---
title: "Michael"
year: 2026
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/michael"
fi1m_id: "michael"
imdb_id: "tt11378946"
tmdb_id: 936075
wikidata_id: "Q116677364"
fi1m_score: 47
critics_score: 40
critics_reviews: 16
published: "2026-09-09"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:43.489119+00:00"
region: "LT"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Michael (2026)

Directed by Antoine Fuqua · 2h 08m · Music, Drama

## Identity

Michael

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/michael
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** michael
- **IMDb ID:** tt11378946
- **TMDB ID:** 936075
- **Wikidata ID:** Q116677364
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11378946/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/936075, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q116677364

**Fi1m score: 47** · Critics 40 from 16 reviews

*In a sentence:* The dancing is his, the face is his nephew’s, and the story has been approved by his lawyer

> Jaafar Jackson moves like his uncle and the stage numbers are the real thing; around them, Antoine Fuqua has made an authorised biography that stops the moment the story gets difficult. Watch it for the dancing and expect to argue about the rest.

## Synopsis

Antoine Fuqua’s film follows Michael Jackson from a childhood in Gary, Indiana, where his father Joseph (Colman Domingo) drills him and his brothers into the Jackson 5, to the years when he leaves the family act and makes records under his own name. Juliano Krue Valdi plays the boy; Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s nephew, plays him as a young man. Nia Long is his mother Katherine, Larenz Tate is Berry Gordy of Motown, Kendrick Sampson is the producer Quincy Jones and Miles Teller is the lawyer John Branca. John Logan writes. The film runs 128 minutes and stops in the early 1980s, before the parts of the life most people now argue about.

## Review

Antoine Fuqua’s *Michael* covers the life of Michael Jackson from a childhood in Gary, Indiana, to the early 1980s in 128 minutes, and among its producers is John Branca, who was Jackson’s lawyer and now helps run his estate. Branca is also in the film, played by Miles Teller as the calm man who helps Michael take charge of his own affairs. We mention this early because it explains a good deal of what follows. John Logan’s script is a straightforward rise: a father drills his sons into an act, the smallest son becomes the act, the young man walks away from his father and becomes the most famous performer alive. Then the film stops, some years before the allegations of child sexual abuse that everyone watching knows are coming.

Jaafar Jackson is Michael’s nephew, and the resemblance does the first ten minutes’ work for him. What he does after that is his own. He has the soft speaking voice, the way of ducking his head when praised, the sudden stillness before a move, and when the film lets him dance he does not look like a man copying old footage. The first time the adult Michael takes a stage on his own we sat up and forgot the film around him, and that happened three or four more times before the end. He is the reason the numbers work.

Colman Domingo plays Joseph Jackson as a large, watchful man who believes fear is a teaching method, and he is good at it, sometimes too good; the film needs a villain, hands him the job, and he plays it at a pitch that empties the rest of the house. Nia Long’s Katherine is left to look worried in doorways. Juliano Krue Valdi, as the boy Michael, is the more surprising piece of casting: small, exact and plainly lonely among his brothers. The scenes of him alone after the others have finished are the closest the film comes to saying what it costs to be this good this young.

The music is handled with care and money. Dion Beebe shoots the stage numbers from the floor and the wings, close on feet and hands, and Barbara Ling’s sets move from a small house in Gary to a Motown office to arenas without once looking like a soundstage. Marci Rodgers has put the right clothes in the right year. Four editors are credited, John Ottman, Harry Yoon, Tom Cross and Conrad Buff IV, and we could feel the seam between the numbers, which are cut to the beat and let a move finish, and the scenes between them, which are cut as if someone were checking a list. Lior Rosner’s score has little to do, because the songs are the score.

The problem is not what the film puts in but where it stops. It ends at the point of greatest triumph, and along the way there are several scenes of Michael being kind to children, which the film offers as plain evidence of a good heart. We watched those scenes with a knot in our stomach, and we do not believe that was the intention. A film that knows what its audience knows and stages this anyway is daring us to raise the subject, then leaving before we can. Logan wrote *The Aviator*, which admired Howard Hughes and showed him falling apart in the same scene; here there is not one line that admits a difficulty.

