April 30, 2026
FILM: MICHAEL
DIRECTED BY: ANTOINE FUQUA
WRITTEN BY: JOHN LOGAN
STARRING: JAAFAR JACKSON, NIA LONG, COLMAN DOMINGO
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
As of this writing the new Michael Jackson biopic Michael has made over $237 million in under a week. This has far exceeded the expectations of all involved. I didn’t even bother to see it in advance for fear that it would be a bomb or at least something we didn’t need right now. Clearly, I was wrong. People want to see the entertainer that was Michael Jackson in all of his performance glory. And why not? He was a major phenomenon for decades…until various scandals and a dependency on drugs ended his career and life. Isn’t it just like Hollywood and the world to focus on what we want to remember most about him? This makes for a very entertaining film which certainly leaves out a LOT about Michael’s life but apparently still leaves people satisfied.
I grew up with Michael everywhere. He was older than I was but his music with the Jackson 5 was huge. Even my younger brother Jeff had their Greatest Hits album when he was very young. In fact, he still mentions how someone stole it from him while he was in pre-school!
Michael begins when the brothers were just getting started under the direction of their father Joseph, played by Colman Domingo. The early scenes only skim the surface of those early years, leaving out the influence of Diana Ross who “introduced” them on their first album. The film also fails to mention that there were other members of the family such as sisters Rebbie and Janet and brother Randy. Should that matter? Well, it was a VERY big family… Screenwriter John Logan makes the decision to pretend they don’t exist. (Too much story to tell?) Instead, Michael seems to have plenty of time alone with his mother Katherine, played by Nia Long, to eat popcorn and watch old movies. Okay, we’ll forgive the film for those missing details because the bond with his mother is too sweet not to show.
The story then jumps ahead in time to when Michael decides to go solo as Quincy Jones prepares to produce his “first” solo album Off the Wall. Truth be told, this wasn’t Michael’s first solo record as he had four prior to this, including one that featured a number one song, Ben. By 1979 when Off the Wall was released, the Jackson Five had become the Jacksons and had had some big career swings – changing labels and having only a few chart successes. Again, is it a problem to ignore all of this? Probably not, unless one wants a complete picture of the family’s successes and failures during the 1970s. Such details would require a production equivalent to a mini-series to cover it all.
The primary focus here is on Michael. He’s portrayed by Juliano Valdi as a child who is very good in the role. At times Valdi’s voice is heard but I think there are other moments when we hear the actual young Michael. Again, is it necessary to quibble about this? As an adult, he’s played by Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s nephew and the son of Michael’s brother Jermaine. Jaafar is very good as his uncle. He has a pretty face, like Michael, and has clearly mastered his high speaking voice as well as his many dance moves. Director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Equalizer, Southpaw) and his team recreates the choreography of Michael’s famous videos from Beat It and Thriller, which again proves visually spectacular on screen. The high points of the film are the scenes in which Michael performs, which Jaafar Jackson masters without disappointing.
Colman Domingo is also very good as Joseph Jackson, although he’s essentially playing the evil figure in Michael’s life – the one who is creating the primary conflicts for him. The struggle becomes Michael’s need to break free from Joseph’s control of his career, which lasts longer than one might have expected. It’s understandable why Domingo would have wanted to take the role. It’s a juicy part if a bit one-dimensional.
What’s missing from the film, in addition to key family members, are details surrounding Eddie Van Halen’s famous guitar solo on Beat It, as well as some of the darker sides of Michael’s life which presumably come after the success of Thriller. His brothers are also given no development and there is only a brief mention of Jermaine leaving the group. Sure, we get glimpses of his love of animals and Peter Pan as well as a devotion to children after the infamous Pepsi commercial in which Michael’s hair caught fire, but again how much of these additional details are necessary? We do see the beginnings of Michael’s cosmetic changes to his nose and skin but the complete transformation doesn’t occur until later in his life.
What we get is the Michael most people want to remember. He rose to individual fame in spite of his father. Would audiences be interested in seeing details about his later career and life? If done well, it could be a very interesting story to tell. But then, people would have to be open to the various accusations, legal cases, and indiscretions that he dealt with after his greatest successes. Do people care for the full story or do they just want to see the perceived good times with Michael? In the end, filmmaking is a business and only financiers can answer these questions. For now, there’s a solidly entertaining film out there that offers nostalgia, warmth, and escapism in the form of Michael Jackson.
Michael is currently playing in theaters everywhere.
