'Michael' Review: An Entertaining, Estate-approved Biopic

Michael tells the story of the singer Michael Jackson and his journey to become the eponymous King of Pop. Growing up as a poor black kid in Gary, Indiana, young Michael (Juliano Valdi) joins his family’s all-boy band, The Jackson 5, managed by his father, Joe Jackson (Colman Domingo). Due to Joe relentlessly pushing the boys with rigorous practices and demanding performances, the group gets signed by Motown Records and starts climbing the charts, with little Michael stealing the show as the lead vocalist.

Years later as an adult, Michael (Jaafar Jackson) desperately wants to break away from the group and his father’s stranglehold on his career and life, which he feels is holding him back from his ambitions and reaching his potential. But despite his best efforts, Joe manages to keep pulling the kindhearted Michael back into his orbit. Will Michael be able to break free and become the superstar he’s always dreamed of?

The film covers the first half of Michael Jackson’s life, beginning with his formative years in The Jackson 5, shifting to his meteoric rise to stardom as a solo artist, and culminating with his iconic Bad tour. While there are many aspects of Michael’s persona to explore, the film mostly focuses on how Michael’s rigorous upbringing, devoid of a real childhood, led him to exhibit childlike behavior into his adult years and on Joe as the one-note villain of his story. So the repeated references to MJ’s love of Peter Pan and defeating Captain Hook are not subtle. 

While areas of Michael’s life are ignored or glossed over, it’s important to remember that Michael is not a documentary, but rather a film made by Michael Jackson’s estate to entertain fans and introduce a new generation to the Moonwalker—hence why Michael’s lawyer and estate executor, John Branca (Miles Teller) gets a rosy, altruistic depiction. The film was initially supposed to cover Michael’s entire life, opening with a raid of Neverland Ranch, but due to late-in-the-game legal discoveries, the scenes featuring the child abuse allegations had to be scrapped. It will be interesting to see how Michael’s life is tackled in part 2.

But speaking of entertaining, entertain it does!

Michael is a biopic and rock concert smoothly wrapped into one film, deftly covering many of the major personal and musical highlights of MJ’s life. From The Jackson 5 touring around the country in fairs singing their classics (“I'll Be There”, “I Want You Back” and “ABC”) to seeing the highlights of the Thriller years, such as the making of the “Thriller” music video and the iconic Motown 25 performance of “Billie Jean.” The final 30 minutes crescendos as Michael reluctantly performs with his brothers in the Victory Tour, singing his own hits (“Human Nature”, “Working Day and Night”), and ends with an electric, show-stopping performance of “Bad.”

In his debut acting role, Michael Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, has big penny loafers to fill portraying his uncle, but brings the house down. Criticisms of nepotistic casting are thrown out the window from the first scene, where Jaafar becomes Michael, honoring him in every aspect of his performance from his look, voice, demeanor, and dance moves. Colman Domingo and Nia Long also shine depicting the dichotomy of his parents, Joe and Katherine, respectively; however, the brothers are mostly throwaway background characters, reflecting how it felt to be in Jackson’s shadow.

There are myriad directions you could take a Michael biopic. Instead of focusing on the controversial and depressing elements, Michael focuses on humanizing Michael Jackson, highlighting his goodness, and celebrating his timeless music. If you missed seeing Michael on tour back in the day, this just may be the next best thing.

Michael hits theaters on April 24, 2026.

★★★★½