The Aesthetics of Luxury and Risk: Casinos in Cinema

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April 24, 2026

Since the dawn of the silver screen, filmmakers have been captivated by the casino. It is a setting that inherently possesses all the vital ingredients of great drama: immense wealth, palpable danger, the fickle nature of chance, and the complex depths of human psychology. From the smoky, shadow-drenched backrooms of classic film noir to the glittering chandeliers of James Bond’s Monte Carlo, cinema has meticulously curated the public’s perception of what it means to place a bet. This ongoing portrayal has successfully elevated gambling from a mere mathematical game of probability into a universal symbol of ultimate sophistication, luxury, and daring.

The relationship between the silver screen and the casino floor is symbiotic. Directors use the casino as a stunning visual backdrop to test their characters’ moral compasses and courage, while the gaming industry benefits from the romanticized, high-stakes aura that Hollywood projects to audiences worldwide. To understand why the casino remains such a powerful cultural icon, we must analyze the specific aesthetic and narrative tools cinema uses to blend the concepts of luxury and risk.

The Cinematic Tropes of the Gaming Floor

Hollywood has developed a very specific visual and narrative vocabulary when it comes to portraying casino environments. These recurring motifs serve to heighten the tension and wrap the act of risk-taking in an irresistible layer of glamour.

The most prominent cinematic tropes include:

The Sartorial Armor: The protagonist—whether a suave secret agent or an elite grifter—is always impeccably dressed. The tuxedo or the designer evening gown serves as a visual metaphor for projecting absolute control and composure in a highly unpredictable environment.
The High-Stakes Duel: The green felt of the poker table or the spinning roulette wheel is frequently framed as a modern-day gladiatorial arena. The game itself is secondary; the true focus is the intense psychological warfare, the prolonged eye contact, and the reading of micro-expressions between rivals.
The Heist Fantasy: Films like the Ocean’s Eleven franchise frame the casino not merely as a playground for the rich, but as an impenetrable, high-tech fortress. The narrative thrill comes from watching highly skilled outsiders outsmart a seemingly flawless system.
The Illusion of Mastery: Cinematic gamblers rarely rely on blind luck. They are portrayed as mathematical geniuses or psychological masterminds who can read the room, count the cards, or perfectly predict human behavior, transforming a game of chance into a game of skill.

These cinematic elements work together to construct a highly seductive fantasy: the idea that risk, when managed with style and intellect, is the ultimate form of luxury. The velvet ropes, the clinking of crystal glasses, and the hushed tension of the high-roller room create an environment where ordinary societal rules simply do not apply. This deeply ingrained cultural aesthetic has not only defined the architecture of physical venues in Las Vegas and Macau but has also dramatically influenced the digital entertainment sector. When developers design and launch new casino games online, they are heavily inspired by this legacy of cinematic glamour. Today’s digital platforms utilize high-definition 3D graphics, sweeping orchestral soundtracks, and sleek, minimalist user interfaces to replicate the tension and sophistication of a Hollywood blockbuster directly on a player’s screen. It proves that the desire for aesthetic luxury and the thrill of the “big moment” remain just as potent in the virtual realm as they are on the silver screen.

The Psychological Appeal of Glamorized Risk

Why are audiences so consistently drawn to these glamorized depictions of risk? Psychologically, it taps into our innate desire for escapism and our fascination with the consequences of bold actions. In everyday life, the average person takes meticulous care to avoid financial and physical risks. The cinematic casino offers a safe, vicarious thrill.

When we watch a character push a tower of chips to the center of the table, we experience a sympathetic spike in adrenaline. The cinema teaches us that fortune favors the bold. The glamorous aesthetic—the opulent lighting, the bespoke tailoring, the exclusive VIP rooms—serves to soften the harsh realities of losing. It creates a psychological framing where the act of taking the risk is celebrated just as much, if not more, than the actual winning of the prize. It is the audacity of the wager that makes the character a hero, establishing risk-taking as an inherently noble and luxurious pursuit.

The Evolution from Grit to Neon Sophistication

It is also fascinating to observe how the cinematic portrayal of the casino has evolved alongside broader cultural and technological shifts. In the 1990s, films like Martin Scorsese’s Casino or Goodfellas focused heavily on the gritty, mob-run underbelly of Las Vegas. The aesthetic was heavy, characterized by thick red carpets, gold trim, and a pervasive sense of physical danger lurking just behind the cashier’s cage.

