It’s disconcerting to think it’s likely impossible for a major studio to make a truly great biopic encompassing the life of Michael Jackson. There are so many complicated variables, individuals who would need to be involved, thematic ideas surrounding his 40+ year career, let alone an understanding of the music to decipher what made this man the King of Pop. Okay, but that’s a downer way to start this off, so how about this – there is an audience that will just want Michael to play the hits, and that’s what it does. Despite a few strong performances that I’m essentially taking for granted because they’re expected, this is a very familiar style of biopic that does as little as possible to upset the audience. It treats Michael with a high level of respect to a fault, barely skimming the surface of many of its more interesting ideas, and ultimately serves as half a movie. Sure, there’s a major plotline to deal with, but it still feels like the film was merely starting something, but stopped before we truly got enough.
The film opens in the 60s, with Colman Domingo’s domineering, abusive Joe Jackson training 5 of his boys to put on the best musical show they can. Nia Long’s Katherine Jackson is forced to watch Joe beat young Michael (a terrific Juliano Krue Valdi) into being better, while the rest of the family doesn’t exist in this film’s universe, except for La Toya Jackson (Janet and the other 3 are nowhere to be found). Getting picked up by legendary record executive Berry Gordy (Larenz Tate) and Suzanne de Passe (Laura Harrier) takes the Jackson family from Gary, Indiana, to Encino, California. With Michael growing up (the adult version played by Jermaine Jackson’s son, Michael’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson) and working with Quincy Jones (Kendrick Sampson), he decides to go solo. However, it doesn’t stop Joe from still insisting he owns Michael and can force him to do what he believes to be best for his family, and, more notably, himself.
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Focusing on Michael’s journey to get out from under his father’s thumb is a decent enough way to build an arc around this portion of his life. Without getting too far into things that don’t ultimately matter when considering that the movie released is the one to critique, being very aware that more has been shot, and the choice to turn this into a two-parter doesn’t do the film many favors. While allowing this film two hours to chronicle a version of Michael’s history up to the release of his 1987 album “Bad” makes sense, it’s the heavy emphasis on setting up Michael’s love of animals, toys, and an obsession with reading Peter Pan over and over again that end up going nowhere, with hopes that it will pay off in an entirely different movie.
Now, even if that was just a clear way of adding shade to a character who was never able to have a real childhood of his own, it could be made up for in any number of ways when considering who Michael is as an adult. There are certain attempts to draw the audience in. His body image issues regarding his nose or how he suffers from vitiligo (which is why he’d eventually go through a process to lighten his skin color heavily) come up. The meaning behind some of his music stemmed from a variety of reasons, ranging from things he admired to relevant social issues. And then there’s his desire to be the biggest star in the world, which would mean doing things like getting MTV to play his music at a time when the network specifically avoided having too much music from Black artists.
Any number of these topics would be worth investing more time in. However, we really only get a cursory glance, usually backed by one of Michael’s songs to swing us through the shortened timelines that would take us from one moment in Jackson history to the next. Of course, hearing the music is a big deal in and of itself, and while it’s great to have a film that celebrates the man’s incredible library of tracks, getting scenes that actually delve into the making of said music would have been welcome. As it stands, there are only a couple of very worthwhile minutes spent speaking to Michael’s process for developing his art, whether it’s the songs, dance choreography, or even helpful filmmaking suggestions on the set of “Thriller.”
Through all this, there is good work by the actors to take in. Director Antoine Fuqua has built a solid career on his ability to elevate the value of average or lower-end scripts by assembling strong casts. Whether or not Jaafar Jackson has any desire to move into a full-on movie star career from here, he does the best he can, dramatizing Michael’s life when not showing his impressive abilities to move and dance like his late uncle. Domingo, of course, delivers as Joe Jackson, finding every chance to inject a seriousness behind the smile he shares with those around him, and letting it instantly fade when deciding it’s time for intimidation to make his point.
Outside of those two, however, good luck making much of an argument for anyone else doing superior work or having much of a character to deliver on, even if no one is outright bad. KeiLyn Durrel Jones is effective enough as Bill Bray, Michael’s lifelong bodyguard, but is given nothing to do beyond offering concerned looks. Nia Long only gets one scene to talk back to her husband. Miles Teller wears an unimpressive wig while portraying yet another character said to have a great impact on something he’s likely only so much of a factor in as entertainment lawyer John Branca (see also: The Offer). It’s perhaps Deon Cole who shines brightest among the supporting characters as Don King in a quick role where he demonstrates enough power to actually worry Joe Jackson. (Also, good luck trying to learn anything about the rest of the Jackson 5.)
Looking at the character work and the attempts to pack so much into the narrative, the script by John Logan (Gladiator, Hugo, Rango, Skyfall) is so curiously streamlined and simplified for an accomplished writer. Whether or not the film had to be sanitized to some degree, given the heavy involvement of most of the Jackson family as producers, the circling of this period of Jackson’s life offers more than enough areas of interest. Yet, the screenplay is closed off from doing anything other than finding excuses for notable music set pieces.
Granted, that’s something one hopes to see in a Michael Jackson biopic, and it’s not like those moments don’t deliver. Seeing this big and loud will be the right way to go; if one can’t help but check this film out, as these astounding moments feature a nice variety of angles to capture Michael’s moves, the surrounding bandmates, and even an uneasy tension whenever Joe is watching from the sidelines. It’s a shame that the obvious CG audiences take away a bit of the grandeur whenever we see wide shots of the sold-out arenas, but we’re a long way from films that would employ thousands of extras to convey the sense of an epic, even if it means tentpole movies feel smaller because of it.
There’s nothing to be gained from picking on a movie like this, which is why being tough but fair is a frustrating way to go about this. I don’t believe I’m underselling the stuff that works, because there have been decades of music biopics, and having capable actors and delivering on a soundtrack should be expected. However, there should ideally be more effort put into a film like this. Getting to feature an artist of such great importance should amount to appropriately recognizing the impact Michael Jackson had on the world. His music is incredible enough that it wouldn’t be hard to deliver a crowd-pleaser no matter what, so why not make a film with its share of complications, rather than what amounts to half a movie with a standard “bad parent” biopic plotline? I can perhaps grant that the soon-to-be very real success of this movie will impact whatever the follow-up film entails (whenever that comes out), and it could even make this film better by following up on aspects set up here (including the more inflammatory elements, as sanitized as they may end up). As it stands, however, Michael never rocked my world, but it will no doubt have audiences bouncing off the wall with joy, despite how thin it is.
Michael opens in theaters and IMAX on April 24, 2026.
