Preamble

At this point, it seems multiple generations have a yarn or two about Michael Jackson. For me, it was the repeated play of ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘Thriller’ at various parties, as well as the discovery of obscure songs such as ‘Who is it?’ and ‘The Girl Is Mine.’ The former of which was used as an intro for a radio adaptation of one of my fan fiction scripts. Needless to say, Jackson can class up any joint, including adolescent fanboy Batman material. But the pop star’s legacy is checkered by controversy that’s hard to ignore. It’s for this reason that I was on the fence about this movie. However, here are my brief thoughts on the picture. Have you seen Michael? Let me know in the comments below.

Brief Consideration

Michael is akin to a well-crafted novelty bobblehead. It’s been shaped to achieve one primary function, and that’s to provide a heartfelt portrayal of its titular character. But much like said nodding head curiosity, there’s only so much enjoyment you can get out of that. The 2026 biopic charts the influential pop star’s rise from his early days in the Jackson 5 to his solo tour for ‘Bad.’

Whilst on the one hand, you could argue that Michael moonwalks around its controversial aspects of Jackson’s character due to its focus of how he gains his musical independence from his abusive father- Joseph Jackson (Colman Domingo), there’s something to be said of how one-note that premise is. 

The musical bio-pic borders on evangelising its central character to the point of tedium, with his more questionable behaviour being handwaved as quirky at best and tolerable at worst. The problematic portrayal is so all consuming that it takes away from Jackson’s virtues as an artist. 

His striving for perfection is confined to montage and almost autherists vision of his music videos are given a few scenes. It’s here where the film seems the most interesting (even in its direction). Whilst director Antoine Furqua is suitably showy with the camera, particularly during the use of a top and tracking shot in aftermath of Michael’s first nose surgery, his best moment comes from the making of the Thriller music video. 

The camera subtly captures Jackson not fully in frame, then shows his whole body as he dances (as the camera slowly tilts upwards). It’s the most self-conscious and postmodern moment of the film, as I came to a dawning realisation (in real time) of why that music video is so thrilling (pun intended). I could have used more moments like that. Instead, Michael coast on its live music sequences. 

Newcomer Jaafar Jackson is electrifying as the titular character, particularly in his physicality that effortlessly portrays his uncle’s dance moves in their infancy and peak. The performance is so impressive that it’s akin to seeing Jackson live. On the eve of an AI age, there’s something heartening about seeing this type of recreation via human performance. It’s just a shame that the rest of the film feels AI-generated in its writing and portrayal of its complex central figure.