Fast forward to the 21st century, and the cinematic casino has undergone a sleek, high-tech makeover. In modern films, the aesthetic is defined by neon lighting, minimalist architecture, and data-driven security systems. The danger is no longer physical violence in a back alley; it is digital theft, facial recognition software, and advanced surveillance. This shift mirrors the real-world transition of the gambling industry from land-based empires to sophisticated, tech-driven digital ecosystems. The modern cinematic gambler is just as likely to be a tech-savvy hacker as they are a suave card counter, reflecting society’s growing obsession with digital supremacy.

Conclusion: The Enduring Mythos

Cinema did not invent the casino, but it undoubtedly gave it a lasting mythos. By wrapping the mathematical coldness of probability in the warm, golden glow of luxury and high fashion, filmmakers have cemented the casino as a premier symbol of human ambition and daring.

The aesthetics of luxury and risk will continue to evolve, moving from the smoky rooms of film noir to the crisp, immersive interfaces of modern digital platforms. Yet, the core psychological appeal remains entirely unchanged. We are captivated by the idea of stepping into an arena where, for a fleeting moment, we can outsmart the odds, draped in elegance, and experience the pure, cinematic thrill of the unknown. As long as humans dream of combining sophistication with adrenaline, the cinematic vision of the casino will continue to shape how we play, watch, and perceive the art of the wager.

Austin Butler And Michael B. Jordan Confirmed For ‘Miami Vice ’85’

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Travis Hopson

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April 24, 2026

Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler confirmed for MIAMI VICE reboot

Meet the new Crockett and Tubbs! It’s official, Austin Butler and Michael B. Jordan will star in Universal Pictures’ Miami Vice reboot. The film also now has a new title, Miami Vice ’85, letting you know this will be a period piece set in the neon-colored 1980s, full of flashy suits and speedboats galore.

The film will be directed by Joseph Kosinski, of Top Gun: Maverick and F1 fame. He’s been red-hot lately, so this is quite a score. On the screenplay is Dan Gilroy, best known for Nightcrawler, Roman J. Israel Esq., and Velvet Buzzsaw. His version of Miami Vice will pay homage to the period, and draw inspiration from the first episode and season of the silky smooth detective series.

Original series co-creators Anthony Yerkovich and Michael Mann are exec-producers. Eric Warren Singer wrote an earlier version of the script.

The most recent attempt to revive Miami Vice was Mann’s contemporary 2006 film starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx. Considered a dud at the time, it went on to earn $164M and became a cult favorite.

Now, the most interesting thing will be who they get to play the movie’s villain. With Kosinski aboard, the rumor mill has already started to swirl that he might try to dial up Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt. That would be pretty damn cool. We’ll see if that happens.

Review: ‘Mother Mary’
Anne Hathaway And Michaela Coel Can't Rescue David Lowery's Flashy, Aimless Pop Star Drama

By
Travis Hopson
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David Lowery’s career has mostly walked two very different lines: gentle indie dramas such as Ain’t Them Bodies Saints and A Ghost Story, or family-friendly Disney fare such as Pete’s Dragon. It’s not a bad space to be in, being able to traverse those worlds so effectively. But Lowery seems to have stepped in it with Mother Mary, a perplexing, baroque two-hander that completed shooting in 2024, and that the filmmaker has struggled to explain other than to call it a “weird film.” That’s one way of putting it. I would call this diva battle between Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel all flash no substance, meandering, and a massive waste of a killer soundtrack.

A chamber piece that would probably have made a better stage play than a movie, Mother Mary stars Hathaway as the titular pop superstar who, after a public disaster of curious origin, has retreated from the spotlight. But now she’s attempting a comeback with a brand new song, ‘Spooky Action’, which she claims might be the greatest song ever written. It’s about “transubstantiation” or something like that, which sounds like the kind of nonsensical high-minded claptrap a lot of superstar divas say about their own music. If only Mother Mary were being tongue in cheek about it. The singer is tormented over her outfit, though. It needs to be perfect. In desperation, she turns to Coel’s Sam, her former fashion designer who was once much closer than that. They had a falling out years earlier and haven’t seen each other since.

The most interesting aspect of Mother Mary is early on, before the film drowns itself in metaphor and lame attempts at Gothic horror. Coel is savagely cold as Sam, who hates Mother Mary and despises her sudden return, “The bile is rising”, she says behind a cruel gaze. Mary is enormously regretful, but we take from Sam that this is often a tactic she uses to get people to do what she wants them to do. The two engage in a razor sharp back and forth, the kind you only get from people who know one another too well. Despite this toxic reunion, Sam is compelled to help Mary, and in her isolated barn in the countryside, begins fashioning a look that will win the day. Everything is fair game, only red is not an option because Mary is being haunted by something that bares the same hue.

