Director Antoine Fuqua’s “Michael” chronicles the rise of The King of Pop, Michael Jackson. The opening act is the finest of the entire movie, with Juliano Valdi delivering a fantastic performance as a young MJ. There’s a standout section with him meeting and having conversations with the legendary Berry Gordy (played by Larenz Tate). Colman Domingo is also very good as demanding dad Joseph Jackson, who instilled upon Michael a concept of achieving perfection that would continue to haunt him as he got older.
It’s the performances that save “Michael” from feeling campy or rough. This includes Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s nephew, who plays his uncle starting in the older teen years. There’s definitely a substantial amount of dedication here, including in the strong back-to-back “Beat It” and “Thriller” scenes. I also like Miles Teller as attorney John Branca. The scene in which he and Michael meet is one of the best of 2026 so far. And Nia Long has some good moments as mom Katherine.
The first half of “Michael” definitely has more depth than the second half, which gets rather repetitive. As a whole, the arc is pretty simple, though there are effective sections. And the final half-hour is pretty much a concert — a few too many songs and a little too overwhelming as we come down the home stretch. That structure is similar to “Bohemian Rhapsody”, the Freddie Mercury biopic that won Rami Malek an Oscar. “BR” was produced by Graham King (who’s also the producer of “Michael”) and featured a big-name actor in a surprise cameo… who also appears here.
There may be a follow-up film that addresses some of Jackson’s controversies and challenging times in his later years. What Lionsgate has to think about is whether audiences, especially fans of MJ, want to see all of that. Will an installment that’s darker in tone be as well-received or financially successful? That was not the case with “Wicked: For Good”, released just one year after “Wicked”. But as for this “Michael” movie that we’re presented with, it’s not completely stellar but is a fine acting showcase.
LCJ GRADE: B-
Running Time: 127 min.