Film Review: MICHAEL (2026): A Standard Biopic Enhanced by Good Use of the King of Pop’s Best Tunes
Michael Review
Michael (2026) Film Review, a movie directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by John Logan and starring Jaafar Jackson, Nia Long, Colman Domingo, Juliano Valdi, Jayden Harville, Jaylen Lyndon Hunter, Judah Edwards, Nathaniel Logan McIntyre, Liv Symone, Laura Harrier, Larenz Tate, John Rabe, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Kendrick Sampson, Miles Teller, Michael Andrew Baker and Zach Kenney.
Antoine Fuqua’s biopic, Michael, is a rather standard portrait of a musical artist who suffered from being pressured by an overwhelming dad. Although movies like Selena didn’t present the father figure to be quite as overbearing as the way Michael presents Michael Jackson’s dad, several of these types of biopics are cut from the same basic cloth. Michael showcases some of the best of the music of Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. However, it’s hard to not feel a familiar vibe to this material any way you slice the pie.
Jaafar Jackson portrays the grown Michael Jackson with tremendous earnestness while Juliano Valdi is quite efficient as the younger Michael. It is Colman Domingo. however, who plays the film’s most formidable role as the dad, Joe Jackson. Early on, you can sense the way Joe pressures his kids unfairly by making them perform in a way that the kids feel overwhelmed, to say the least. The Jackson 5’s songs are terrifically played, however, with “ABC” making a delightful appearance in the film.
Domingo owns his role. In one scene later in the film when Michael is hospitalized, the dad is only concerned with Michael being able to perform and the doctor has to remind Joe of the fact that Michael has just suffered something very frightening. Domingo never underplays his role and keeps it feeling authentic in a way that enhances the material and gives it the type of edge that makes it all feel relevant and watchable.
It also feels like this story has been told before. Michael Jackson has been gone nearly two decades, and it still feels too soon for this movie. This film only deals with his life until the time surrounding the release of the song, “Bad.” There is a lot of the story that happened in the later years missing from the proceedings. In fact, almost all of it is not there. While another future movie may be in the works, there’s something curiously general about Michael that makes it feel incomplete as a work of art.
That being said, there are some great musical performances on-screen from “Billie Jean” to “Thriller.” Jaafar Jackson doesn’t make any missteps in the performance he takes on in this film. As Michael gives a pep talk to his talent before a concert, it’s easy to see Michael’s sincerity through the dedicated performance Jaafar Jackson displays in the new movie.
Nia Long is perfectly cast as Katherine Jackson, Michael’s mom. She may be a timid character, but the actress definitely makes her a strong female character despite this fact. Katherine had an inner strength that revealed itself in the way she supported her family emotionally. There’s a quiet greatness in Long’s turn that gives her a step up. Domingo may have the showier role, but Long more than shines beside him.
On the other end of the spectrum, Miles Teller gets lost in the shuffle as John Branca, Michael’s lawyer and manager. Though he plays a major part in helping Michael separate from Joe, Teller’s role feels rather underdeveloped in the grand scheme of things.
Michael Jackson’s career had an intriguing development and Fuqua’s film captures much of his rise to fame in the 1980’s efficiently. Jackson’s “Thriller” performance is a terrific part of the movie and will keep audiences tapping their toes. There’s not enough time to do what this film needed to do to be more unique, though. Instead of being Oscar bait, this movie strives more to be a crowd-pleaser for the famed musical artist’s fans. There’s nothing wrong with that but given the presence of Domingo and tip top production values, this film could have been a whole lot more than it actually is.
There is a great cast on hand here from Larenz Tate as Berry Gordy, the president of Motown Records to Laura Harrier as Berry’s assistant. Tate played Frankie Lymon in 1998’s Why Do Fools Fall in Love and has a history of making projects about musical talent. Why Do Fools Fall in Love was made by the director of Selena. All these films seem to have a connection in one way or another.
Michael‘s best scenes are of the superstar performing either as a kid as a member of the famed Jackson 5 or as the King of Pop that he became. All the behind-the-scenes happenings are super ordinary, though, and are as basic from a cinematic standpoint as humanly possible. Fuqua has attempted a difficult project to pull off. This is a movie that can’t genuinely exist without it’s second half. It’s a good start, but, in the final analysis, truly incomplete as a film. If or when a follow-up movie is made, this film deserves to be re-evaluated. Michael Jackson said it best in one of his songs, “Don’t stop till you get enough.” This movie is, quite simply, not enough.
Rating: 6.5/10
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