‘Michael’ Review: A Spotless Biopic of the King of Pop

I'm going to watch this, but I won't feel good about myself the next morning.

‘Michael’ Review: A Spotless Biopic of the King of Pop

Antoine Fuqua’s musical drama depicts the early life and stardom of Michael Jackson, brilliantly played his nephew Jaafar, in a film that sidesteps controversy in favor of pure entertainment.

By Kyle Smith, WSJ

April 23, 2026 5:03 pm ET

Even more so than most great artists, Michael Jackson was a horrible human being. The splashy biopic on his life until 1988, “Michael,” deals with this problem by ignoring it, providing no hint of the many credible accusations that he molested children.

Some will argue that “Michael” is tantamount to a feature that paints Bill Cosby as America’s beloved dad. They’re not wrong. But I ask whether the film succeeds in its goal. The answer is yes, and marvelously. As recreated by the pop superstar’s nephew Jaafar Jackson in a radiant screen debut, Michael Jackson’s singing and dancing are as dynamic, even awe-inspiring, as they ever were. His 1983 performance of the moonwalk while singing “Billie Jean” on a special celebrating Motown’s 25th anniversary was, for instance, the most sensational TV appearance by a pop star since the days of Elvis Presley, Jackson’s only rival for the title of the 20th century’s greatest musical performer.

Sensitive and adorable, so starved for friends that he makes a habit of telling his secrets to a llama, this Michael is practically an angel. And “Michael” is unabashed fan service and legacy management, with several members of the Jackson clan on the payroll as executive producers.

Though the successful Broadway production “MJ The Musical,” which opened in 2022, at least hinted that Michael had a dark side, the movie finds the only cloud in his life to be the tyranny of his father, Joseph (Colman Domingo). A steelworker who was determined to make a better life for his children at all costs, he whipped young Michael with a belt, controlled his career into the 1980s and even exercised enough influence to insist, at the very peak of Michael’s career, that he do a 1984 world tour with his brothers instead of solo. Mr. Domingo is a superb actor, but John Logan’s script essentially reduces him to a snarling menace here, albeit one whose perfectionism built a foundation for global success.

Jaafar Jackson, whose father is Michael’s brother Jermaine, brilliantly channels the world-conquering charisma of Michael, who first started performing as a child with his brothers in the Jackson 5 and had four No. 1 hit singles the year he turned 12. Sweetly recreating Michael’s delicate speaking voice and his gentleness while avoiding coming across as too weird, Mr. Jackson is so charming that it’s easy to forget about Michael’s sins for two hours. What are the movies for if not escape from reality?

The director, Antoine Fuqua, a maestro of action thrillers such as “The Equalizer” trilogy, is surprisingly deft with the musical sequences. He engineers several first-rate set pieces, from the fairgrounds of the Midwest to a finale in Dodger Stadium. The interstitial material, however, often seems superfluous, such as the many check-ins with Michael’s driver-bodyguard (KeiLyn Durrel Jones), who gets more screen time than is warranted, and a Joseph Jackson–Don King meeting (who cares?).

Mr. Logan’s script, while worshipful, gives due gravity to matters that were either played down or mocked at the time, such as the now-bizarre-seeming decision by MTV, subsequently reversed, not to play the videos from 1982’s “Thriller,” which became the biggest-selling album of all time. Jackson’s near-fatal accident while shooting a 1984 Pepsi commercial, during which his scalp caught fire, is framed as both the catalyst for more goodness on Jackson’s part (he is shown visiting other patients at the burn center) and yet another illustration of Joseph Jackson’s heartlessness.

Such is the level of hagiography that “Michael” suggests its subject choreographed the “Beat It” video (he didn’t), shows him giving directing advice to John Landis (who made the “Thriller” video), and minimizes the contributions of Quincy Jones (Kendrick Sampson), whose producing services were essential, and the songwriters who wrote such hits as “Human Nature,” “Rock With You” and “Off the Wall.”

Those too young to remember Jackson will get what they want, which is a fantastically effective introduction to the talent. Jaafar Jackson has to be electrifying, and he is. Mr. Logan, an accomplished writer whose credits include “Gladiator” and “The Aviator,” has a witty touch: When Michael directs a lawyer (Miles Teller) to fire his father, the latter asks how he is supposed to do that. “Quickly,” says Michael. A scene in which the singer drifts in a swimming pool finds him seeking ideas but worried “God might give them to Prince.”

As a tribute to what was great about Michael Jackson, Mr. Fuqua’s movie excels, though I wished there had been more performance: What, only one song from the 1979 disco masterpiece “Off the Wall”? (It’s “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough,” the basis for a dazzling montage that announces the starburst launch of Michael’s adult career.) More is coming, though: The director filmed so much that he couldn’t fit everything into two hours, so at least one sequel is planned. Just call my name, and I’ll be there.