.

Demonstrating extreme disregard for safeguarding by Jackson, the parents involved and those managing his private life, the children became the victims of some seriously crossed boundaries.

Social Context

With growing public awareness of abuse involving powerful figures such as Jeffery Epstein, Diddy and Prince Andrew, high-profile cases have revealed how power can obscure accountability.

As powerless observers of the extent of evil, the general public have been confronted time and time again with just what money and power shield criminal activity.

While Jackson was formally acquitted of his charges, the combination of repeated allegations, his own admissions of having children sleep in his bed and his ability to prevent certain court proceedings with massive sums of money, it is difficult to see him as entirely innocent.

At a time where every news article seems to reveal a fresh story of a childhood ruined, now is not the time to celebrate the music of a man who may or may not have sexually abused the children who holidayed behind his locked bedroom door.

What could possibly be in it for the Jackson estate?

Due to a mixture of his expensive lifestyle, a history of loans and legal fees related to his child molestation trial, Jackson reportedly died while hundreds of millions of dollars in debt.

With this film estimated to produce a biopic record of over one billion dollars, it doesn’t take a cynic to see what may be in it for the Jackson estate.

Harder to make profit off a suspected pedophile, there is a benefit to pushing the focus away from the star’s “darker side”, and onto his undeniably genius music.

Arguments on separating the artist from the art may be nuanced, but lining the pockets of a team who failed to protect children at their most vulnerable is certainly not at the top of my to-do list.

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Failures of the film

While I do not believe Michael Jackson to be a good man, his own childhood was laced with physical and mental abuse from his father that likely affected his later actions.

While Jackson’s claims of being a child at heart do not justify years of misconduct, he was a victim before an alleged abuser.

Avoiding major details of his dark youth alongside any mentions of his own behaviours, lead his daughter Paris Jackson to label the fan’s film as “sugar-coated” and misleading.

Demonstrating the heartbreaking cycle of abuse, an analysis of Michael’s life in terms of victimhood could be invaluable in such times of media turmoil.

Missing out on creating a film with genuine worth, the unwavering glorification of the star lacks nuance in its entirety.

Jackson is perhaps neither fully a monster nor a hero, but an abused child transferring unprocessed pain into further damage.

Sadly, what could be more valuable to the world in its current state, than a film that explores the real cause and effect processes of childhood abuse in all its ugly truths.

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