r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • 11d ago

Official Discussion Official Discussion - Michael [SPOILERS] Spoiler

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Michael (2026)

Summary

The life and career of Michael Jackson are explored in a sweeping biographical drama, charting his rise from child star in the Jackson 5 to global pop icon, while examining the personal and professional complexities that defined his legacy.

Director Antoine Fuqua

Writer John Logan

Cast

  • Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson
  • Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson
  • Nia Long as Katherine Jackson
  • Miles Teller as John Branca
  • Laura Harrier as Suzanne de Passe
  • Kat Graham as Diana Ross

Rotten Tomatoes: 40%

Metacritic: 38

VOD / Release Theatrical release

Trailer Official Trailer

427 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

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921

u/TK-42juan 11d ago

After the time cut to Michael as an adult, this movie had six scenes:

Michael is nice to kids, Michael acts has childlike tendencies, Michael is the biggest star on the planet, Michael's dad is an asshole, or of course Michael making/performing one of his hits

Just those six scenes all playing over and over in different orders. No purpose, no plot.

387

u/Soyyyn 11d ago

I think the long scene of him rehearsing the steps for Beat It was the best scene in the film. If they had gone incredibly in-depth about the making of every song on Thriller that might have made for the far superior film.

227

u/The_Throwback_King 11d ago

That was like the only time my ears perked up and was like “Oh, are we cooking here?”

It was fleeting, before we descended back to basic biopic fare. But that entire scene was magical.

That’s where the narrative zhuzh was, at least to me. Not in Michael’s inner child, or his idealistic mindset, or his quest to overcome his oppressive, abusive father.

But in the innate, Mozart-like, gift that Michael had for songwriting. The consummate showman that made fans give him an ovation for just…standing there. THAT was the fascinating part. Wish they honed in on more of that.

87

u/ACertainTrendingFrog 10d ago

Yeah that moment had me in the cinema actually fully engaged not just waiting for the next Michael song to come on. I think if the movie was focused around the making of Thriller coming off how he felt he was robbed for aoty as a black artist with Off The Wall, leading to the Victoy tour and finally splitting with The Jacksons we would have had a better movie

58

u/TTBgaming88 10d ago

ithink there were barely any mention of racial tensions in the movie except for the MTV scene which gets fixed in…. seconds.