Movie Review - Lionsgate's Michael

Discover the making of a king.

Michael is a 2026 biographical drama film directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by John Logan, produced by Lionsgate Films, GK Films, and Optimum Productions, and distributed by Lionsgate Films and Universal Pictures. The film is based on the life of singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It stars Jaafar Jackson and Colman Domingo.

"I believe music can change the world." - Michael Jackson

Plot

As Michael Jackson deals with his rise to fame, he must learn to balance his growing stardom with his loyalty to his family and the pressures from his abusive father.

The Sweet

Full transparency: I saw this movie last weekend. I just moved out of college, so, while I have had a lot of time on my hands, I just haven't gotten around to doing this review. I have been meaning to since I saw the film, but I was either being too lazy or just had other stuff I had to do.

The other important thing to talk about before diving into this review is my experience with Michael Jackson. I am nineteen years old, so I did not grow up during Michael's heyday or peak or anything like that, but I have always loved his music. I remember my grandpa showing me the Thriller music video when I was a kid, and since then, Michael Jackson has always just been in my playlists and his songs have been a part of my life. I honestly should've had this movie on my most anticipated list, because I was pretty excited for it.

Right off the bat, the best thing about this movie are the two lead performances. When you have a pop culture icon like Michael Jackson, it is absolutely crucial to get someone that will nail all of his little mannerisms and things he's known for. It is also nearly impossible, because Michael was such a singular entity within the entertainment industry. The reason he's so iconic is because there has never been and will never be anyone like him. The way he moves. The way he talks. The way he dresses. Everything about Michael Jackson was so specific to himself...and so it was a monumental task to find someone to step into those shoes.

If you watch Jaafar Jackson in interviews or just see him in normal life, he doesn't really look or sound anything like his uncle. And yet, when he first appears in this movie, it isn't Jaafar. It's Michael. It's almost creepy how well Jaafar Jackson nails everything about Michael. From the pitch of his voice to the perfect moonwalk to the singing...it's just uncanny. Jaafar Jackson's vocals are blended with Michael's in this movie, which may contribute to some of the uncanniness, but I could not tell when Jaafar was actually singing versus when it was Michael's voice. Keep in mind that I have listened to Michael Jackson for my entire life. I know these songs like the back of my hand, and I could not tell the difference between Michael's voice and Jaafar's. I am just in awe of how well Jaafar disappears into the persona that was Michael Jackson. It is truly, truly incredible.

The much more traditional great performance in this movie belongs to Colman Domingo, who portrays Joseph Jackson. Domingo is one of the most underrated actors in current Hollywood. I absolutely adore this guy in every movie that he's in. This may be his best performance that I have seen. Now, I haven't actually seen his two Oscar-nominated performances, but I expect this to be his third. When you talk about a commanding presence...man, does Colman Domingo have one in this film. Everyone who knows Michael Jackson knows that his father was ruthless, but Domingo captures the abuse and the control in such a specific way. He isn't loud and screaming. He's just in control. There's something in his eyes that just flashes when he's angry. There's a way in which he smiles at his kids that you see this man in the driver's seat of this family. Instead of being loud and scary (which many abusive parents in film are), he's deeply, deeply unsettling. There's a psychological fear rather than an inherently physical one, and that is all due to Domingo's masterful portrayal of this horrible guy.

You also cannot talk about this movie without discussing the music. A Michael Jackson biopic was also bound to be commercially successful, because Michael Jackson has some of the most iconic and recognizable songs in history. Whether you are talking Billie Jean or Beat It or Thriller or Bad, all of these songs make an appearance in this film. Watching Jaafar perform these numbers as Michael just brings the King of Pop back to life in a way that is impossible in any other medium. Watching the production of the Thriller music video or Michael's iconic performance of Billie Jean where he debuted the moonwalk is just breath-taking. The final performance of Bad that we see in front of a screaming crowd captures what it must've been like to be at a Michael Jackson concert. Michael automatically gets some points for re-creating these incredible moments in music history with such love and delicacy that they feel so real.

Michael currently holds a 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, and, while I think some criticisms are absolutely valid, the one consistent knock on this movie that I do not agree with is the idea that it plays like a greatest hits movie without any real story. This movie is about the relationship between Michael and Joe Jackson. The film starts with the formation of the Jackson 5 under Joe's domineering eye and follows that thread as Michael tries to escape his father's control through gaining his own autonomy and fame. For these musician biopics, the writers need to pick a specific direction that they are going to go. This is a very specific snapshot of Michael's life that really informs who he was and why his life was so difficult. I think it is absolutely a story that has a true beginning, middle, and end. And I simply don't understand how some of these critics saw it as simply a "greatest hits" reel.

Finally, I think this film does present somewhat of a complicated portrait of Michael Jackson. This point is going to be both a positive and a negative, because in some ways, it is a really good portrayal of the why. Why did Michael Jackson struggle with so many controversies and appear so strange in his public life? This movie gives you reason for that. You see how Joe's abuse and constant, dominating presence in his life broke him and made him into a fragile person who never really had a childhood. It humanizes this man who was so larger than life in both his performances and public perception. And that's what good biopics do.

