"I have to be perfect..."
This latest study of life in the gilded cage is one of the most fan-anticipated films of 2026, a vehicle to tell people the parts of a story they already know all too well.
Made with the co-operation of the Michael Jackson estate and starring his nephew Jaafar Jackson (son of older brother Jermaine), Michael is a portrait of the superstar as a young man, in which the tension comes from the singer's relationship with his father, Joseph. Away from those powerful scenes, it's a jukebox biopic, structured as a trip down memory lane for people of a certain age - the 12A cert catering for kids who may be brought by their parents, or teens on an outing to the cinema.
Michael opens in Gary, Indiana, in 1966 as eight-year-old Michael (Juliano Valdi) and his brothers are mercilessly schooled in performance by Joseph (Colman Domingo), The Jackson 5's visionary and tyrant. When Michael gets things 'wrong' or stands up for himself, threats of "the belt" are carried through. Youngster Valdi is perfectly cast as the child prodigy, holding his own in every scene with Emmy winner Domingo, here playing a man whose mantra was: "In this life, you're either a winner or a loser."
When Michael moves to the late 1970s, Jaafar Jackson takes over in the lead role. And how. Portraying his uncle from the making of the script-flipping Off the Wall, through to the best-selling album of all time, Thriller, and on to 1987's Bad, it is excellent work by the 29-year-old in his acting debut. The vocals are a mix of his and Michael Jackson's, and every move is mastered. Truly a fine example of a newcomer repaying a veteran director's faith in him.
Early in his own career, Fuqua was a renowned music video maker with Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise promo his most celebrated work. He also made the acclaimed 2004 blues documentary Lightning in a Bottle. You can see that side of his skillset here in his superbly directed recreations of key Jackson moments such as the rehearsals for the Beat It video, the making of the Thriller gamechanger, and the performance of Billie Jean from the Motown 25 TV special. But given that the originals exist, why do we need to see them done again at the expense of dramatic scenes from the era in question? Nia Long is dreadfully underused as Jackson's mother, and his siblings are, to put it mildly, background characters - if they appear at all.
Michael ends, abruptly, on the Bad tour in 1988, with Jackson savouring onstage triumph. Thus, there is no mention of Michael Jackson's multi-million-dollar out-of-court settlement of a sexual abuse lawsuit in 1993 and his acquittal on all the child molestation charges he faced in 2005. Variety has reported that the discovery of a clause in the settlement agreement meant that scenes depicting Jackson's reaction to the allegations he faced - and vehemently denied - could not be included on screen, necessitating reshoots last year and a new ending. The original cut of Michael was reportedly over three and a half hours long, and it has been said that this unused footage may appear in a sequel, if the box office allows.
Commercial success appears to be a given. Last year, Michael broke the record for the most-watched biopic trailer. But after seeing the film, talk of a sequel feels fanciful at best.
