I just know that the movie’s going to be tuff because it started with “Hee hee” just three seconds in.
This film is about the story of one of the still influential entertainers of all time, Michael Jackson. From his early days with The Jackson 5 all the way to his Bad era, showing how a shy little boy from Gary, Indiana eventually set the standards and became the blueprint of the modern pop culture—not just in music but also in fashion, performance, and humanitarian work.
Had to pull a Michael reference on my family. He always believed that music brings people together, so I used that as an excuse to invite my family to watch the movie. No act of convincing. Everyone said yes. And if Michael Jackson can still get a whole family into one cinema in big 2026, that’s influence right there. Spoiler, we enjoyed the movie.
Weeks before watching the film, my algorithm has decided to flood me with Michael Jackson’s lore, and I had to give in. I was not really full aware of who he was as a person, as an individual. I just know him as a global superstar, an idol. Despite growing up scared of him because of the Thriller music video, I still grooved to his songs and mimicked his iconic moonwalk and lean move. He’s one of those figures that, in modern times, you cannot unstan because he is just that massive.
As I got older, frontal lobe starts to develop, and that algorithm thing, I started diving deeper into his interviews, performances, documentaries, testimonies and his old clips that I haven’t watched and never understood as a kid. And the more I consumed, the more I realized how complicated and deeply human he actually was.
For someone making his acting debut, Jaafar Jackson really outdid himself. He studied his uncle so carefully—from Michael Jackson’s soft and breathy speaking voice, to the shy smiles (deadly, btw), tiny mannerisms, and even the way he carried himself offstage. Also, we can’t forget the little details: MJ’s love for orange juice. He was 90% made from it.
Of course, nobody can truly outdo Michael’s iconic moonwalk. But Jaafar gets incredibly close to capturing the spirit of him.
The movie also does a good job showing Michael’s spontaneity when creating songs and how he deeply understood music and loved his craft. The whole music brings people together thing was really his thing— whether it was bringing two gangs together to be in his music video or breaking of racial barrier on MTV through premiering Billie Jean.
It also taps MJ’s pure-hearted side—his charity work, humanitarian efforts, and empathy toward children and animals. The film shows how he deeply longed for innocence, likely because fame robbed him of having a normal childhood in the first place. This was something he openly talked about for years. His fascination with amusement parks, toys, animals, and even Bubbles the chimpanzee was not simply “eccentric celebrity behavior.”
In many ways, it’s a cry for a childhood he never really had. Although, I do think the movie sometimes framed this too comedically when it could have sat more deeply into his internal anxieties resulting to this behavior. This same longing for safety and grounding is also reflected in his relationship with his longtime bodyguard, Bill Bray, who supported him through everything and, in a way, felt more like a father figure than his real father ever did.
And moments like this are exactly why I think it’s important to remember what kind of film Michael actually is. But at the same time, Michael is still a biopic, not a full investigative documentary. And I believe that distinction matters.
A Hollywood biopic was never going to fully expose (itself and) the darker relationship between celebrity culture, media exploitation, and the system that helped build—and later destroy—Michael Jackson.
Come on, this man’s life is almost impossible to compress into one movie. It feels like he lived a hundred different lives in one lifetime. The movie only scratches the surface, and I actually hope the second part becomes braver in tackling the heavier parts of his story. Michael was already working endlessly since five years old and carried pressures most adult would not survive. And nawp, I’m not an MJ glazer. I truly believe that he was a good person. Through his speeches and music, he often revealed more about himself, and the industry, than people realized at the time.
Because if you think about it, portraying all of that accurately could cost more than just lawsuits. In an industry built on power and image, people who expose ugly (elitist’s) truths rarely come out untouched. Yup, sounds very familiar.
I also think some people will automatically hate the movie because of what it does not include rather than appreciating what it does well. Hating every single thing has become a disease these days.
Overall, Michael is a great movie. Cried almost every minute of it. Jaafar’s performance was phenomenal, and the recreations of iconic music video moments felt surreal on a massive screen. Sure, there were moments where it felt like watching a really high-budget YouTube recreation of old MJ clips, but somehow, that is not even a bad thing. It was an experience.
I’m actually legit dancing and bopping to the cinema seat because I genuinely CANNOT RESIST IT. I mean it’s a celebration of his artistry. I just wished people in the cinema were dancing and bopping too. Maybe they didn’t want to rock with me.
Alright jokes over. Get up there, Michael. I’ll play Twister with you.
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