Michael (2026)
Directed by Antoine Fuqua
[Rated PG-13] 2hr 7min
★★½
Michael is a music biopic that follows Michael Jackson’s personal life and career from the start of the Jackson 5 to his Bad tour in 1988. The story primarily focuses on the tumultuous relationship with his father as he tries to become more independent and take control of his own music career.
This is a film that perfectly fits the definition of mildly interesting. Like many biopics about bands and artists that have come before it, Michael struggles to form a compelling overall narrative because it’s more or less limited by actual historical events, but it’s still interesting to see a concise overview of notable moments from the early career of one of the biggest music stars of all time. However, due the many years that this movie covers, it frequently jumps forward in time throughout the story, which ends up diminishing the emotional weight of the narrative that it tries to build up. Despite this, the music and performances are exceptional all around and are by far the best parts of the film. Jaafar Jackson brings his uncle to life through his incredibly accurate portrayal both on and off the stage, and Coleman Domingo (Sing Sing, Rustin) once again gives a phenomenal performance that stands out among the others. Overall, this is more of a glorified concert film that primarily showcases Michael’s incredible work as a music artist without offering a deeper examination of his background or creative process outside the very basic elements.
I recommend Michael to anyone who’s a fan of his music and wants to experience spectacular performances on the big screen. It’s a fairly shallow movie otherwise and can be a bit dull at times, but its musical aspects are done so well that it’s still worth watching for that reason alone.
Michael is now playing in theaters. Click here to watch the Official Trailer.
– Review by Will Hopper