The Sour

The unfortunate fact of the matter is that Michael Jackson's life is riddled with controversy and difficult, touchy subjects that are not touched upon at all in this movie. Now, that is not the movie's aim or focus. This is a story about Michael's relationship with his father. The primary story of the movie ends in 1984, right at the height of his fame. There's a little epilogue where we see Michael perform Bad in 1988, but the movie does not continue with the story beyond that. Instead, there's a title card that reads "His story continues...", which seems to tease a possible sequel.

This is where Michael's portrayal of the titular singer as a complicated figure bothered me.

If there is a sequel, which I believe there will be, I would expect that we would dive more into the controversies and the allegations that headlined Michael's later life. So if that does happen, this criticism will become less important. But the fact of the matter is that Michael Jackson is portrayed as this innocent, kind soul who was a victim of his father's vicious abuse. It never shows Michael doing anything wrong. He's wholesome and good-hearted...and I just don't believe that to be an honest portrayal of Michael Jackson. Look, he did do great things. He was a philanthropist and donated tons of money to charity and I don't think that should be ignored. But the sexual abuse allegations are, like it or not, a part of his legacy. And for a movie about his life to completely ignore that or any of his controversies...that just rubs me the wrong way a little bit. It is misleading and dishonest to present Michael as this wholesome figure who did nothing wrong. Whether the allegations are true or not, Michael Jackson did some weird things with kids. He admitted to sleeping in the same bed as underage boys. That's weird. And the movie doesn't even come close to touching on that.

Again, if the probable sequel decides to explore the controversies and everything with Neverland Ranch, this will become less of a problem. As it stands, though, this feels like a dishonest portrayal of Michael Jackson because there is nothing even mentioned or hinted at about the allegations.

I think Michael also undeniably would've worked better as a miniseries. Michael Jackson's life is incredibly interesting, and there are so many aspects of it that go under the radar when you have to squish everything into a two-hour movie. When Michael has his accident where his hair catches fire, we get about ten minutes of focus on that...and then move on. That was a traumatic accident in his life that informed his likely body dysmorphia and his constant wearing of his hat, but we don't touch on any of that. The brothers, the rest of the Jackson 5, are basically an afterthought. Michael's tense relationship with Jermaine is not touched on in any way whatsoever. And I'm not even saying that these stories and additions to the movie would've made it better: I am saying that there is too much to tackle in Michael Jackson's life across one movie. Hell, there's too much for two movies! We got one movie, and it only covers half of his life!

I think musician biopics automatically back themselves into a corner, because so many of these people have such interesting, tragic lives that are turned into Hollywood movies. Freddie Mercury. Bob Marley. Whitney Houston. Amy Winehouse. These are iconic, iconic entertainers who have gotten biopics that are really controversial. Bohemian Rhapsody is not a universally beloved movie because of it's sanitization of Mercury's life. Bob Marley: One Love, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, and Back to Black are just afraid to touch on the nastier, darker side of these tragic figures, and Michael has a little bit of that to it. These musicians have so much that happen in their lives, and these movies need to tell it all while also devoting at least thirty minutes of runtime to playing iconic music and showing them creating these songs. It's a tough balancing act that I don't think has really been perfected.

Final Thoughts and Score

I do think Michael is a good, albeit very flawed, film. Maybe if the sequel touches a bit more on Michael's controversies and gives us the full picture, my feelings on this movie will improve.

For now, it's a Savory. Age range is 11+.

SWEET N' SOUR SCALE

Sweet (Great) Savory (Good) Sour (Bad)

Moldy (Terrible)

"Michael"

Fun Factor: 8/10

Acting: 9.5/10

Story: 6.5/10

Characters: 7/10

Quality: 7.5/10

Directed by Antoine Fuqua

Rated PG-13 for language, disturbing themes and images, thematic elements

Released on April 24, 2026

2 hours and 7 minutes

Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson

Colman Domingo as Joseph Jackson

Nia Long as Katherine Scruse-Jackson

Miles Teller as John Branca

KeiLyn Durrel Jones as Bill Bray

Laura Harrier as Suzanne de Passe

Jessica Sula as La Toya Jackson

Juliano Krue Valdi as Young Michael Jackson

Jamal R. Henderson as Jermaine Jackson

Jayden Harville as Young Jermaine Jackson

Tre Horton as Marlon Jackson

Jaylen Lyndon Hunter as Young Marlon Jackson

Rhyan Hill as Tito Jackson

Judah Edwards as Young Tito Jackson

Joseph David-Jones as Jackie Jackson

Nathaniel Logan McIntyre as Young Jackie Jackson

Kendrick Sampson as Quincy Jones

Mike Myers as Walter Yetnikoff

Larenz Tate as Berry Gordy