The life of Michael Jackson (1958-2009) is depicted in the new biopic Michael (2026). However charismatic the movie is, the world-renowned star has had quite a controversial life. Feedback on this movie is mixed, but its context isn’t all just black and white.
Don’t just Beat It to a conclusion! Let’s see just what these mixed reviews are all about, and how being in the limelight inevitably leads to controversy.
Why was Michael made?
In the last few years, a collaboration between producers and family members has resulted in the release of rights to tell Michael’s life story.
Antoine Fuqua’s Michael, recently released in the third week of April 2026, is a powerful reboot of Michael Jackson’s life. This film spans from his childhood as the lead singer of The Jackson 5 to peak fame and sellout shows with fainting attendees left and right.
In the past few years, we have seen an impressive number of biopics in mainstream film. Movies on stars like Amy Winehouse (Back to Black) and Bruce Springsteen (Deliver Me from Nowhere) are just a few examples of non-fiction stories retold recently. Given this statistic, it seems we were due for a proper retelling of a Michael Jackson story.
Michael Jackson was raised in a family of singers and stage performers. With his siblings and his father to stage manage and lead the group, the sky was the limit. Slowly, and then very quickly, Michael Jackson separated himself from his family and began his solo project. Michael had a strong focus on his career from the age of 5, when he began singing. The iconography of Michael as a person exponentially grew into one of the most recognizable and notable artists in the history of music.
Given this weight, a story about someone so tremendously admired is no small feat. Michael obtaining such a widespread fanbase, not everyone is going to love a story retelling his life. Even with passing away at the early age of 50 in 2009, Michael’s legacy is immensely full, and cramming that all into one or two movies still may not be enough.
Michael Reviews and Backlash
Mixed reviews came quickly after the film’s release. Most stemmed from not seeing enough performances, studio sessions, and live interactions with fans.
The heart of a biopic commonly involves an artist’s family relationships, internal mental battles, dealing with fame, or pushing their creativity with record labels or managers. These latter few examples were what people wanted to see the most: Michael’s creative process and how it manifested on stage.
However, many moments in the movie felt like opportunities to showcase Michael’s greatest hits. Fans were upset that Michael’s relationships and his complex spotlight in the public eye were not thoroughly explored. This also goes into the pacing being an issue. Many comments said the story was rushed, involving too many years of Michael’s life.
Michael’s family was the start of it all. And even though we saw a tragic fatherly abuse scene, followed by more clips within montages, this was really only at the beginning of the film.
This is not to discount the emotional importance of Joe Jackson’s character, portrayed by Colman Domingo. Joe exerted significant pressure and influence over Michael, which made Joe feel responsible and deserving of credit during Michael’s rise in popularity. While this is important to depict, many parts of this film felt like an explanation of why Michael was both a troubled, struggling artist and an incredible one.
The perspective of the Jackson residence, their house, after fame had struck the family, was shown many times throughout the film. With this in mind, this seemed like an opportunity to flaunt the fame and riches the family had quickly grown into.
Was Michael Authentic?
One of the most common issues with biopics is authenticity. Whether the individual of primary interest is alive or dead, this remains an important value for audiences and fans.
A way film producers and screenwriters can avoid this issue is by casting. In Michael, Michael’s nephew plays his character. Jaafar Jackson, son of Jermaine Jackson, one-fifth of The Jackson 5, plays Michael in a way a non-blood relative never could.
Alongside this, Michael’s brothers and other family members were part of the film, even from afar. Some were executive producers with financial influence, while others made decisions about the film’s authenticity and image.
A strong counterpoint responding to the film’s authenticity is its timespan. It ranges from Jackson’s younger years in The Jackson 5 in the mid 1960s and ends at the peak of his career in the late 80s.
This set of decades highlights Jackson’s rise to fame, his touring, his injury, and his internal struggles regarding his father. In the movie, these were the focal points of the plot and conflict. Chronologically, producers ignored the far more serious accusations towards Jackson regarding child molestation just a few years after his golden era of the late 80s.
A Sequel?
After some Letterboxd research, I found that a sequel is indeed on its way in the next few years. It is also listed that this second-half film will indeed cover “the controversial years of Jackson’s life.” Given this, there is more hope in the authenticity of reimagining the world and the life of Michael Jackson.
Even though producers and family members may still attempt to shine him in that dazzling light for as long as possible, there is definite potential for clashing opinions in the writing room for this upcoming feature.
Will the Jackson family continue to glamorize the story of Michael and his backlash? What cinematic or creative choices need to be made (or not made) to keep his fanbase intact? And should it be? At this point, is this even a crackable fanbase for the star’s popularity, given it’s been almost two decades since his death? These questions may keep us up at night until we hear more about the sequel. Until then, we’ll wait in anticipation.
The Controversies
Regarding the child molestation allegations in 1993 and onward, it’s impossible not to take into account the sociopolitical climates in which we view controversies like this today.
In August of 1993, the police started to investigate Michael based on four child molestation offenses. When no incriminating evidence was found at Neverland or his estate, he argued with the family members of the children. He pleaded, “Why don’t you trust me? If we’re a family, you’ve got to think of me as a brother. Why make me feel so bad? This is a bond. It’s not about sex. This is something special.”
1993 was just the beginning of a whirlwind of accusations from young boys, family members, and even La Toya Jackson, his sister.
Michael had a keen interest in wonder and nostalgia, and a strong commitment to supporting and inspiring children. At face value, it’s a beautiful thing to see such a free-spirited, loving, and talented person dedicate so much time not only to children in need but also to many kids around the world.
However, these accolades were unfortunately flipped on their head by Neverland, Jackson’s theme park, where he would often spend nights with children. Admitting that they would share the same bed jump-started a heated discussion of innocence, power imbalance, and control.
Leaving Neverland (2019) was a documentary highlighting the lives of two boys in their thirties now, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who claim to have been sexually abused by Michael at the ages of 7 and 10. Robson and Safechuck telling their story reignited the conversation between Michael and the rest of the world. The miniseries further deepened the wounds and truths around the 90s and early 2000s before Michael’s death.
Despite the controversies, allegations, and two-sided discussions about Michael, we can all agree that he was a superstar as an artist. His identity as an artist is the part of it that we as fans relate to most—so why did the movie steer away from exactly that?
Michael‘s Purpose
Whether you like this film or not, it’s a powerful statement about a real person’s life. This movie can be seen as a storytelling device, a dramatic popcorn watch, or a long music video with dialogue in between. Michael’s life is obviously unique, given his mass following and the controversies surrounding him pre- and posthumously.
A movie like this might be about more than just revealing the details of Michael and the Jackson family. It’s part of a larger conversation at hand that brings up the unity and love the world, and primarily the United States, had surrounding this philanthropic, talented, hard-working, and charismatic artist as a staple of 80s pop.
