“Michael”: A Superficial Trip Through The Greatest Hits of a Legend
The arrival of the legendary King of Pop to the big screen has been creating expectations for years. But does Michael do justice to the figure behind it?
I would usually write a brief introduction about the topic of the review, but I think in this case it would be redundant. If there is an artist who has defined the music landscape of the past fifty years, it is Michael Jackson. He needs no introduction.
Even though the exploitation of the genre in the past decade has caused a “biopic fatigue,” the name of Michael Jackson was enough to revitalize the audience’s interest and make them flock to theaters.
Michael’s Approach to The Legend
The film starts pretty strong, portraying the protagonist’s childhood and family life. We see a young Michael being forced to rehearse long hours along with his siblings, and we get introduced to the key character: Joseph Jackson, his father.
Joseph is portrayed as a tyrannical force, absolutely determined to make a name for himself through his kids’ success. The movie shows him being hard, and even cruel, to Michael, in an attempt to nurture his talents and suffocate any flicker of rebellion on his part. Joseph’s manipulation of his son is a constant throughout the entire movie.
Still, the fact that the father’s bad temper has a much smaller impact on the rest of the siblings and the mother was a curious choice. These characters are almost irrelevant to the story, but when they appear on screen, they are always shown as supportive of Michael and his decisions to follow his dreams and have a solo career. However, being aware that the siblings were involved in the project, I cannot help but wonder if this villainization of the father exclusively is not an attempt to wash their own reputations.
One way or another, the portrayal of Michael’s early life is the part of the movie I think worked best, mostly because we spend a respectable amount of time on those years. As soon as we move onto his adulthood, the film becomes a collage of musical moments more than a linear narrative.
Biography or Fiction?
I’m glad to say that the film does not go to the lengths of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis when it comes to exploiting the artist’s personal miseries. In fact, Michael’s tone is pretty lighthearted in comparison. But whether it’s a faithful depiction of Jackson’s life is a completely different matter.
We cannot forget we’re talking about a Hollywood movie, and that veracity can be abandoned at any point if it serves dramatic purposes or if it can end up in legal troubles. So, for example, Janet Jackson does not appear in the film at all. The only sister mentioned is La Toya.
And of course, the loudest omission: the film makes no mention of Michael Jackson’s child abuse accusations. I see how mentioning the topic could change the tone of the project and maybe even cause legal troubles. Also, including it would have forced the production to take a clear stance on the subject. The film played it safe.
Jaafar Jackson as Michael
The driving force behind the project is its musical moments, and the casting could not have been better. Juliano Valdi does an amazing job playing the young version of Michael and portraying the beginning of his singing career in The Jackson 5. But the star of the film is, no doubt, Jafaar Jackson, with a magnetic performance as his late uncle. He is the one holding the movie together.
As it has become common in artists’ biopics, the strength is to make the audience feel they are watching a live concert. Jafaar performs hits such as “Billie Jean,” “Thriller,” “Beat It,” and “Bad,” with such energy and heart that at times he seems to transform into Michael himself. His performance is 100% worth the ticket.
The Real Miss: Who Was Michael Jackson?
Besides the amazing musical moments, the film spends too much time on things that are not relevant. Or at least, not relevant in the context of a two-hour movie. There are plenty of scenes that highlight Michael’s childlike and innocent manners, as well as his love for animals. I see that the purpose was to give a closer look at his personality and his family life. Nevertheless, three different scenes focusing on the fact that Michael adopted a monkey are not what people who admired his work were the most interested in.
Michael Jackson was a visionary. His work and his approach to music and art are something that we’ll likely never see again. What I would have loved the film to delve into was his creative process, which is a mere afterthought in this production.
We get to see Michael working on his album Thriller, but as a short montage. Then we jump straight to the filming of the music video. Why not tell us some more about the writing process and the planning of the video itself? What was happening behind the scenes? Where did he get the inspiration?
Michael fails to portray both the genius of the artist and the depths of the man in a compelling manner and ends up being a glorified, long “Greatest Hits” video rather than a serious biography.
Critical Response and Box Office
In spite of being panned by critics, the general audiences were pleased with the film. Michael is one of 2026’s box office hits, grossing $799,948,243 globally within only five weeks on a budget of $155,000,000.
As much as I understand the mass appeal this movie has had, I believe Michael will have the same destiny as Elvis. These are movies that do well financially because they are consumed as a sort of recorded concert with some dramatized segments, but they leave no lasting cultural impact. I watched both movies in theaters, and I enjoyed them because I loved these artists’ music, but I have no desire to revisit them.
On the bright side, there will be many kids and teens for whom this film will be an introduction to Michael Jackson’s music. Some of them may even develop good taste, which is always positive. But let’s be honest and call Michael what it is: the biggest cash grab of 2026 and a poor tribute to a legendary artist.
