Michael review: Jaafar Jackson Honors Michael Jackson with a Deeply Human, Brilliant Performance

Reel Perspectives

April 24, 2026

Lionsgate

The new biographical film, Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan, follows the life of the global icon from his abusive childhood and The Jackson 5 through the 1960s, ending with his Bad tour era in 1988.

Michael Jackson's story doesn't begin with moonwalks, sold-out stadiums, or the title "King of Pop." It begins in Gary, Indiana, in a small house where childhood was less about play and more about survival. Under the strict and abusive discipline of his father, Joe Jackson, Michael and his siblings were molded into performers before they ever had the chance to fully experience their childhood.

Michael glosses over many of the singer's legal and troubling allegations, ignoring the more controversial aspects of his life, but what it does flawlessly is provide context. It reminds us that behind the superstar, Michael Jackson was a troubled little boy yearning for acceptance and desperate to carve out his own identity.

Colman Domingo delivers an Oscar worthy performance as the abusive Joe Jackson, and Nia Long is equally impressive as Katherine Jackson, Michael's mother. Colman's performance was riveting. Every frame was filled with menace, every stare filled with dread. Even without words, his eyes spoke with malice. Rehearsals stretched for hours, and mistakes were not tolerated. The film revealed a home environment shaped by fear as much as Joe's ambition, where physical and emotional abuse left marks that fame could never erase.

Lionsgate

Juliano Valdi plays 10 year old Michael, and Jaafar Jackson (son of Jermaine Jackson) portrays his uncle with such precision that you almost forget you are watching a performance. There's always a certain risk involved when someone steps into the shoes of a figure as mythologized as Michael Jackson. The expectations aren't just high, they are almost impossible. You are confronting decades of global memory, imitation, and emotional attachment. That's what makes Jaafar's performance in Michael feel so remarkable. He doesn't just imitate his uncle, he truly embodies him.

The physical transformation is exceptional, but the emotional connection is even more impressive. Jaafar captures the duality that defined Michael: the electrifying performer who commanded the stage with supernatural confidence, and the fragile boy behind the curtain. Jaafar understands that the role is not about recreating iconic moments beat-for-beat, but about revealing the humanity beneath them. He doesn't lean into caricature. Instead, he gives us a Michael who is both vulnerable and searching.

You are witnessing a performance that captures why Michael Jackson became a global phenomenon. When the film leans into performance sequences, the magnetism and precision are there, but more importantly, the feeling is there. Jaafar doesn't just recreate the magic, he channels it. There's an electricity in those moments that feels almost impossible to replicate, yet somehow, he does. The precision, the presence, the energy... it's all there.

Lionsgate

As the star of The Jackson 5, Michael was thrust into the spotlight at an age when most kids are still discovering themselves. While the world watched him grow up, Michael was quietly grappling with a loss of innocence, one that would echo throughout his life, shaped by the abuse of his father.

Even when he wanted to build his solo career, it wasn't just a professional shift. Albums like Thriller and Bad weren't simply chart topping successes, they were declarations of identity. Declarations that, when confronted, he still could not bring himself to tell Joe at eye level that he wanted a solo career. Afraid, scared, ashamed... humiliated by Joe for wanting his own identity.

Even as a young adult, he still struggled to say the word "no" to Joseph. So when his father emotionally blackmails him into going on tour with his brothers, of course, he says yes. He automatically reverts to the little boy in Indiana again, afraid of being beaten. Jaafar was excellent in those scenes, as he was in the infamous, almost fatal, 1984 Pepsi commercial shoot when his hair caught fire from onstage pyro, leading to third degree burns.

The irony of Michael Jackson's life is that as his fame grew, so did his isolation. His appearance changed, his voice softened, his persona evolved. When he developed an emotional attachment to animals he called his friends, his family found it both disturbing and comical, but to Michael it was still a way to reconcile with the childhood he never had. I wish the film had expounded a bit more on those transitions.

The film showcased the relevant characters that shaped Michael into the man he became. Bill Bray (KeiLyn Durrel Jones) is Michael's bodyguard who acts more like a father figure to him. Motown honcho Berry Gordy (Larenz Tate) sees younger Michael's earlier talent. Miles Teller plays lawyer John Branca. Kendrick Sampson plays legendary music producer Quincy Jones, and Mike Myers plays CBS Records honcho Walter Yetnikoff. A glaring omission from the film was Janet Jackson, who declined to be a part of it.

Lionsgate

The film celebrates Michael Jackson and acknowledges two contrasting realities: the unparalleled artist and the deeply fragile human being. His life was marked by extremes with extraordinary success shadowed by profound personal struggle. The film expertly peels back the layers of that duality.

Michael compels you to listen to his music through a human lens, and once you do, the emotional depth hits differently. Songs about loneliness, self reflection, and healing stop feeling like abstract pop anthems and start sounding like personal expressions. The vulnerability becomes clearer. The need for connection feels more urgent. His work becomes less about spectacle and more about communication.

Michael isn't just about the icon, it's about the man behind the myth. The loneliness, the pressure, the scars from childhood, the constant push and pull between public adoration, private isolation, and greatness.

If the goal was to honor Michael Jackson not just as a legend but as a person, Jaafar Jackson has done something rare: he has made that legend feel human again, without diminishing the magic that made him immortal.

Michael is now playing in theaters.