Bringing the life of the most famous, scrutinised, and electrifying entertainer in human history to the big screen is no small undertaking. With Michael, director Antoine Fuqua and producer Graham King faced a nearly impossible balancing act: honouring the unparalleled musical legacy of the King of Pop while navigating the intensely complex, tragic, and controversial reality of his life off-stage.
The result is a sprawling, wildly ambitious, and deeply moving cinematic spectacle. Rather than buckle under the weight of its subject matter, Michael soars, largely thanks to a trio of powerhouse, Oscar-contending performances that anchor the film’s dizzying highs and devastating lows.
Every legend has an origin story, and for the Jackson 5, it started in the cramped, working-class confines of Gary, Indiana. As the young Michael, newcomer Juliano Krue Valdi is an absolute revelation. It’s an incredibly tall order for a child actor to capture the sheer, unbridled magnetism of a young MJ, but Valdi pulls it off with uncanny precision.
He perfectly embodies the boy’s wide-eyed innocence while nailing the specific vocal inflections and kinetic, instinctual early dance moves that made the world fall in love with the prodigy. More importantly, Valdi captures the tragic irony of Michael’s youth: a boy who brought boundless joy to millions while being systemically stripped of his own childhood. There are scenes where he is being forced to dance and sing late at night in his lounge room, as his father stands there, belt in hand, ready to “Whoop him” if he doesn’t get it right. It’s a foundational, deeply empathetic performance that sets the emotional stakes for the rest of the film.
Of course, you can’t tell the story of the Jacksons without the driving, terrifying force behind their stratospheric rise: Joe Jackson. Colman Domingo steps into the shoes of the notorious patriarch with a magnetic, booming intensity that commands every frame he is in.
Domingo is far too smart an actor to play Joe as a one-dimensional, moustache-twirling villain. Instead, he crafts a deeply complex portrait of a fiercely protective, relentlessly demanding father who forcefully drilled his children into global superstars, believing his brutality was the only shield they had against a world designed to keep them down. His physical presence is suffocating, and his nuanced, layered delivery makes this an Oscar-contending Best Supporting Actor turn. Domingo gives the film its heaviest dramatic weight, grounding the glittering pop-star narrative in harsh, unforgiving reality.
The biggest question mark going into this production was whether anyone could truly, authentically embody the adult King of Pop without it feeling like a Vegas tribute act. Enter Jaafar Jackson. Jaafar entirely transcends mere imitation.
From the signature kicks and anti-gravity leans to the breathy, soft-spoken voice and famously shy demeanour, his performance is eerie in its physical accuracy. But it’s the vulnerability he brings to the quieter, behind-the-scenes moments that elevate his work to its full realisation. This is a Best Actor-worthy triumph. Jaafar makes you feel the crushing, paranoid isolation of unimaginable fame just as powerfully as the electric thrill of his legendary stage shows. When he steps onto the stage for the film’s breathtaking recreations of the Bad and Dangerous tours, you completely forget you are watching an actor.
Visually and sonically, the film is a masterclass. Fuqua directs the musical sequences with a kinetic energy that makes you want to get out of your seat. The recreation of iconic moments from the Motown 25 moonwalk to the set of the “Thriller” music video are all handled with a reverent eye for detail. The sound design is equally immersive, utilising archival sound mixes blended with live vocal elements to make the concert scenes feel stadium-sized.
While some might argue the script plays it a bit safe by skimming over the darkest, most complicated scandals of his later years, it ultimately chooses to focus its lens on his artistry, and on that front, it delivers an unforgettable ride. The film isn’t set in Michael’s later years; it explores his upbringing with his family and ends just as he finishes the last Jackson 5 World Tour and sets out into the world as an adult, independent of his family. So we don’t get to see things like his Neverland Ranch or any intimate relationships, it is obvious that it could easily be a sequel.
Michael might occasionally struggle to condense fifty years of extreme triumph and tragedy into a single runtime, but its heart, spectacular musical sequences, and three phenomenal central performances make it impossible to look away. It’s a triumphant, electrifying addition to the music biopic genre and a stunning tribute to the King of Pop. Grab your popcorn, settle in, and get ready to be blown away.