Fame has been ruinous for Mary, whose personal relationships have shattered just as badly as her sense of self. In desperation, she seeks out Sam who knew her before the celebrity, in hopes that she can help put her back together again. It’s an interesting topic to explore, the internal chaos that comes with superstardom. But whatever message Lowery is trying to get across is lost in abstract storytelling and an entire wardrobe’s worth of exposition. Lowery seems to be somewhat aware of the problem. At one point, Mary and Sam actually discuss whether they are talking in metaphor, with one demanding the other speak more matter-of-factly. But the solution for Lowery would’ve been to write these characters so that they speak the way real people do.

The funny thing is, Coel can be seen right now in another two-hander about celebrity, artistic expression, and identity; Steven Soderbergh’s The Christophers. That film is no less an extended war of words between two gifted rivals, with exchanges that cut deeper than a knife and leave raw, open emotional wounds. And yet it’s funny, whip smart, and resembles genuine human interaction, which is sorely missing from Mother Mary.

My criticism of the dialog has nothing to do with Hathaway or Coel’s performances. Coel has the longest, most biting monologues, stitched together beautifully like the finest needlework. And there’s a lot to admire in the range shown by Hathaway in a surprisingly physical performance. She captures the moves, mannerisms, and confidence of a superstar performer during Mother Mary’s extravagant concert shows, but also the timidity that has brought her groveling to Sam’s doorstep.

Lowery makes the most of a meager $20M budget, with most of it going to the spectacularly choreographed arena shows, full of back-up dancers, blazing lights, and legions of adoring fans, and Hathaway’s vocals on a pulsating soundtrack by Jack Antanoff and Charli XCX. But just as much attention is paid to Sam’s ramshackle, wind-swept barn behind the fashion house. It resembles a shuttered, sure-to-be-haunted house from a horror novel; the perfect place for two wayward souls to kick around existential questions of life and celebrity death.

Ultimately, Mother Mary has a lot of style, flashy production design, and two strong performances by Hathaway and Coel. It just doesn’t seem to know what it actually wants to be, or what it wants to say about…well, anything. Once again, Lowery attempts to get ahead of criticism by having his characters comment on the film’s problems. When Mary is asked by Sam if she wants to “look like a knife”, Mary’s reply is “I want to have a point.” We want that for you, too, Mary.

Mother Mary is in theaters now via A24.

Review: ‘Fuze’
David Mackenzie's Ticking Bomb Heist Thriller Is A Blast That Nearly Blows Itself Up

By
Travis Hopson
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I almost hate myself for making such an obvious pun, but Fuze is an absolute blast. A ticking clock heist movie and an exploding bomb thriller, it’s a unique combination that also involves a wild mystery, a lot of double-crosses, and a borderline ridiculous twist that nearly ruins the whole thing. But directed by David Mackenzie, of Hell or High Water fame, the film is so propulsive and funny that you’re okay that it blows up a little bit in the end.

Set in modern-day London, Fuze begins with the discovery of a WWII-era bomb at a construction site. These are fairly common occurrences around London, apparently, so it doesn’t feel that weird when procedures are immediately put in place. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays the bomb disposal leader, Major Will Tranter, brought in to safely disarm the device. Gugu Mbatha-Raw and others play the various personnel clearing the area, investigating the scene, and generally just trying to keep the populace safe in case it detonates. However, a nosey subordinate of Will’s begins to suspect that something more is going on here. He’s right.

The film eventually shifts gears into following the exploits of a criminal gang using the evacuation to pull off an insane bank heist. Theo James plays Karalis, sort of the group’s wild card and diamonds expert, with Sam Worthington as the guy who doesn’t trust him one bit. Of course, criminals will be criminals, right?

Screenwriter Ben Hopkins conjures up every absurd swerve he can muster to keep Fuze‘s… well, its fuse lit. To say too much would spoil the best bits, but there are so many double-crosses that you can barely keep track of who is on whose side. It begins to resemble a Guy Ritchie movie in some respects. With so many bad guys running around there’s always another backstabber right around the corner. Someone you least expect is in on the shenanigans, and somebody is going to get screwed out of their cut. It always happens, and it’s always great to just sit back and luxuriate in the criminality.

