I had a lot of conflicting feelings heading into Michael and those feelings still followed me after the film. If you are a fan of Michael Jackson, you will be entertained throughout the 2 hour and 7 minute runtime. However, with the slew of the biopics we have received since the success of Bohemian Rhapsody in 2018, I do feel that studios use these stories of iconic yet flawed human beings as cash grabs. As I act like a critic throughout this review on Michael, there was a balance that was being played while viewing this film. Do I ignore the flaws of the story and enjoy the film like a greatest hits album? Or very much like biopics before this, do I focus on the overall quality of the film?

There is no denying that this film is dividing fans and critics. As of the morning of April 24, 2026, Michael currently sits at a 38% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and a 96% from fans. So why the divide? Fans enjoy nostalgia, reliving the glory of their favorite musicians, whereas critics wanted a film that was not afraid to explore the controversial icon. Which even as a fan of Michael Jackson, it is difficult to ignore how much is missing from the story and the montage editing style of the film. My biggest issue with the film is how it presents some intriguing and memorable moments in time and goes nowhere with them.

Michael Jackson is played by two actors, Jaafar Jackson for the majority of the film and Juliano Valdi as the younger Michael. Both actors deserve praise, Juliano Valdi’s presence as the younger Michael was hard to ignore. Jaafar however, is able to capitalize on being the nephew to Michael. Jaafar has the voice, the body language, and the choreography, he truly became his uncle on screen. I do hope that Jaafar can use this to catapult his career, if that is to only be known as the actor to portray Michael Jackson in future films or taking more risks in other films. Michael is set up for a sequel, however I feel like this may be where the story lost me.

The film chronicles the rise of Michael Jackson from the young lead of the Jackson 5 to the release of Bad. The film takes 20 years of a career and stuffs it in a 2 hour package. In my opinion, I think this story would have benefited from breaking up the story into their own films or even as a television series. Imagine taking the story of Joseph Jackson (Played by Coleman Domingo) forcing his sons to create a band to get out of Gary, Indiana which leads them to be discovered by Motown records and we get the tease of Michael Jackson being the star. The following film or season would be the creation of each album like Off The Wall, Thriller, and Bad. Even as a tribute to Michael Jackson, there was a lot left on the table with flying through 20 years.

Viewing this with parents that grew up through the 80s and 90s, they were reliving the days of watching Michael Jackson on MTV and living through the mania. They couldn’t stop moving in their seats as they loved the music. As someone that knew his music but mainly lived through the controversy, there were moments that I felt like they were glorifying Michael Jackson. Which I completely understand as the idea of this film was to show the influence and cultural impact Michael’s music had on society. Knowing that the Jackson estate had $15 million reshoots to remove scenes that address the darker chapters of his life does cast a shadow over the film. However, like I mentioned, this film causes me to have conflicting feelings.

Michael could have been an epic tale if the script and story seemed more focalized. For example, we get hints of Neverland and Michael Jackson wanting to leave his father. The film throws together scenes that touch on life events as he grew up, like dealing with Vitiligo (the autoimmune disorder), his nose job, and with the biggest focus dedicated to the fallout of the infamous Pepsi commercial incident. Michael would have benefited from additional scenes that made more use of these events. Yes, he was a very mysterious person, but spending time with him as he navigated through these obstacles could have added to the characterization of him in the film.

From a performance perspective though, the film delivers with Jaafar becoming his uncle and Coleman Domingo being so unlikable as the vicious and almost villainous Joe Jackson. Unfortunately, that is where the focus on acting ends. Michael does not take advantage of the likes of Miles Teller, whose introduction in the film is among the strongest and goes nowhere. Mike Myers basically does the same thing he did in Bohemian Rhapsody and a sparring use of Laura Harrier. It is very noticeable that a lot of this film was cut and reshot, especially with how the characters are introduced throughout the film.

Michael is very much like the icon that it’s based on. It’s a flawed film that makes you move in your seat while watching. I truly believe that with additional care to the script and not playing it so safe, Michael could have been great. I should say that I don’t like formulaic biopics, I would pick films like Rocketman and Better Man over Bohemian Rhapsody, Elvis and now Michael.