Michael (2026): A Review

MICHAEL (2026)

How much do you require in your biopic? Do you require that it explore the artist's life and person struggles as they achieve their artistic triumphs? Do you prefer instead to have a montage of that artist's greatest hits, recreated with as much accuracy as possible? If you prefer the former, you can skip Michael, the biopic of the late Michael Jackson. If you prefer the latter, you should rush to Michael, the jukebox musical of the late Michael Jackson. Michael does well when we see and hear Jackson's music. Michael does nothing when it comes to everything else. 

Covering the years 1966 to 1988, Michael chronicles the rise and rise of Michael Jackson (played as an adult by Jackson's nephew, Jafaar Jackson). As a child in Gary, Indiana, Michael (Juliano Valdi) is the youngest of the musical group that Jackson patriarch Joseph (Coleman Domingo) is shaping and pushing to his will. He is determined that his five boys will succeed as The Jackson Five. Jackson matriarch Katherine (Nia Long) mostly looks on, though as Michael grows up, they do enjoy watching classic movies together.

The Jackson Five soon attract the attention of Motown Records. They eventually work with Motown's legendary founder, Barry Gordy (Larenz Tate). Gordy, unlike Joseph (the children always call their father by his first name) actually takes time to show Michael kindness. Eventually, Michael wants to make his first solo album, Off the Wall. Joseph agrees, so long as Michael does it on his off time and not when he's with the Jackson Five. Michael also gets a nose job and his beloved pet chimpanzee, Bubbles. 

He also gets a new lawyer. John Branca (Miles Teller) is able to do just about everything for Michael. Branca's top task? Fire Joseph. It came at the most opportune time, as Joseph was conspiring with none other than boxing promoter Don King (Deon Cole) to get the Jackson Five on a Pepsi-sponsored tour. Negotiations finally get Michael to join his brothers on this tour and to promote Pepsi. A botched commercial does cause massive injury to Michael's head when his hair catches on fire. Despite this and the surgeries required to repair the damage, Michael goes on to make the Thriller video and perform Bad for his own solo tour. At the end of Michael, we see His Story Continues.

I cannot say whether the on-screen text of "His Story Continues" is a message that there will be a sequel or a more metaphorical suggestion. I cannot say whether or not "His Story Continues" is or was intended to be a pun on Jackson's HIStory double album. I can say this: Michael, as a movie, offers the viewer no insight into what kind of person Michael Jackson was. I think the most daring or revelatory moment in Michael about Michael Jackson was when we see him go to Studio 54. John Logan's screenplay, however, does not clarify if Jackson's foray into the disco club is for himself or to hear Rock with You playing at the club. 

Michael does not, contrary to what I have heard others say, "play it safe" when it comes to Jackson. Michael does not play it anything. Michael, as we have it now, is just a series of musical montages interrupted by occasional moments of drama. More often than not, the non-musical moments are very positive towards Jackson. He happily signs autographs both at meet-and-greet events and when casually shopping at toy stores. He insists that Branca donate every penny from the settlement over the Pepsi commercial accident to the burn center. Jackson has previously visited children in hospitals

It is a case of "think of the children!".

While watching, one frankly is unsure whether to stare in astonishment or laugh as Michael Jackson reads Peter Pan to Bubbles the chimp. It is almost verging on parody to have young Michael read Peter Pan voraciously. Logan's screenplay is not subtle in its symbolism. 

Where Michael goes well is when it recreates Jackson's various musical moments. This is not just relegated to the adult Jackson. Director Antoine Fuqua does a wonderful job when we see the Jackson Five sections. Major credit to that goes to young Juliano Valdi. He is sweet and charming as young Michael. He is also able to recreate the young Michael Jackson's movements as he does his best James Brown and Fred Astaire dancing. Presuming that it is Valdi doing the singing, he does an exceptional job singing the early Jackson Five hits like ABC and I'll Be There.  

Once Jackson becomes a young adult, the musical performances continue to be Michael's highlights. Jafaar Jackson is the son of Michael's brother Jermaine. Jafaar was only twelve when his Uncle Michael died. Now at 29, Jafaar does an excellent job as his legendary relative. The musical moments are when Jafaar Jackson excels. The dancing, particularly when recreating Thriller or the Motown 25th Anniversary special, is fun to watch. It would be difficult to not move when the various hits are playing. It is also a credit to Jafaar Jackson on how well he captured his late uncle's musical skills.

The few times that Michael bothers to try for something other than adoring glances Jafaar Jackson does rise to the occasion. It is thanks to his performance that the aforementioned "Michael reads Bubbles a bedtime story" does not slip into total farce.

That dishonor goes to Coleman Domingo as Joseph Jackson. Domingo looks more like Little Richard to where one briefly thinks that the Tutti Frutti singer is taking his belt to Michael. Other actors are pretty much wasted in their roles. Nia Long spent all her time merely looking on or watching a movie with Michael as his mother Katherine. Her one big and, granted, good moment was when she told Joseph that he was not going to beat Michael anymore. Miles Teller is an actor that I think has never reached his full potential. His role as John Branca felt like nothing.

The shallowness of Michael when it comes to finding who Jackson was is best shown when the film recreates the Thriller video. There were stabs at trying to showcase the artist. Jackson asks that Thriller director John Landis capture the whole body during the dancing because that was what Fred Astaire often said about film dancing. The recreation of Thriller is top-notch. 

However, there was no mention of how Jackson asked that a disclaimer be placed at the beginning of the video. Jackson at the time was a Jehovah's Witness. The video's supernatural elements were so distasteful to the group that he was threatened with excommunication. To keep the video from being destroyed, Branca managed to add a disclaimer stating, "Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult". 

Michael could have explored this conflict. Michael could have shown Jackson shocked at his religious group's reaction. Michael could have shown how this conflict could have destroyed one of if not the greatest music video ever made. Michael never touched on any of this. 

If you like Michael Jackson's music and want to see a de facto Michael Jackson cosplay, go see Michael. If you want to know who Michael Jackson was or what drove him as a person or artist, don't go see Michael. 

Ultimately, I think it would be easier and cheaper to rewatch either or both the television miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream or the musical documentary Michael Jackson's This Is It if you wanted to see the real Michael Jackson as both a performer and person. 

1958-2009

DECISION: C-