Mackenzie’s having as much of a ball with Fuze as we are. This is hardly a serious movie. It’s a nifty, no-bullshit throwback that asks the audience to go with the flow. Only the ending, which indulges in an absurd flashback that tries to make it all make sense, pushes our investment to the edge. But at just over 90 minutes, Fuze doesn’t stick around long enough to be a dud.

Fuze opens in theaters on April 24th.

NOTE: This review was originally part of my TIFF50 coverage.

‘The Christophers’ Giveaway: Win Two Tickets And Merch From Steven Soderbergh’s Latest

By

Travis Hopson

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April 23, 2026

Punch Drunk Critics and NEON are happy to team up on a giveaway of two tickets and official merch for Steven Soderbergh’s The Christophers, starring Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel!

Synopsis: Julian Sklar was once a star of London’s 1960’s and 70’s pop art explosion, but he hasn’t painted in decades and has been broke for years. His two estranged children, desperate for an inheritance, hire Lori, an art restorer and former forger, to pose as a prospective assistant in order to access 8 unfinished canvases Julian has buried deep in storage. Her plan is to complete them, then return them to storage, where they are to be “discovered” upon Julian’s death.

Winner will receive 2 tickets, delivered via email, plus an exclusive The Christophers mug, tote and T-Shirt
Merch will be shipped separately (please allow ~14 days before shipping begins). You can get a look at the merch collection here!
Winners must provide full name, mailing address, and email to claim prizes

To enter, you MUST complete this Google form! You can also follow Punch Drunk Critics on X, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube!

Winner will be selected Sunday, April 26th and notified by email. Good luck! The Christophers is open in theaters now.

‘Carolina Caroline’ Trailer: Samara Weaving And Kyle Gallner Go On A Sexy Crime Spree This Summer

By

Travis Hopson

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April 23, 2026

Samara Weaving is pretty hard to miss right now. She was recently seen in Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, which disappointed at the box office, unfortunately. This week she can be seen opposite Jason Segel in the well-reviewed action-comedy Over Your Dead Body. Next up is Carolina Caroline, a part romance, part crime flick from Dinner in America director, Adam Carter Rehmeier.

Weaving stars alongside Kyle Gallner in Carolina Caroline, about a small-town Texas girl who connects with a con-man, and they hit the road, Bonnie & Clyde style. The film has a script by Tom Dean, and boasts a cast that includes Kyra Sedgwick and Jon Gries.

Gallner previously starred in Rehmeier’s Dinner in America, as well as Smile, Scream, and Dear White People.

SYNOPSIS: Caroline Daniels (Weaving), whose desire to leave her small Texas town brings her into the orbit of a charismatic con man (Gallner), and together they weave a path of crime and passion across the American Southeast. Also starring Kyra Sedgwick, the film features a wide-ranging country music soundtrack, with tracks from artists such as Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton, Loretta Lynn, and over a dozen others.

Carolina Caroline opens in theaters on June 5th from Magnolia Pictures and Magnet Releasing. This one looks like a blast, as most of Weaving’s movies are.

‘Scary Movie’ Trailer: Michael Jackson Can’t Catch A Break As The Wayans’ Parody The King Of Pop

By

Travis Hopson

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April 23, 2026

There couldn’t be a better time for a new Scary Movie trailer that features SNL‘s Kenan Thompson as Michael Jackson. With the new biopic hitting theaters this week, and likely to be a gigantic hit, why not let audiences know that you’ll also be highlighting the King of Pop, albeit by making fun of him.

The Wayans Bros. are back in charge and that was when this franchise was at its best. It continues to look like a riff on the long-running Scream movies, and considering Scream 7 recently became the biggest earner of them all, it shows that fans still have an interest.

Franchise mainstays Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Jon Abrahams, Cheri Oteri, Dave Sheridan, plus Shawn and Marlon Wayans return, joined by Lochlyn Munro, Anthony Anderson, Chris Elliott, Damon Wayans Jr., Kim Wayans, Heidi Garnder, Felissa Rose, Olivia Rose Keegan, Cameron Scott Roberts, and Savannah Lee Nassif.

Michael Tiddes (A Haunted House, Fifty Shades of Black) directs from a script by Marlon, Shawn, Keenen Ivory Wayans, and Rick Alvarez. Keenan is famously the creator of the Scary Movie franchise as well as In Living Color.

The Wayans’ have some big movies to take shots at, too, including Weapons and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners.

