‘Michael’ review roundup: Critics split on Jackson biopic ahead of Friday opening

The long-gestating Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” opens in theaters Friday to a sharply divided critical reception, with reviewers largely praising star Jaafar Jackson’s uncanny performance while faulting the film for sidestepping the more controversial chapters of the pop icon’s life.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan, the film covers the Jackson 5 period through to the King of Pop’s early solo career. It stars Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson alongside Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Miles Teller and Colman Domingo. The film is currently running at 27% on Rotten Tomatoes from 48 reviews.

The near-universal bright spot across reviews is Jaafar Jackson’s debut performance. Deadline critic Pete Hammond called it a feel-good fan showcase, writing that Jaafar channels his uncle in uncanny ways and sells the performance with the right dance moves and sharp dramatic talent. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman was similarly impressed, writing that Jaafar Jackson’s performance nails the look, the voice, the electrostatic moves — and the mix of delicacy and steel that made Michael who he was.

Colman Domingo’s portrayal of patriarch Joe Jackson also drew strong notices. The film winnows Michael’s inner demons down to just one — Joe Jackson, his hard-bitten hustler of a father, played under heavy prosthetics by Domingo as the domestic Svengali monster Michael fought to liberate himself from.

But critical consensus soured on the film’s reluctance to engage with the darker corners of Jackson’s legacy. Since the movie avoids any reference to the child-sexual-abuse allegations that dogged Jackson starting in 1993, it is left with a hint of a void at its center. SlashFilm’s Witney Seibold was harsher, writing that the film emerges as whatever the opposite of a warts-and-all biography is — a polished, flavorless paean to Jackson, celebrating his highs and only sometimes looking at the lows.

The Guardian gave the film two stars out of five, while the Financial Times called it a “stilted waxwork of a movie” and The Independent described it as a “ghoulish, soulless cash grab.” The Telegraph also gave it two out of five, calling it a “skin-tingling whitewash.”

The film traces Jackson’s career only from his mid-1960s boyhood in the Jackson 5 through Dec. 9, 1984 — the final performance of the Victory Tour — with several of Jackson’s siblings serving as executive producers. The film ends with a James Bond-like promise that “His Story Continues,” signaling a possible sequel that could address the darker material cut from this installment.

ScreenRant offered a dissenting positive take, awarding the film 9 out of 10 and arguing that unlike the at-times-cartoonish depiction of Elvis Presley in “Elvis,” “Michael” offers viewers a deeper look at the singer’s complex inner world in a narrative that could stand on its own, separate from the music.

The film is on course for strong box office given its built-in fan base. Michael is distributed domestically by Lionsgate and internationally by Universal. It is rated PG-13 and runs 2 hours and 7 minutes.