This was one of the most anticipated movies of the year. I was hoping for it to turn out good; I really think it had a shot at crossing a billion at the box office because of MJ's star power (it'll still gross a decent amount with negative reviews, but not $1B)

I had reasons to be cautious. The director is Antoine Fuqua, whose filmography sucks outside of Training Day.

It currently has just 27% on RottenTomatoes after 52 reviews. I read a few. Basically:

- the movie feels like a cliff-notes account of MJ's story even when it covers only 1966-1988 period
- a lot is missing, such as Janet Jackson and MJ's legal troubles. MJ's brother's are glorified extras
- the movie fails to explore MJ's anxieties, traumas, and frustrations
- Colman Domingo plays MJ's father. Domingo gives the worst performance of his entire career
- the movie goes at breakneck speed sometimes, not letting stuff breathe
- the biggest upside is the music, which not even Fuqua could possibly screw up
- MJ's nephew does well in playing MJ

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/michael

For a star like Michael, it'll either have to be extremely niched [maybe his Jackson 5 days into his initial endeavor as a solo artist] or an extended series on HBO to do him any justice.

Had no intention of watching, but this doesn't surprise me srs

Anyone else think boygirl would be a huge Michael Jackson fan? There's a mental illness connection there that just seems to work.

And this is supposed to be a 2 part. Oh well... will wait for streaming.

they should have got the director that did Bohemian Rhapsody 2018

that was a solid flick

srs

I haven't looked into it but what people have been saying is that MJ knew about Epstein and MJ was actually trying to protect kids but then the Israeli pedos blamed MJ for being a pedo.

Utter travesty if true.

shoudl've included the parts where he f'd little boys.

would've brought out all the pedos and made bank

Before there was Epstien's Island there was Neverland Ranch.

I wonder if there were direct flights?

Yes, that's exactly what happened but so many people are unaware.

I didn't think this movie would be a hit. The original movie that was made was amazing. This movie wasn't going to come anywhere near close...

Pic says it all

NYPost: 1 star out of 4

Basically says that the film is formuliac, paints MJ as too saintly, offers no nostaglic thrills, rushes several details (his vitiligo), and overlooks his siblings. However, the review says that Jafaar Jackson does well as the lead

https://nypost.com/2026/04/21/entertainment/michael-review-michael-jackson-biopic-is-painfully-bad/

Would have much preferred to see a documentary style thing a la The Last Dance so they could get into the proper history. No way his life can be condensed into a movie length thing.

how long is it?

guessing it should be 2hrs 40 to do it any level of justice

not that i give a fk about MJ

but he did have some solid tracks

man in the mirror, black or white, and some other sh*t i cannot remember

srs

2 hrs and 7 mins

thanks brah

that isn't a bad length, i guess it depends on how much stuff they wanted to try and shoehorn in

i'll download it in the future

I always thought the mainstream media always did Michael dirty.


Made him look insane, especially during the trial.


I'm not saying he was an angel but Im not convinced he was the devil, either.

you can see how he went broke (if that is true)



spending like a mofo

of course he was an icon for his industry, people always have a perception of a celebrity, but then in person its alwas underwhelming.

MJ had a hell of a life though as a child star. so probably would wow you with never ending wow stories/experiences he could share

srs

People got bored of seeing him in the news all the time and he had fallen way off in popularity by the time he died

There's nothing new or interesting that could be said about him

Before he died, people had mocking him for many years. He got parodied by Eminem in his 2002 music video "Lose It." One of the scary movies teased Michael Jackson

But after he died, there was a huge resurgence in fandom. People stopped making fun of him. Sports athlethes did tributes to him during games. MJ's songs got blasted on car stereos around the world. I think there's interest in a good movie for MJ

I hate all biopics

Glorifying a pedo smh

Anyone watch it? I think I’ll check it out today. Critics seem to hate it, but audiences love it

I will probably stream it for free

I refuse to pay 20 a person to see it in the theater

MJ's estate is corrupt and ran by Jews lawyers

They have still refused to settle his estate, MJ has been dead for almost 20 years at this point and they only made small payments to his heirs aka his kids

NO SPOILERS
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I decided to check out "Michael" on 05/20/2026. In spite of the negative reviews from professional critics, I felt the movie was worth a view because of the strong audience score. In the end - I think it's a watchable musical bio. The 39% score on Rotten Tomatoes is a little too harsh.

