Michael

Trying to celebrate one half of Michael Jackson’s life while conveniently forgetting about the other, Michael is little more than a cinematic greatest-hits compilation.

This sanitized biopic of the global pop-music superstar is mostly an exercise in image rehabilitation, basking so heavily in fan service and revisionist nostalgia that it lacks any meaningful insight or fresh perspective.

Perhaps his legions of fans won’t mind the hagiographic approach of director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), who leans heavily into Jackson’s catalog of irresistible chart-toppers in order to cover for an embellished script that glosses over the scandals and tragedy that marked his later life in favor of a crowd-pleasing rags-to-riches narrative. It’s all rise and no fall.

As it chronologically depicts Michael’s upbringing, the film positions Michael as a big-hearted dreamer from blue-collar Indiana with generational talent whose innocence was corrupted from a young age.

The villain is his father, Joe (Colman Domingo), a physically and psychologically abusive tyrant who sought to exploit the musical abilities of Michael and his four older brothers for personal gain. Joe’s wife, Katherine (Nia Long), shares her children’s intimidation of the patriarch who created and managed the Jackson 5 starting in the late 1960s.

As the group gained notoriety, first via Motown and then more broadly, lead singer Michael (played by Juliano Valdi as a kid and Jaafar Jackson as a young adult) tries to distance himself, confiding in his loyal bodyguard (KeiLyn Durrel Jones) and finding an agent (Miles Teller) to help him pursue a solo career.

However, while preparing for inevitable stardom in the early 1980s, Michael reluctantly embraces fame and the expectations that come with it. Away from the stage, he retreats into a fantasy world of emotional isolation, obsessed with exotic pets and “Peter Pan.”

Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s real-life nephew making his acting debut, is an inspired casting choice whose portrayal goes beyond uncanny physical resemblance, or mimicry of speech and mannerisms (although he lip-syncs the songs).

In helping to capture Michael’s iconic falsetto, innovative dance moves, and legendary stage presence, Jaafar accentuates the film’s chief strength — transporting moviegoers back to Michael’s heyday through its vivid production numbers and pop-culture touchstones.

Yet the trivial screenplay by John Logan (12 Years a Slave) is content to hit the high notes, only occasionally digging deeper into artistic inspiration or the creative process, which would have provided a more well-rounded portrait.

As a result, Michael — authorized by his estate — comes off as a simplistic and skin-deep disservice to a subject who always aspired to escape his family’s shadow and be his own man.

Rated PG-13, 127 minutes.