SYNOPSIS: Twenty-six years after outrunning a suspiciously familiar masked killer (Ghostface), the Core Four are back in the killer’s crosshairs, and no horror movie IP is safe. Marlon Wayans (Shorty), Shawn Wayans (Ray), Anna Faris (Cindy), and Regina Hall (Brenda) reunite in Scary Movie alongside returning favorites and fresh faces to slash through reboots, remakes, requels, prequels, sequels, spin-offs, elevated horror, origin stories, anything with the word legacy in it, and every “final chapter” that absolutely isn’t final. Nothing is sacred. No trope survives. Every line gets crossed. The Wayans are back to cancel the Cancel Culture.

Scary Movie hits theaters on June 5th from Paramount.

‘Clayface’ Teaser: James Gunn Brings Body Horror And A Bat-Villain To The DCU

By

Travis Hopson

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April 23, 2026

The way James Gunn is establishing the new DC Universe is similar to his entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Superman got the ball rolling last year, but now comes the part where Gunn begins pushing the boundaries of what can be done creatively, with characters that are less familiar to casual audiences. It reminds me of when he debuted the Guardians of the Galaxy to the MCU, and turned them into, arguably, Marvel’s most popular superteam. And now he’s elevating another relatively unknown character with Clayface, a horror movie set in the DCU version of Batman’s world.

The new Clayface teaser has arrived, and it clearly positions the film as a body horror set within the DCU. Directed by James Watkins (The Woman in Black) from a script credited to Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep) and Hossein Amini (Drive), the film stars Tom Rhys Harries as a reimagined Matt Hagan aka Clayface, a struggling actor whose face is disfigured, so he turns to a scientist who transforms him into a rage-filled monster made of clay.

Also in the cast are Naomi Ackie, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, David Dencik, Nancy Carroll, and Joshua James.

This won’t be Clayface’s first DCU appearance, either, as he was voiced by Alan Tudyk in episodes of Gunn’s animated Creature Commandos series.

It’s interesting to see how Gunn and Co. are going to present Gotham City, and how it will differ from what Matt Reeves is doing. Too bad we won’t see Batman himself…or will we?

SYNOPSIS: DC Studios’ first-ever foray into the genre, “Clayface,” is a riveting horror thriller from director James Watkins, starring Tom Rhys Harries in the title role of the Gotham City villain. “Clayface” unravels one man’s horrifying descent from rising Hollywood star to revenge-filled monster in a story that explores the loss of one’s identity and humanity, corrosive love, and the dark underbelly of scientific ambition.

Clayface hits theaters on October 23rd.

‘Power Ballad’ Trailer: Paul Rudd And Nick Jonas Rock Out In John Carney’s Acclaimed Music Comedy

By

Travis Hopson

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April 23, 2026

John Carney, the writer/director of such amazing musical love stories as Once, Begin Again, Sing Street, and Flora & Son is back with Power Ballad, a comedy starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas. For the first time in his career, Carney breaks the male/female dynamic that usually ends in romance, opting for a chaotic comedy about two musicians whose love of a particular song turns into rivalry when the promise of success is on the line.

Here’s the synopsis: When Rick (Paul Rudd), a past-his-prime wedding singer, meets fading boy-band star Danny (Nick Jonas) during a gig, the two bond over music and a late-night jam session. But when Danny turns one of Rick’s songs into the hit that reignites his career, Rick sets out to reclaim the recognition he believes he deserves – even if it means risking everything he cares about. From writer-director John Carney (Sing Street, Once), POWER BALLAD is a feel-good story about music, self-respect, friendship, and the price of ambition.

Also in the cast are Jack Reynor, Havana Rose Liu, Peter McDonald, and Marcella Plunkett. McDonald also co-wrote the screenplay with Carney. The film will also feature original music by Carney and Gary Clark, which is pretty sweet.

Power Ballad earned some of the best reviews of Carney’s career at SXSW world premiere, which is pretty exciting considering just about everything he does is great. Lionsgate drops it into select theaters on May 29th, everywhere on June 5th.

