- The film "Michael" leans heavily on nostalgia, showcasing Jackson's rise to fame.
- It avoids later controversies, presenting a sanitized portrayal of the pop icon.
- Jaafar Jackson's performance is praised, capturing Michael's essence with uncanny accuracy.
As a kid, I loved Michael Jackson. Actually, "loved" might not even be a strong enough word.
My older brother and I were so obsessed that we legitimately wanted to change our names to Michael. We weren't allowed to watch MTV growing up, but that didn't stop us from sneaking over to that channel every chance we got, hoping to catch "Beat It," "Bad," or, if we were lucky and the timing felt like divine intervention, "Thriller."
We wore out our VHS copy of "Moonwalker," which, looking back, is a completely bizarre, nonsensical fever dream of a movie. But at the time, we thought it was incredible.
Michael Jackson wasn't just a musician. He was an event. A phenomenon. Something bigger than anything kids today can really comprehend. As I got older, though, my feelings about Michael changed. A lot.
I won't get into all of that here, but the magic faded. I couldn't deny his talent or how undeniably catchy his music still is, but I found myself pulling away from it.
So, when "Michael" was announced, I wasn't exactly counting down the days.
In fact, I dragged my feet to the screening.
And in a strange way, my relationship with this movie ended up mirroring my relationship with Michael Jackson himself: a complicated mix of nostalgia and discomfort. Drawn in, but also a little hesitant the entire time.
A fascinating rise, even if we've seen parts of it before
There's no denying that Michael Jackson's rise to fame is one of the most compelling stories in music history.
And when the film leans into that — the creation of the songs, the behind-the-scenes glimpses, the sheer scale of his superstardom — it's hard not to get pulled in. Watching the evolution from child star to global icon is genuinely engaging, especially for those of us who lived through even a small part of it.
I tried explaining to my kids just how big Michael Jackson was.
They asked, "Like Taylor Swift?" And honestly, that's the closest comparison we have to date. But even then, I found myself saying, "Imagine that, times a billion." It's almost impossible to overstate how massive the "King of Pop" was.
The movie does a solid job capturing the scale of the crowds, the hysteria and the cultural impact. It's a reminder that there really hasn't been anything quite like it since.
The problem: It feels too polished
Here's where things get tricky.
If you go into "Michael" expecting a balanced, nuanced portrayal of the man, you're probably going to walk out disappointed.
Because this movie doesn't just paint MJ in a positive light, it practically canonizes him.
The film presents him as almost entirely altruistic, kind and misunderstood. His flaws are minimal, and when they do show up, they're quickly softened or resolved.
The primary source of conflict is his relationship with his father, and while that's an important and emotionally impactful part of his story, the movie leans on it as a substitute for deeper complexity.
There's a sadness to the portrayal, a sense of a man robbed of his childhood, desperately wanting connection and friendship, and those moments work. They're often the most effective parts of the film.
But when every brushstroke is used to paint Michael Jackson as a near-flawless victim who overcame everything, the final portrait starts to feel a little incomplete.
To be clear, the film ends before the later controversies in his life, so it's not necessarily avoiding those events so much as choosing to stop the story earlier. But even within that timeframe, the lack of real tension or internal conflict makes the narrative feel overly sanitized.
It's a version of the story that goes down easy. Maybe a little too easy.
Jaafar Jackson is the real deal
One thing the movie absolutely nails is its lead performance.
Jaafar Jackson delivers a portrayal that is, at times, almost uncanny.
The voice, the mannerisms, the dancing — all of it. There are moments where you genuinely have to remind yourself that you're not watching Michael Jackson himself.
It's that convincing.
Jafar Jackson doesn't just imitate his paternal uncle; he embodies him in a way that carries the film, even when the story around him starts to feel a bit one-sided.
It's a breakout performance, and easily the strongest element of the movie.
The music still works whether you want it to or not
If nothing else, "Michael" is a reminder of just how powerful those songs still are.
Full performances of iconic hits are woven throughout the film, and whether you've distanced yourself from the music or not, it's hard to sit there and not feel something.
I found myself tapping my foot more than once. Which, if I'm being honest, surprised me.
Because even with my mixed feelings over the years, the music still has a pull. It still connects, and the movie knows that. It leans heavily into that nostalgia, and for many viewers, that's going to be more than enough.
A story that feels incomplete
There's been talk that the original cut of "Michael" was over 3½ hours long. If that's true, it shows.
At just over two hours, the film often feels like it's rushing through moments that could have benefited from more depth, while lingering on others that reinforce the same idea.
The movie ends with the "Bad" tour in the early '90s, closing with the message: "His story will continue." Whether that continuation actually happens will likely depend on how this film performs.
But as it stands, "Michael" feels less like a complete story and more like the first chapter of a much larger one.
Conclusion
I went into "Michael" with mixed expectations, and I walked out feeling about the same.
There's a lot to admire here. The performances are strong, the music is as powerful as ever and the depiction of Michael Jackson's rise to fame is genuinely compelling. But the film's reluctance to explore anything beyond a carefully curated version of its subject keeps it from reaching the depth it seems to aim for.
And yet, despite all of that, I was still entertained.
Because the nostalgia is strong. Almost impossible to resist.
"Michael" may not be the definitive story of the man, but it's an engaging look at the legend, even if it only shows us part of the picture.
"Michael" is rated PG-13 for some thematic material, language and smoking.
