Title – Michael (2026)

Director – Antoine Fuqua (Training Day)

Cast – Jaafar Jackson, Nia Long, Colman Domingo, Juliano Valdi, Miles Teller

Plot – Explores the life of pop icon and music legend Michael Jackson, from his rise a child star (Valdi) to the world-renowned adult superstar (Jackson) that changed the industry for ever.

“I know you’ve been waiting a long time for this”

Review by Eddie on 24/04/2026

Making a biopic about the controversial king of pop and one of the most talked about entertainers in history was always going to draw extra attention and that’s exactly what’s happened with Antoine Fuqua’s troubled production Michael.

Unveiled to the public this week after years of pre-release issues, including extensive reshoots and an entirely reimagined final act, Fuqua’s film very quickly became the victim of some of the most scathing critical reviews we’ve seen in some time for a high-profile Hollywood film but while this surface level exploration of an extremely complicated man and life is a flawed exercise, it’s still a perfectly watchable viewing experience that is likely to become a huge audience pleaser.

Predicted to become one of the highest grossing biopics of all time, Michael is far from the most imaginative or well-designed musical biopics of recent times and spends too much time on the stage and not enough off it to provide what could be considered a deep dive into the life and times of Michael Jackson up until the late 80’s but the film does act as an entertaining whirlwind of a reminder of the talent that Jackson was, while at the same time allowing Michael’s real life nephew Jaafar Jackson a time to shine as he brings his uncle’s magnetic energy to life.

In more ways than one what you’d call big-budget fan service on a large-scale, with Fuqua and his writing partner John Logan making sure to tick off every iconic early life Jacksonism and career moment throughout their two hour film, Michael does struggle to have a central narrative beat outside of Michael’s clashes with his overbearing father Joseph (a scenery chewing Colman Domingo) and the film was crying out for more time to explore the little moments or more character driven insights, but if you’re coming to be entertained and to tap your toes, Fuqua’s film does the trick.

Backed and endorsed by the Jackson family, it was always clear that Michael wasn’t going to allow the legacy of MJ to be sullied in any great way here, which was supposedly the major reason behind reshoots and reworks of Fuqua’s film that initially delved more into the allegations against the popstar that have continued to plague his name and brand, so for any viewers wanting a critical examination of the man in the glove, Michael will leave them with a very cold experience.

No matter one’s thoughts about what Fuqua and Logan could’ve and perhaps should’ve done as they brought MJ’s story to life here, there’s no denying that the film nailed its casting of Jaafar and also Juliano Valdi as a younger Michael, with both performers doing exemplary work here.

Having to step into the shiny shoes and leather jackets of a cultural icon is never an easy task but both up and coming actors nail their respective iterations of a larger than life figure, bringing the energy and the childlike enthusiasm of Jackson to the screen here in acting turns that are going to be big hits with MJ’s most committed fans.

There’s an undeniable “something” missing from Michael, a film that fails to fully capture the wonder and embed the essence of MJ into its DNA but there’s a perfectly watchable and entertaining feature here nonetheless and one that is undeserving of the hate campaign that has come quick and fast for it from critics that appear to have had their pitchforks ready for the film before it ever even arrived.

If we live in a world where the likes of Bohemian Rhapsody is a celebrated Oscar winner, Michael really isn’t close to being the offensively bad product many have portrayed it to be in mainstream media.

Final Say –

Slight and undercooked, lacking in deep character depth or narrative structure, Michael is still an entertaining exploration of multiple decades in the world of a once in a lifetime entertainer who remains to this day a misunderstood and unique performer that will forever be iconic.

3 late night strolls with a difference out of 5