Really - there are two chief upsides to watching the movie: the music and the lead performances. The former is probably a massive "Duh!" ... MJ's music is obviously very good. When songs like "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Thriller," and "I'll Be There" play on-screen, I felt a fuzzy and comforting feeling. The stage set-up, costumes, and camera work are well-done in the various concert scenes, from the small-time venues where the Jackson Five 5 perform to the massive stadiums in which Michael sings at the end. I like the songwriting/creative-process scenes, which show how he got ideas for songs by watching T.V.

Besides the music, the movie's other major upside are the lead performances. Two actors play Michael. In the opening 30% or so, there's a child actor who plays young MJ in the Jackson 5. For the rest of the movie, Jaafar Jackson fills the role. Both of them are convincing. Jafaar, in particular, nails the famous MJ voice; and his appearance and mannerisms are right on the money. Truly, I don't think they could've done better than Jaafar in terms of getting a resemblance to the real Michael Jackson.

For most fans - the soundtrack and lead performances will be enough to provide satisfaction, particularly for MJ fans. Thus, I can see how this movie has attracted some high audience ratings

The movie also kinda plays like a greatest-hits cliffnotes, running through The Jackson 5, his rise as a solo artist, the Thriller video, his dance moves, the scalp burning incident and other details. The effect is that the movie feels as if it gives you just what you wanted or expected.

But looking at the movie critically - I see some big flaws. For me, the biggest problem is Colman Domingo as Joseph Jackson. The Joseph character is fine in the opening 30% of the movie, when there's a larger focus on the Jackson 5 era. But after a certain point, he started to drag; I got fed up of him. The character gets so one-note and repetitive. And Colman Domingo's acting becomes awful in the second half. Really, the Joseph character needed to go away or take a backseat after the 1 hour mark or so.

The other issue is that I don't feel as if I really learned a lot. Again, the movie plays like a greatest hits cliff-notes account of MJ's career up the late 1980s. Consequently, the movie doesn't offer a lot of insight or new information (unless you've lived under a rock and knew nothing about MJ prior to this movie)

The movie mistakenly spreads a slathering aura of sainthood and innocence over Michael Jackson.There are heavy-handed scenes where he visits sick kids in the hospital. There are scenes where he talks of donating money to burn victims because "I need to do more for them." There are scenes where he tells the music executives that he made his music video "for everyone, black and white." It was all too much. I no longer felt as if I were watching the story of a real human. I simply don't buy the notion that Michael Jackson was on-par with Mother Theresa in kindliness

The movie shows many of MJ's infamous quirks, particularly his apparent failure to grow up (e.g. he befriends exotic animals like chimpanzees, he wants to play Twister with his adult brothers, he likes to play with toys, he likes stuffed animals etc.). Yet those quirks are all portrayed in this movie as harmless, innocent personality traits instead of something potentially darker, relating to certain allegations that came out later.

Some of the dialogue is too cringy or overly saccharine ("I have to spread my light. Spread joy and healing. That's my destiny"). The movie gives some key moments to MJ's bodyguard Bill, a very weak character. The movie introduces MJ's manager (the guy who managed the Beastie Boys) with a lot of hype in his first appearance. Then that character becomes a dud and does little of note after he fires Joseph.

Critics have targeted the absence of Janet Jackson. I don't think I would've noticed her absence if I hadn't read a critic's complaint on that point. However, I think MJ's brothers get glossed over too much. They became little more than background figures. I couldn't tell any of them apart from one another; I learned nothing about them when I finished this movie. Since the movie makes a big deal about MJ's decision to leave the Jackson 5 group to focus on his solo career, I think his brothers could've got some attention

6.0/10.

solid write up brah - sounds like you hit the nail on the head

i don't think the movie is for me, i liked MJ growing up, but this flick sounds like it is more for fans to enjoy (also those that like trends) - that overlook the details

i'll add it to the download list. would be cool to see those classic sound track scenes

not sure how i would feel watching it watching him being portrayed as a saint too - though not convinced of the allegations against him. he said himself he never had a normal childhood so of course he would grow up being different. i'd have expected to see at least a few scenes with JJ.

on another note - i really liked What's Love Got to Do with It (1993) back in the day, haven't seen it in years. so will give that another a watch soon

srs