Michael

CinemaSerf7/10

Apr 23, 2026

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Given the whole slew of Jackson's involved in this stylish production, I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed by the hollowness of the whole thing. Certainly Jaafar Jackson has something of his uncle's charm and childlike vulnerability, but were we not to have known he was a member of the actual family then I'm not sure I'd have been that convinced by his acting characterisation away from the dance floor. In any case, we begin with his ten year old (or is that eight?) younger years; with the domestic brutality at the hands of their domineering father Joe (Colman Domingo) whilst powerless mother Katherine (Nia Long) looked on - but without ever really getting to appreciate the nature of the bond between the siblings (and there's no sign of Janet). Despite being a couple of hours long, by the time we get to the adult, snakes and llamas, phase of his life we seem to be hurrying things along without really learning of his relationship with Berry Gordy (Larenz Tate) or Quincy Jones (Kendrick Simpson) or agent/manager/pillar of support John Branca (Miles Teller). There can be no doubting that this Jackson is in his element in the studio and on the stage; his performances border on the mimicry - but with a freshness to them that reminds us that this lad has a little bit of je ne sais quoi all of his own, something he adds charismatically throughout. The film looks every bit as glitzy and innovative as the original performances were but without any depth. Indeed, it comes across more as a sort of highly-polished fanzine that takes us to "Bad" with the promise of more to come, but without us really knowing a great deal more about him than we could have read on Wikipedia. There is something maniacal about Domingo's effort that convinces, but otherwise perhaps those making this were too close to the subject matter to be truly objective about what made the man tick, and so I left the cinema having remembered a man I saw at Wembley in 1988 fondly, but not especially enlightened.

I super duper enjoyed the movie. It really brought back the Michael Jackson back from the grave. The fans of the whole wide world loved it. Antoine Fuqua did an excellent job not bringing the controversial of Michael Jackson. Just focusing uprising to the fame. I don't care what the critics say. Go and watch the movie yourself. Jaafar Jackson & Colman Domingo did excellent in the movie. my rating for the movie 9.5/10. You won't regret it from watching it all over again. Especially on IMAX format.

_**A FABULOUS CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE**_ No matter how many times you watch it, the movie gets even better if you're a Michael Jackson fan. It offers a fast-paced look at the early life of the King of Pop without making it rushed. Basically tells how he became the King of Pop and what it took him to become that famous globally, including the abuse by his father and struggles with his lost childhood and appearance. Despite enjoying Bohemian Rhapsody more in terms of its length and structure, Michael still offers a fresh look at his life, though a Bohemian Rhapsody structure would've made it even better, and most importantly, the runtime. The film is only like 127 minutes while BoRhap clocked at 134 minutes, that was quite concerning because the film is not even 2 hours flat excluding the end credits, somehow that still felt better to me and that people with low attention span can enjoy it in theaters easily, especially the newer Tik-Tok generation. Story: 8.2/10 (Well-written with humoristic content as well) Pacing: 7.1/10 (Fast but not rushed, well done for newer gen citizens) Structure: 5.3/10 (Too linear and less attractive at times) Acting: 8/10 (Well-done, Colman, Juliano, Jaafar, Nia, and Miles nailed it) Accuracy: 9.1/10 (Better timeline than Bohemian Rhapsody) Exploration: 4.8/10 (Explores like a Wikipedia page and doesn't adds anything unique or unheard about Michael's life) Drama: 8.9/10 (Well-done and executed perfectly) Soundtrack: 7.3/10 (More of a greatest hits one by one but perfect picks) CGI: 6.5/10 (Can feel distracting, especially with Bubbles, but doesn't ruins the experience) Dancing: 9.8/10 (Literally a masterpiece, no flaws) Cinematography: 7.5/10 (Feels crispy, though sometimes like specifically shot for newer gen) Ending: 8.8/10 (Gives enough time to let audience prepare for Part Two, and ends on a high note) Overall: 7.6/10 (⭐⭐⭐⭐)