Fuqua made [*Training Day*](https://film.one/film/training-day), which was about a bad man and knew it. Here he directs as if under instruction. The biopic scaffolding is all up: the record executive (Mike Myers, as Walter Yetnikoff, having a fine time), the studio scenes with Quincy Jones, the montage of ascent. Oddly, the business scenes are the most detailed in the film. It is more interested in how Michael took control of his affairs than in what he was like at three in the morning.

The reviews so far are mostly cold, and ours is only a degree or two warmer. If you want to see how the songs were made and how the moves were done, the two hours will give you that, and Jaafar Jackson will give you more. If you want to know who the man was, the film has decided that is a question for a different producer.

*Fi1m score 47, published 9 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics agree on both what works and what does not, and the balance falls against the film. The praise clusters on Jaafar Jackson, whose likeness in voice, look and movement is repeatedly called uncanny, and on the musical sequences, which even the harshest notices find electrifying. Colman Domingo’s Joe Jackson also draws notice.

The reservations are near-unanimous: the film ends before the child abuse allegations and never mentions them, and most reviews call it a sanitised, estate-approved hagiography that hits every music-biopic beat. The New York Times reports that reshoots removed material addressing the allegations. Dissent comes chiefly from the American trade press: Variety finds the father-son story surprisingly effective, and The Hollywood Reporter detects a melancholy underneath the boilerplate. The Independent and The i Paper go furthest the other way, calling it ghoulish and asking whether it should have been made at all. The scores vary widely; the complaint hardly at all.

## Straight answers

**Is Michael worth watching?**

*Michael* is worth watching for the stage numbers and for Jaafar Jackson, who dances like his uncle without looking like a copy, and we scored it 47. Around those numbers Antoine Fuqua has made an authorised biography that stops in the early 1980s, before anything difficult, and we watched its scenes of Michael being kind to children with a knot in our stomach. Go for the music, not for the man.

**How long is Michael, and what is it rated?**

*Michael* runs 2h 08m. It is a music and drama film.

**Where can I watch Michael in Lithuania?**

*Michael* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from €4.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Michael, and is it suitable for children?**

*Michael* is a 12A and contains no violence beyond what that certificate implies: the hardest scenes are of Joseph Jackson, played by Colman Domingo, drilling his young sons through fear, and of the boy Michael left lonely among his brothers. Nothing on screen is frightening or graphic, and the film ends before the abuse allegations, which it does not address at all. Older children who know the songs will be fine; parents may find the omissions the uncomfortable part.

**How does Michael compare to Ray?**

*Michael* and [*Ray*](https://film.one/film/ray) tell the same story, a gifted child driven by a hard father who becomes the most famous performer of his time, but *Ray* leaves its subject's worst habits in and *Michael* leaves everything difficult out. *Ray* is the longer and more honest film, and the better one; *Michael* has the more exact dancing and the shorter running time. Choose *Ray* if you want a life, *Michael* if you want a concert.

**What should I watch after Michael?**

After *Michael*, try [*Purple Rain*](https://film.one/film/purple-rain) (1984, Fi1m 72): Prince plays himself and is allowed to be vain, cruel and brilliant at once. Then [*Ray*](https://film.one/film/ray) (2004, Fi1m 70): The same rise, told with the subject’s worst habits left in.

