Michael (2026) is directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan. It stars Jaafar Jackson, Colman Domingo, Miles Teller, Nia Long, Juliano Valdi, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Larenz Tate, Liv Symone, Laura Harrier, Kendrick Sampson, Jessica Sula, Tre’ Horton, Rhyan Hill, Joseph David Jones, and Deon Cole. The film follows the career of legendary musician Michael Jackson. Following early success alongside his brothers and sisters in The Jackson 5, Michael eventually breaks away to pursue a solo career. This puts him at odds with his domineering father/manager, Joe (Domingo), who desires to control his son’s every move. 

As the iconic/controversial musician, Jaafar Jackson gives one of the best performances of the year so far. His genetic connection to Michael likely gave him a big advantage, but it’s clear he wasn’t just cast because of a physical resemblance. He seems to effortlessly implement most of the man’s subtle quirks and eccentricities, especially his frustratingly timid personality. This often makes him a frustrating character to follow when it comes to his personal life, but also helps to contextualize why he was such a fearless, talented musician. It’s clear that his skills came with a certain cost, which allows us to sympathize with his odd behavior instead of being put off by it. This kind-hearted, tortured, and isolated version of Michael is well-portrayed, but unfortunately, it’s also insultingly one-sided.

 Almost none of Michael’s well-known controversies are touched upon, which tends to leave a taste of shameless propaganda in one’s mouth. Michael is painted only as a kind-hearted and loving man whose various issues are blamed entirely on other people who manipulate or lie to him. According to the film, his missteps are never his fault, and some of his most controversial moments never even happened. If you have no doubts about Michael’s past and think he was simply targeted by haters, this won’t be an issue. However, if you have even the slightest doubts about him, it’s an insultingly biased portrayal. 

Nia Long is a strong addition as Michael’s caring, sensitive mother. Despite being the less flashy character, she works as a nice foil to Colman’s Domingo’s dictatorial, cold portrayal of Michael’s father, Joe. Domingo’s performance is undeniably entertaining, being one of the few reasons to watch the film outside of the many recreations of Michael’s iconic music. However, he plays Joe in such a large, loud way that he often doesn’t feel like he belongs in the same universe. He’s an animated character in a live-action world, which is a bit jarring. This does help contextualize Michael’s timid nature as an adult, but it’s simply over-the-top. In the end, this strips a lot of dramatic weight from the climactic moment in which Michael finally confronts him, because he was never anything more than a joke to begin with. He’s just a selfish, silly presence that rarely feels like a real person, which strips most of the would-be emotional beats involving the character. 

Most of the actual story and character work falls flat, especially the perplexing amount of focus on Michael’s lifelong bodyguard, Quincy Jones (Sampson). He’s seemingly the one constant in Michael’s life, but never actually plays an important role in anything that happens. The film keeps hinting at his importance, but never actually follows through. His general inclusion makes sense, but not to such a large extent. Thankfully, most of the film focuses on faithfully recreating Michael’s many iconic songs, concerts, and music videos. If your only expectation for the experience is to hear Michael’s large catalog of hits, you won’t be disappointed. Even with my many issues, the music is undeniably fun. There’s maybe a bit too much of it for my taste, but I prefer it to the alternative of more mediocre story moments. 

Overall, this is a pretty basic musician biopic that succeeds in recreating Michael’s songs and persona, but falls flat when it comes to telling the story of his rocky personal life. It’s frustratingly positive and one-sided in its portrayal, often feeling like Jackson family propaganda rather than something with artistic or historic merit. As the titular musician, Jaafar Jackson steals the show and is the main reason to check this out. If you’re a huge Jackson fan, you’ll most likely have a blast. Anyone without that bias, however, will find this to be OK at best. C