The highly anticipated Michael has arrived under a cloud of disappointment, with early reviews branding it a visually polished but emotionally restrained retelling of one of music’s most influential,and complicated figures.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and developed with close involvement from the Jackson estate, the film follows the rise of Michael Jackson from his childhood breakthrough with the Jackson 5 to his emergence as a global superstar. However, the narrative notably stops around the late 1980s, a creative decision that has sparked immediate criticism for avoiding the more controversial and turbulent chapters of his life.
Across multiple early reviews, a common theme emerges: Michael plays it safe. Critics argue the film leans heavily on familiar milestones, hit recordings, concert triumphs, and iconic choreography, while sidestepping deeper emotional exploration. Instead of confronting the complexities of Jackson’s personal life and public scrutiny, the biopic is said to offer a carefully curated, estate-friendly version of his story.
The film’s recreation of landmark moments such as Thriller and the legendary Motown 25 performance has been praised for its visual flair and energy. Yet reviewers insist these sequences cannot compensate for what they describe as a lack of narrative depth. One critic likened the experience to a “museum display of Michael Jackson’s greatest hits,” impressive in detail but emotionally hollow.
Still, some performances have drawn positive attention. Jaafar Jackson is widely noted for his striking physical resemblance and faithful recreation of his uncle’s stage presence, while Colman Domingo earns praise for his portrayal of Joe Jackson. Even so, critics suggest the performances are constrained by a script that avoids psychological complexity in favor of surface-level storytelling.
In the end, Michael is being framed as a missed opportunity, an aesthetically rich but dramatically cautious biopic that celebrates the legend while carefully sidestepping the man behind it, leaving viewers with spectacle, but little emotional weight.