### Reviews we read (24)

- **The Telegraph** (50/100, inferred): The review praises the captivating early rise-to-fame story, performances, music and choreography but faults the film for refusing to address later controversies, making it a structurally complete but only half-told story and a whitewash. It calls the omission a borderline-fatal flaw. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2026/04/21/michael-jackson-biopic-review/)
- **Little White Lies**, David Jenkins (1/2/1): The critic deems it a squeaky-clean, PR-driven hagiography that reaffirms Jackson’s genius while erasing controversies. Jaafar Jackson’s central performance and the film’s professional sheen are noted positively amid the overall dismissal. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/michael)
- **The Observer**, Wendy Ide (40/100, inferred): The film is criticised as an aggressively anodyne, surface-level box-ticker that sanitises the story and follows a rigid biopic formula, with the Jackson estate’s influence evident in its curated image. It succeeds mainly in capturing the electrifying stage presence and music of the performer. [Read](https://observer.co.uk/culture/film/article/michael-is-everything-thats-wrong-with-the-music-biopic)
- **Empire**, John Nugent (30/100, inferred): The film is a generic, hagiographic biopic that ignores controversies, focuses on career milestones with impressive performances but feels like a cynical cash grab with no artistic point of view. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/michael-2026/)
- **Slant Magazine** (30/100, inferred): The biopic is a transparent bid to redeem the King of Pop by sidestepping scandals and turning a complicated life into sanitized popcorn entertainment. The critic singles out the focus on early career and Jaafar Jackson’s embodiment of the role while criticizing the lack of impartiality and depth. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/michael-review-jaafar-jackson-antoine-fuqua/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a frustratingly shallow and inert cruise-ship entertainment that assembles every music-biopic cliché while avoiding the central issues in Jackson’s life. It offers bland smiley blandness from the lead and little depth beyond surface spectacle. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/apr/21/michael-review-cliched-jackson-biopic-is-bland-bowdlerised-and-bad)
- **The Independent**, Clarisse Loughrey (1/5): The critic calls it a ghoulish, soulless cash grab that sanitizes Jackson's legacy by omitting controversies and portraying him as a saintly figure who helps children, focusing instead on mechanical recreations of his career highlights. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/michael-jackson-movie-review-biopic-b2962339.html)
- **The i Paper**, Francesca Steele (20/100, inferred): The film is a disingenuous attempt to rehabilitate Jackson as a child saviour despite allegations, though enjoyable with mesmerizing performances; it should never have been made as it's repellent in its portrayal. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/michael-jackson-biopic-repellent-4357755)
- **Vulture** (20/100, inferred): The film feels like a wax museum rather than a movie, with little dramatic tension or interiority and an uncanny-valley resemblance in its restaged highlights. The critic singles out the sanitized brand rehabilitation and lack of psychological depth for complaint. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-michael-isnt-a-movie-its-a-wax-museum.html)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Amy Nicholson: The critic views the biopic as an open-hearted but deliberately narrow story that celebrates Jackson's talent and drive while ending before the allegations, allowing it to highlight his independence from his father without addressing darker elements. She singles out Jaafar Jackson's note-perfect performance and the music for praise but notes the film's flat-footed direction and careful evasions. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-04-22/dancing-around-controversy-empathetic-michael-bows-out-before-getting-dark)
- **Screen Daily**: The critic calls it a bland biopic that glosses over Michael Jackson’s troubled legacy and reduces him to a blandly inspirational cipher. The musical performances are singled out as galvanising. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/michael-review-antoine-fuquas-bland-biopic-glosses-over-michael-jacksons-troubled-legacy/5215839.article)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney: The biopic is boilerplate on the surface but thoughtful and intimate underneath, with a surprisingly affecting melancholy undercurrent despite its sanitized approach. The critic singles out Jaafar Jackson’s uncanny performance and the phenomenal musical sequences for praise. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/michael-review-michael-jackson-biopic-jaafar-jackson-1236568847/)
- **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody: The review criticizes the film for sanitizing Jackson's story by omitting all mention of the child sexual abuse allegations, calling this a conspicuous and dismaying distortion driven by the estate. It praises the detailed portrayal of backstage business maneuvers and the young Michael's isolation but faults the thin dramatic insight into the adult character's personal life and artistic consciousness. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/michael-reviewed-a-sanitized-bio-pic-thats-all-business)
- **The New York Times**, Alissa Wilkinson: The critic argues that the estate-produced biopic flattens Michael Jackson into an uplifting tale of triumph over his domineering father after reshoots removed earlier material addressing allegations, turning it into a standard-issue, fairy-tale-like musician story. She notes the songs and dancing are great but criticizes the clunky final scenes and the way it scrubs the subject's reputation. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/movies/michael-review.html)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen: The critic finds the music electrifying but faults the film as soft-soaping hagiography that ignores controversies and hits dreary biopic beats. It is described as an act of fan and estate service. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/michael-review-2026)
- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman: The review finds the conventional biopic surprisingly effective as a middle-of-the-road story that focuses on Jackson freeing himself from his father and captures the electricity of his artistry and performances. It praises Jaafar Jackson's commanding lead performance for nailing the look, voice, moves, and vulnerability but notes the film avoids any reference to the allegations, leaving a void at the center. [Read](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/michael-review-michael-jackson-colman-domingo-antoine-fuqua-1236723755/)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (75/100, inferred): The critic praises Jaafar Jackson's uncanny channeling of Michael Jackson in dance and performance, but notes the film is a predictable, feel-good biopic that avoids deeper insights or controversies. The musical sequences stand out as superbly choreographed highlights. [Read](https://deadline.com/2026/04/michael-review-jaafar-jackson-dazzles-feel-good-biopic-1236866871/)
- **Collider**, Taylor Gates (7/10): The critic finds the film pleasantly surprised despite clichés and playing it safe, successfully celebrating Michael Jackson's essence while serving as a complex family drama focused on his relationship with his father. Praises the standout performances, especially Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson and the young actors portraying Michael. [Read](https://collider.com/michael-movie-review-jackson-5/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Linda Marric (3/5): The critic finds it a sanitized but beautifully performed biopic that celebrates more than it questions, praising Jaafar Jackson's performance and the music while noting avoidance of controversies. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/michael-review/)
- **NME**, Nick Levine (3/5): The film is a slick, safe biopic focusing on Jackson's rise and hits up to the early 80s, with strong performances and music recreations, but it feels like a glossy advert rather than a deep exploration, avoiding controversy. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/michael-review-jaafar-jackson-colman-domingo-miles-teller-3942015)
- **/Film**, Witney Seibold (5/10): Calls it a predictably overly-sanitized biopic, polished but flavorless paean that avoids deep examination of Jackson's life, praising some performances but criticizing the lack of depth. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/2152198/michael-2026-movie-review/)
- **Den of Geek**, Joe George (2/5): The critic finds the biopic a sanitized deification of Michael Jackson that avoids allegations by blaming his father, succeeding mainly through Colman Domingo's over-the-top performance as the villainous Joe. It works as camp or devotional art but struggles as a proper biopic. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/michael-review-sanitized-michael-jackson/)
- **The Wrap** (30/100, inferred): The review criticizes the biopic for its incomplete narrative that ignores controversies and key figures, resulting in a frustrating and shallow portrayal despite strong performances and recreations. It feels like feature-length publicity rather than a substantive story. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/reviews/michael-review-michael-jackson-biopic/)
- **The Playlist**, Gregory Ellwood (B-/C+): Praises the music, Jaafar Jackson's performance and some set pieces but notes it's compromised by legal issues, sanitized, cliché elements. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/michael-review-michael-jacksons-music-an-incredible-jaafar-jackson-lift-this-compromised-biopic-20260421/)

