On April 24, 2026, millions of Michael Jackson’s fans gathered in theaters to witness their king’s name honored through passion, dance and emotion. “Michael”, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson (Michael Jackson’s nephew) as Michael Jackson, is a two hour wonder of a film that captures the essence of Jackson’s uprising to the King of Pop, using his magic mind motives to let us into the gates of his lyrical life.
Although Jackson unfortunately passed on in 2009, his mark in the music world has forever changed the industry and world along with it. Being an inspiration to various well-known artists that we know today, Jackson and his unique ways created such a pivotal turn throughout history, that it would be a shame not to honor this legend of a man. Fortunately, Fuqua and J. Jackson captured his essence in unpredictable, indescribable ways.
ACTING: 10/10
I kid you not, when I initially watched and saw J. Jackson’s performance, I really couldn’t tell the difference between Michael’s voice and dance moves to his nephews. He perfectly captured the image of Jackson in whole; his voice (singing or not), his moves and even his gestures. I quite frankly went home and watched so many videos to compare, just to find there would be absolutely no difference.
It’s so surprising due to the fact that “Michael” is J. Jackson’s first ever acting job. He has had no previous experience, yet still killed the role in honor of his uncle. I think that’s so incredibly heartfelt and amazing.
And it’s not only J. Jackson who did an amazing job. Juliano Valdi, who played young Michael, performed so well by taking Jackson’s younger life and seizing his way through it. Valdi had the audience apprehend everything about him; belting absolutely amazing vocals, moves and emotion, all that made Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson.
ACCURACY: 8.5/10
Although this was a great movie, there were some slight inaccuracies following Jackson’s life. But, just like any biopic, no feature film is going to get everything right.
The main inaccuracy: the Jackson family headcount was wrong, as it was missing Rebbie, Janet and Randy Jackson, all who are part of Michael’s life in such strong ways. Yet, it has been revealed by La Toya Jackson that Janet kindly declined the offer to be in the movie for unknown reasons.
Even though we should all respect her wishes, it felt kind of incomplete to only see a partial number of the Jackson Family on screen.
CINEMATOGRAPHY: 9/10
Throughout the movie, it was all sparkles, flashing lights and slow motion shots that definitely added to the movie and gave it the Jackson flare. I believe they did an amazing job with their way of telling his story through the cinematography.
Some scenes, I would just be in shock. Everything about the filming style that would be paired with the music… it genuinely made me tear up from astonishment. It felt as if I were there, watching him perform in his “Bad World Tour” up on stage. Yes, it was that cinematic and so engaging.
OVERALL: 10/10
I’ve seen a lot of biopics, some that were good and some not. This specific film (as I expected) took the throne. I kid you not, I’ve seen it two times. And let me tell you, it didn’t get boring the second time. It’s that good of a watch and experience to feel within your soul. Although I knew Jackson was big, I never knew how big of an impact he had. When watching some scenes, it genuinely made me grieve something I wasn’t even born to see.
If you’re thinking of watching, take this as a sign, and go watch “Michael”.
