Michael Review: A Sanitized Portrait of the King of Pop

Biopics are usually only as interesting as their subject. And some of the most interesting subjects with the most exciting lives are rock stars, so it makes sense that some of the most interesting movies would be about them, movies like Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman, and Walk Hard. So, the new movie Michael, about the life of the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson, has to be great, right?

Well, not so fast.

Michael follows the career of Michael Jackson (played by Jaafar Jackson, son of The Jackson 5’s Jermaine and nephew of The King of Pop), from the early days of The Jackson 5 right up to the mid-eighties Victory Tour. This period covers his time in The Jackson 5 as well as the making of his solo albums Off the Wall and Thriller. Of course, this is the period of time when he became the biggest musical entertainer in the world.

The screenplay for Michael was written by John Logan, who penned movies like Gladiator and Skyfall. And it was directed by Antoine Fuqua, who did The Equalizer movies and Southpaw. So, on paper, it’s got an action-packed pedigree. And truth be told, there are segments of the movie that are exciting and full of energy.

Unfortunately for Michael, it was executive produced by pretty much the whole Jackson clan (except for, curiously, Janet), and it seems a bit overprotective of its subject. Make no mistake – Michael is entertaining, even compelling at times, but it’s extremely safe. It’s a story that is already widely known, and it sticks to that story. There is very little in it that will be revelatory to even casual fans. It even seems to whitewash the often abusive and neglectful ways in which Michael’s father (played wonderfully by Colman Domingo from Sing Sing) treated him.

There’s no drama in Michael. Even the more tragic and traumatic moments in his life – the Pepsi commercial incident, for example – are treated with little to no fanfare. Just another normal day where Michael almost dies. No big deal. No emotional weight. It feels like a Hallmark Movie Channel adaptation of MJ’s life. It’s all very sanitized.

The music is, of course, easily the biggest draw to the movie. Michael Jackson is one of those artists whose songs are all classics. Even those who don’t own a single MJ record will know every song in the film. Not just recognize every song but literally know each one by heart. And the movie knows this, as MJ’s music is front and center. Just as it should be. The smartest thing Michael does is treat its last 20 minutes or so as almost a concert film. It leaves things on a high note and sends the audience off singing “and the whole world has to answer right now just to tell you once again, who’s Bad?”

Again, Michael is not a bad movie. It’s very watchable, and it’s entertaining enough in its own right. It just doesn’t take any chances, so what fans get is more like VH1’s Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story than Sid and Nancy. Which is probably what Michael Jackson fans want. They want to worship their hero without seeing any of the warts. And that’s what they get with Michael.

Now, Michael does only go up through the mid- to late-eighties, so there’s still plenty of Jackson’s life left uncovered, and what came after this period of his story next is much more…controversial. And the movie does leave itself open to a sequel. So, who knows what we’ll get if/when a part two is made? But hopefully, whatever it is, it’s not quite as protective as Michael is. Because it may be the family’s chance to tell his/their side of the story, and whitewashing it will just put everything into question.

Anyway, if you’re a big fan of Michael Jackson, you’ll like Michael. If not, it’s still worth a watch, but you won’t get the same return on investment.

GRADE: C (although the music is a hard A+)

Rating: PG-13 for some thematic material, smoking, and language 
Runtime: 2 hours 7 minutes
Release Date: April 24, 2026
Studio: Lionsgate