## Details

- **Director:** Antoine Fuqua
- **Director:** Antoine Fuqua
- **Writer:** John Logan
- **Cinematography:** Dion Beebe
- **Editor:** John Ottman, Harry Yoon, Tom Cross, Conrad Buff IV
- **Music:** Lior Rosner, Michael Jackson
- **Production design:** Barbara Ling
- **Costume design:** Marci Rodgers
- **Producer:** John Branca, John McClain, Graham King
- **Cast:** Jaafar Jackson as Michael; Colman Domingo as Joseph Jackson; Nia Long as Katherine Jackson; Juliano Valdi as Young Michael; KeiLyn Durrel Jones as Bill Bray; Miles Teller as John Branca; Larenz Tate as Berry Gordy; Laura Harrier as Suzanne de Passe
- **Runtime:** 2h 08m
- **First release (Germany):** 10 April 2026
- **Genres:** Music, Drama
- **Budget:** $250 million
- **Box office:** $1.03 billion
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-YAcjaLuSI

## Where to watch in Lithuania

- Amazon Prime Video: rent €4.99, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy €11.99, sd

*Checked 2026-09-10.*

Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IN, IS, IT, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, UA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Purple Rain* (1984), Fi1m 72: Prince plays himself and is allowed to be vain, cruel and brilliant at once. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/purple-rain.md)
- *Love & Mercy* (2014): A pop genius biopic that puts the breakdown on screen instead of around the corner.
- *Ray* (2004), Fi1m 70: The same rise, told with the subject’s worst habits left in. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ray.md)
- *Michael Jackson's This Is It* (2009): Rehearsal footage from the last months; the real dancer, unrehearsed and unhidden.
- *Leaving Neverland* (2019): The four hours this film leaves out; watch it and make up your own mind.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/michael