“Michael” key art featuring Juliano Krue Valdi and Jaafar Jackson.
Lionsgate
The first reviews for the Michael Jackson biopic Michael are out, and Rotten Tomatoes critics are not entirely thrilled with the big-screen story of the King of Pop.
Starring the late music icon’s nephew/Jermaine Jackson’s son, Jaafar Jackson, in the title role, Michael plays in Thursday previews before opening in theaters nationwide on Friday. Also starring Juliano Krue Valdi as the young Michael Jackson, Michael traces the singer’s career as a child artist with his brothers in The Jackson 5 through his solo career as an adult on his way to becoming one of the most influential voices the pop music worldwide.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua from a screenplay by John Logan, Michael also stars Colman Domingo as Jackson family patriarch Joe Jackson, Nia Long as Joe’s wife and Michael’s mother, Katherine, and Miles Teller as Michael’s attorney, John Branca.
The review embargo for Michael lifted Tuesday morning. As of the publication of this article, Michael has a has a 26% “rotten” critics’ score Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer based on 42 reviews.
RT’s Critics Consensus, Audience Summary and Popcornmeter score based on verified user ratings are still pending.
Note: This article will be updated as more RT reviews are posted and Michael’s critics’ score changes.
What Are Individual Critics Saying About ‘Michael’?
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter is among the top critics on RT who gives Michael a “fresh” score. Rooney writes in his RT review summary, “If you’re even remotely nostalgic for the time when his songs were ubiquitous on pop charts, at parties and on dance floors worldwide, the movie will be a warm rush of transporting pleasure.”
Also high on Michael is USA Today critic Melissa Ruggieri, who writes in her “fresh” RT review summary, “Jaafar may share his late uncle’s megawatt smile, lithe frame and Bambi eyelashes. But his liquid dance moves — highlighted as he teaches gang members the footwork in the ‘Beat It’ video — and soft-spoken cadence are studied to perfection.”
Owen Gleiberman of Variety also gives Michael a “fresh” score, but he has reservations about the film. Gleiberman writes in his RT review summary, “Simply put, this is not a movie about Michael Jackson’s dark side. Yet the surprise of Michael is how well it plays, and what an engrossing middle-of-the-road biopic it is.”
Derek Smith of Slant Magazine is among the top critics on RT who gives Michael a “rotten” score. Smith writes in his RT review summary, “The film turns the realities of a tragic, deeply complicated life into a sanitized popcorn film.”
Tim Grierson of Screen International shares Smith’s sentiments, writing in his RT review summary, “By denying any contradictory views of its subject, Michael seems disconnected from reality — a problem the massively famous and troubled Jackson would himself come to embody.”
William Bibbiani of The Wrap isn’t a fan of Michael either, writing in his “rotten” RT review summary, “It can’t be taken seriously, no matter how earnest it looks and sounds. because it’s not really a story. Maybe it used to be before the reshoots. Maybe not. Either way, now it’s just feature-length publicity, and it plays like damage control.”
Also giving Michael a “rotten” score on RT is David Fear of Rolling Stone, who writes, “You’re reminded of the first time you heard Jackson’s music … And you’re also reminded that such things are still tainted, even if the movie twists itself into knots to avoid you thinking about such things.”
Also ripping the film is Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com, who writes in his “rotten” RT review summary, “Antoine Fuqua might’ve had some cameras and microphones on hand to produce moving images and sound for this estate-approved King of Pop biopic. But make no mistake about it: Michael isn’t a movie. It’s a filmed playlist in search of a story.”
Rated PG-13, Michael plays in Thursday previews before opening in theaters nationwide on Friday.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2026/04/21/michael-rotten-tomatoes-reviews-splatter-michael-jackson-biopic/
