--- title: "Michael: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/michael/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/michael" critics_score: 40 critics_reviews: 16 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): what the critics said Critics' score 40 from 16 reviews: 2 positive, 4 mixed, 10 negative. 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. ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 24 April 2026. 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 the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2026/04/21/michael-jackson-biopic-review/) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 1/2/1. 21 April 2026. 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 the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/michael) ## The Observer — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 22 April 2026. 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 the review](https://observer.co.uk/culture/film/article/michael-is-everything-thats-wrong-with-the-music-biopic) ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2026. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/michael-2026/) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2026. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/michael-review-jaafar-jackson-antoine-fuqua/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2026. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/apr/21/michael-review-cliched-jackson-biopic-is-bland-bowdlerised-and-bad) ## The Independent — Clarisse Loughrey Rating 1/5. 22 April 2026. 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 the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/michael-jackson-movie-review-biopic-b2962339.html) ## The i Paper — Francesca Steele Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2026. 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 the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/michael-jackson-biopic-repellent-4357755) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 23 April 2026. 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 the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-michael-isnt-a-movie-its-a-wax-museum.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Amy Nicholson 22 April 2026. 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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-04-22/dancing-around-controversy-empathetic-michael-bows-out-before-getting-dark) ## Screen Daily 21 April 2026. 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 the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/michael-review-antoine-fuquas-bland-biopic-glosses-over-michael-jacksons-troubled-legacy/5215839.article) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 21 April 2026. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/michael-review-michael-jackson-biopic-jaafar-jackson-1236568847/) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody 23 April 2026. 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 the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/michael-reviewed-a-sanitized-bio-pic-thats-all-business) ## The New York Times — Alissa Wilkinson 21 April 2026. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/movies/michael-review.html) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen 21 April 2026. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/michael-review-2026) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman 21 April 2026. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/michael-review-michael-jackson-colman-domingo-antoine-fuqua-1236723755/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2026. 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 the review](https://deadline.com/2026/04/michael-review-jaafar-jackson-dazzles-feel-good-biopic-1236866871/) ## Collider — Taylor Gates Rating 7/10. 21 April 2026. 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 the review](https://collider.com/michael-movie-review-jackson-5/) ## HeyUGuys — Linda Marric Rating 3/5. 21 April 2026. 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 the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/michael-review/) ## NME — Nick Levine Rating 3/5. 24 April 2026. 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 the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/michael-review-jaafar-jackson-colman-domingo-miles-teller-3942015) ## /Film — Witney Seibold Rating 5/10. 21 April 2026. 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 the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/2152198/michael-2026-movie-review/) ## Den of Geek — Joe George Rating 2/5. 21 April 2026. 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 the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/michael-review-sanitized-michael-jackson/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2026. 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 the review](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/reviews/michael-review-michael-jackson-biopic/) ## The Playlist — Gregory Ellwood Rating B-/C+. 21 April 2026. Praises the music, Jaafar Jackson's performance and some set pieces but notes it's compromised by legal issues, sanitized, cliché elements. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/michael-review-michael-jacksons-music-an-incredible-jaafar-jackson-lift-this-compromised-biopic-20260421/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/michael.md