FILM: MICHAEL
DIRECTED BY: ANTOINE FUQUA
WRITTEN BY: JOHN LOGAN
STARRING: JAAFAR JACKSON, NIA LONG, COLMAN DOMINGO
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
As of this writing the new Michael Jackson biopic Michael has made over $237 million in under a week. This has far exceeded the expectations of all involved. I didn’t even bother to see it in advance for fear that it would be a bomb or at least something we didn’t need right now. Clearly, I was wrong. People want to see the entertainer that was Michael Jackson in all of his performance glory. And why not? He was a major phenomenon for decades…until various scandals and a dependency on drugs ended his career and life. Isn’t it just like Hollywood and the world to focus on what we want to remember most about him? This makes for a very entertaining film which certainly leaves out a LOT about Michael’s life but apparently still leaves people satisfied.
I grew up with Michael everywhere. He was older than I was but his music with the Jackson 5 was huge. Even my younger brother Jeff had their Greatest Hits album when he was very young. In fact, he still mentions how someone stole it from him while he was in pre-school!
Michael begins when the brothers were just getting started under the direction of their father Joseph, played by Colman Domingo. The early scenes only skim the surface of those early years, leaving out the influence of Diana Ross who “introduced” them on their first album. The film also fails to mention that there were other members of the family such as sisters Rebbie and Janet and brother Randy. Should that matter? Well, it was a VERY big family… Screenwriter John Logan makes the decision to pretend they don’t exist. (Too much story to tell?) Instead, Michael seems to have plenty of time alone with his mother Katherine, played by Nia Long, to eat popcorn and watch old movies. Okay, we’ll forgive the film for those missing details because the bond with his mother is too sweet not to show.
The story then jumps ahead in time to when Michael decides to go solo as Quincy Jones prepares to produce his “first” solo album Off the Wall. Truth be told, this wasn’t Michael’s first solo record as he had four prior to this, including one that featured a number one song, Ben. By 1979 when Off the Wall was released, the Jackson Five had become the Jacksons and had had some big career swings – changing labels and having only a few chart successes. Again, is it a problem to ignore all of this? Probably not, unless one wants a complete picture of the family’s successes and failures during the 1970s. Such details would require a production equivalent to a mini-series to cover it all.
The primary focus here is on Michael. He’s portrayed by Juliano Valdi as a child who is very good in the role. At times Valdi’s voice is heard but I think there are other moments when we hear the actual young Michael. Again, is it necessary to quibble about this? As an adult, he’s played by Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s nephew and the son of Michael’s brother Jermaine. Jaafar is very good as his uncle. He has a pretty face, like Michael, and has clearly mastered his high speaking voice as well as his many dance moves. Director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Equalizer, Southpaw) and his team recreates the choreography of Michael’s famous videos from Beat It and Thriller, which again proves visually spectacular on screen. The high points of the film are the scenes in which Michael performs, which Jaafar Jackson masters without disappointing.
Colman Domingo is also very good as Joseph Jackson, although he’s essentially playing the evil figure in Michael’s life – the one who is creating the primary conflicts for him. The struggle becomes Michael’s need to break free from Joseph’s control of his career, which lasts longer than one might have expected. It’s understandable why Domingo would have wanted to take the role. It’s a juicy part if a bit one-dimensional.
What’s missing from the film, in addition to key family members, are details surrounding Eddie Van Halen’s famous guitar solo on Beat It, as well as some of the darker sides of Michael’s life which presumably come after the success of Thriller. His brothers are also given no development and there is only a brief mention of Jermaine leaving the group. Sure, we get glimpses of his love of animals and Peter Pan as well as a devotion to children after the infamous Pepsi commercial in which Michael’s hair caught fire, but again how much of these additional details are necessary? We do see the beginnings of Michael’s cosmetic changes to his nose and skin but the complete transformation doesn’t occur until later in his life.
What we get is the Michael most people want to remember. He rose to individual fame in spite of his father. Would audiences be interested in seeing details about his later career and life? If done well, it could be a very interesting story to tell. But then, people would have to be open to the various accusations, legal cases, and indiscretions that he dealt with after his greatest successes. Do people care for the full story or do they just want to see the perceived good times with Michael? In the end, filmmaking is a business and only financiers can answer these questions. For now, there’s a solidly entertaining film out there that offers nostalgia, warmth, and escapism in the form of Michael Jackson.
Michael is currently playing in theaters everywhere.