Review: ‘Michael’
Jaafar Jackson Moonwalks Past Biopic Cliches In Electrifying Crowd-Pleaser For The King Of Pop's Fans

By
Travis Hopson
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Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in Maven. Photo Credit: Glen Wilson

Readers of my site will know that I have been highly skeptical of Michael, Antoine Fuqua’s biopic on the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. I have little patience for films made in collaboration either with the subject or their estate, and this one in particular went through so much legal mumbo jumbo that an entire act depicting the less-cuddly aspects of Jackson’s adult life had to be cut. That said, I do respect a film that knows its audience and delivers exactly what they want. Nobody comes to a movie about Michael Jackson for the unsavory stuff. They come to see the rise of a legendary, transformative musical talent, to groove to one of the most epic catalogs ever produced, to experience a performer whose gift literally brought the people of the world together. By that measure, Michael more than meets its goals, it moonwalks right through them.

If you’re looking for a deep dive into who Michael Jackson was, then Michael isn’t the movie you’re looking for. It has, fairly, been compared to Bohemian Rhapsody or the more recent Bob Marley: One Love for presenting surface level depictions of complicated performers. Again, it’s all about managing expectations, and Fuqua, along with screenwriter John Logan, make it clear early on that this will be a movie for Michael Jackson fans, by Michael Jackson fans.

Michael, played as a child by Juliano Krue Valdi and an adult by Jaafar Jackson, is the underdog hero of his own story. The film captures his hard upbringing as a poor kid in Gary, Indiana, forced into a musical group with his brothers, by his despotic father, Joe, played by an unrecognizable Colman Domingo. Joe, who everyone calls “Joseph” in an almost Biblical kind of way, is portrayed as cruel and demanding, threatening violence whenever someone disobeys or doesn’t perform up to snuff. Michael, on the other hand, is a pure and sweet soul, with a love for animals, Peter Pan, and The Wizard of Oz, all aspects of his young life that we know will be important to him as an adult. It’s clear that of everyone in the Jackson 5, Michael is the only generational talent, and Joe does everything he can to exploit that talent for greater wealth. For Michael, it means not really having a childhood, or friends. He might have all of the possessions that a child could ever want, but none of the emotional intangibles.

There are essentially two halves to Michael, and both are compelling in different ways. The first half finds Michael under his father’s tyrannical grip, but managing to break out with songs such as crossover hits “ABC”, “I Want You Back” (frequently heard in scene transitions, so get used to it), and “I’ll Be There”. Even as Michael was quietly protected by angelic mother (played by Nia Long), producer Berry Gordy (Larenz Tate), and longtime bodyguard Bill Bray (KeiLyn Durrel Jones), Joe’s presence was so stifling that rebellion was inevitable.

The second half of the film is about Michael’s struggles to break free from Joe, and to be free to express himself creatively and as a man. Fuqua, a filmmaker known for muscular action flicks such as The Equalizer trilogy, unsurprisingly focuses on the demanding physicality that comes with producing an album and performing live on stage. No matter how you feel about Michael Jackson, watching him put together the iconic “Off the Wall” album is fascinating, and the concert scenes practically explode off the screen. Jaafar, Michael Jackson’s young nephew, is an uncanny lookalike and perfectly captures the dance moves, voice, body language, sensitivity, and innocence. This couldn’t have been an easy performance to pull off. The scrutiny he’s going to face will be incredible, from fans and non-fans alike. I’m not sure what his career will look like beyond this, but he’s impressive and deserving of more praise than he’s likely to get.

Michael is so wrapped up in rebuilding up the Michael Jackson legacy that it can’t help but be extremely cheesy on occasion. The debut of Bubbles the Chimp, a fully CGI creation, is kinda silly and makes Michael look weirder than I think he actually was. I laughed out loud at Michael’s sudden interest in gang violence and his bringing together of Bloods and Crips to watch the making of the “Beat It” music video. However, the making of “Thriller”, complete with that unforgettable zombie dance number, is still incredible to behold. There will never be another music video like it.

Even with the full backing of the Jackson estate, the rest of Michael’s family are practically invisible. Michael’s brothers don’t have much to do but play his wingmen on stage, or on-lookers to Joe’s violence. We don’t see or hear of any mention of Janet Jackson, and La Toya (played by Jessica Sula) is seen only as someone who understands Michael marginally more than the others, perhaps because she, too, feels like a Black Sheep.

Many of the criticisms are valid. Michael ends with the Jackson 5 “Victory” tour and the launch of “Bad” in 1988, with only a teasing of the next chapter in his life. That will presumably come in a sequel, where we should see the murky aspects of Michael’s life emerge. But you won’t get any of that in this movie, and that’s okay. Michael is purely electrifying, with a soundtrack that is undeniable and a performance by Jaafar Jackson that is deserving of the King of Pop.

Michael is open in theaters now.