I saw Michael last week, the new biopic about Michael Jackson, and it left me feeling that far too much had been glossed over. The film focuses heavily on the music while skimming past the man himself. Even the depiction of Joe Jackson’s abuse feels strangely softened; everything I’ve ever read suggests he was far stricter than what’s shown here. And Janet Jackson’s absence is baffling — it’s as if she never existed in Michael’s life.

That said, the music is fantastic and the performances are genuinely strong. Jaafar Jackson — Michael’s real‑life nephew — delivers an impressive, committed portrayal. I also didn’t know Michael had severe burns, which was one of the few moments that actually added something new. But the film never digs into his inner world, and then it just… ends. Abruptly.

What this story really needed was structure: a dedicated film about the Jackson 5, followed by a second film beginning with Michael’s solo career. Instead, we get a quick skim through the Jackson 5 era, then a jump into a whirlwind of animals, surgeries, skin conditions, music, and not much else. It’s a highlight reel, not a biography.

Overall: enjoyable music, great acting, but a shallow film. 2.5 out of 5.

Having not gone to the cinema in a while I decided to choose Equalizer II. I wasn’t disappointed, it was a good movie, I wouldn’t call it a great movie know. Again we are back with Mr McCall, brooding, angry, but with a smile. The same gags seem to have continued from the first film, however I felt the ebb and flow of the first film made that a really good film. I like the way the characters developed in the first film, there was also a mystery about the main character.

We start off on a train to Istanbul, a little interchange about a story of kidnap, then straight into the action. Then it’s straight back to America with half the audience none the wiser of what just happened!

At times there are good interchanges between Denzel Washington characters approach to situations and people. At bad times, the film seems to ponder too much at points which leave you a feeling of boredom.

And the main story? Well, I didn’t quite understand why his past army buddies were killing off old friends. There seemed to be this massive plot hole which leaves you thinking.. “What the fuck just happened to get here?”

The lack of back story in this movie doesn’t help at all, the first film in the series didn’t matter so much as that left you with a void of wanting to know more. Now we are at a situation where Antonie Fuqua who did such a good job with the first film has let the audience down with a lack of explanation to what just happened.

There was nothing wrong with the action and the final part of the movie was excellently filmed in the sweeping stormy weather. It’s worth a watch if you have seen the first film, however I am only going to give this a score of 2.5 out of 5 due to the massive plot holes!