‘Michael’ Makes the King of Pop Cool Again | Movie Review

This review is dedicated to my 10-year-old self who watched Michael Jackson’s music videos in awe following his death and performed her own version of the “Thriller” dance for her aunt and uncle. 

My love-hate relationship with Michael Jackson began in 2009, shortly after he passed away. Music channels like VH1 and MTV were playing his music videos repeatedly as a tribute to the “King of Pop.” As a kid, I was mesmerized by videos like “Billie Jean,” “Scream,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” and “Remember the Time.” I was lowkey terrified of the “Thriller” music video, but the song was a bop! When my sisters and I visited my aunt and uncle on the Big Island that year, I performed my own version of the “Thriller” dance for them and that’s the closest I ever got to learning Michael’s dance moves. This was when my “obsessive” personality really began as I couldn’t stop watching his music videos and interviews with him. I can’t remember who said it, but somebody said I was obsessed with Michael Jackson and my brain immediately thought, “oh gosh, I can’t be obsessed with Michael Jackson; that’s weird!” As a result, I brushed my Michael Jackson admiration aside for the next 16-17 years.

If you couldn’t tell by the title of this review, Michael (2026) is a music biopic about the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. It was directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan. What’s interesting about this film is it was produced by Graham King, who produced the Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody (2018). I love these types of films that take viewers back in time to a certain period in music history because music is one of my biggest passions and it’s fascinating to see what the world was like in the old days. After debating back and forth on whether or not to check it out, I finally saw Michael in theaters this past Tuesday and was blown away! The film takes place from 1966 to 1988, essentially covering Michael’s rise to fame with the Jackson 5 to performing on the Bad World Tour as a solo artist. According to Vanity Fair, the film originally was supposed to begin in media res with Michael staring at his reflection in the mirror as the police arrive to search for evidence regarding the child sexual abuse allegations first made towards him in 1993. However, mentioned in the same article, the Jackson estate discovered a clause in a legal agreement from a case with the then 13-year-old Jordan Chandler that prevents any mentions or depictions of him in dramatizations of Michael’s life. This issue caused the film to be delayed with reshoots and rewrites, hence why Michael takes place from 1966 to 1988. 

All the photos, including the header image, are from Lionsgate Films and Universal Pictures.

The movie stars Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s real-life nephew, as Michael Jackson; Juliano Valdi as the young Michael, Colman Domingo as Joseph Jackson, Michael’s mentally and physically abusive father; Nia Long as Katherine Scruse-Jackson, Michael’s loving and supportive mother; Miles Teller as John Branca, Michael’s attorney; and KeiLyn Durrel Jones as Bill Bray, Michael’s bodyguard and close friend. The latter is one of my favorite characters in the film because of his loyalty and father figure role to Michael. When I first heard Jaafar speak as Michael, I was floored; it’s like he was possessed by Michael Jackson’s spirit! He worked his butt off everyday for hours to perfect Michael’s speaking voice, singing, mannerisms, dancing, personality, and facial expressions to the best of his ability. It’s worth noting that for certain scenes, Jaafar’s vocals were blended with Michael’s vocals; same thing with Valdi’s vocals for certain scenes. Still, Jaafar and Valdi had to sing like Michael and capture his same energy when performing. So none of that lip sync crap was involved!

Valdi also deserves praise for his performance as young Michael because that kid has show business in his blood! If you’ve seen interviews of him, he already knows who he is as a performer and his goals in life, but most importantly, he’s not afraid to put in the work to accomplish them. As for Domingo’s performance, you know someone is a good villain when you want to slap them in the face; I wanted to do that since the beginning of the film. Joseph was a very mean man, but I was able to sympathize with him because he didn’t want his sons to work in a steel mill like him wondering what could’ve been. He could’ve done it in a nicer way, but he pushed his sons to work hard and strive for greatness, which he passed onto Michael. I don’t know much about Katherine Scruse-Jackson, but I enjoyed Long’s portrayal of her. She was a bright shining light in Michael’s world when he really needed it. She also had some balls, shown through a few scenes with Joseph, so props to her for that!

Critics tore this film apart because it doesn’t cover the child sexual abuse allegations, but I think it does a good job at humanizing Michael Jackson. He’s been in the public eye since childhood and the media shamed him like he was a strange figure from outer space. But I think a lot of people forgot that Michael Jackson was a human being with real feelings who wanted to connect with people through music; I certainly forgot about that! Even if some of the things he did were questionable, no one is perfect and we’re allowed to make mistakes because that’s life. After all the negative publicity surrounding the King of Pop, it was refreshing to see Michael Jackson portrayed in a positive way on film. Sean Chandler, a movie critic YouTuber mentioned in his review that the film does a great job at making Michael Jackson an underdog and I totally agree with him! Michael wanted to branch out as a solo artist and break free from his dad’s control, therefore, those scenes with Michael achieving success with Off the Wall (1979) and Thriller (1982), and overcoming an obstacle involving his father were very satisfying to watch. There’s one scene towards the end of Michael that made me go, “Sayonara sucker!”

With all biopics, there are inaccuracies, but as long as viewers keep that in mind, they’ll have a good time with Michael because it’s a compelling story and the music is so good! My only complaint with the film is Michael’s brothers – Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon – are portrayed as background characters. They didn’t have any lines to push the story further; they were just there to complete the Jackson 5. I wish more thought was put into the brothers’ roles in the film because Michael’s solo career significantly impacted the Jackson 5’s career; the latter changed their name to the Jacksons in 1976. What were their takes on Michael becoming successful on his own? It’s also worth noting that not all of Michael’s siblings, including Janet, are shown in the film. 

Michael ends with the possibility of a sequel, so if the film does big business and Fuqua finds a way to get the legal issues sorted out, I would love to see it happen! According to a Deadline article, Fuqua said they filmed footage that goes into 1995, when things really went downhill for the King of Pop. I love the nature vs. nurture dynamic of this film because viewers get to see life from Michael’s perspective and what led him to do certain things. His childhood was taken away from him, so he spent the rest of his life living out his childhood desires with Disney and Peter Pan. He felt like an outsider to society because of his fame, but developed a special bond with animals and children. Most devastating of all, though, he suffered severe second-and-third-degree burns to his scalp and severe hair loss from a Pepsi commercial incident in 1984, which resulted in a lifelong addiction to painkillers.

Michael does a good job of establishing the King of Pop’s roots, so the second film can focus on the darker side to his career with the child sexual abuse allegations, his failed marriages, his kids, and his frustrating rivalry with the press. It doesn’t have to cover all the negative drama from his later life, but there has to be enough to push Jaafar further as an actor, allowing himself to dive deeper into Michael’s loneliness and frustration during those trying times for the King of Pop. As mentioned earlier, Jaafar already did a brilliant job in this film, so I’m very curious to see how he’ll tackle the sequel. If we don’t get a sequel, however, I’m glad we got this film to continue Michael’s legacy, introduce his music to new generations of fans, and remind people how talented he was. As for Jaafar and Valdi, I hope to see them accomplish bigger things in the entertainment industry because they’ve got bright futures ahead of them! I’ll give Michael a rating of 4.95 out of 5 stars.

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Comment below your thoughts on the Michael movie and your favorite song from the King of Pop!

Take care and see ya real soon!

Lana