Everything you need to know about the Michael Jackson biopic

By Lauren Del Fabbro, Press Association Entertainment Reporter

Michael, the Michael Jackson blockbuster biopic has hit cinemas in the UK and Ireland.

Here’s everything you need to know about the musical film.

– What is it about?

The film tells the story of Michael Jackson, nicknamed the King of Pop and known for his hit songs Thriller, Billie Jean, and Bad, and his life beyond his music before he died at the age of 50 in 2009.

The film traces the pop star’s journey during the early days of his career as part of the Jackson 5, the family band which originally consisted of Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael, with Randy later replacing Jermaine, who were behind the hit songs I Want You Back and ABC, through to his career as a solo artist.

– Who stars in it?

The late singer is portrayed by his nephew, Jaafar Jackson, who is the son of Michael’s older brother Jermaine and his ex-wife Alejandra.

The 29-year-old stars alongside The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air’s Nia Long, Laura Harrier, who appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Juliano Krue Valdi of The Loud House.

Top Gun: Maverick star Miles Teller and two-time Oscar nominee Colman Domingo also star in the film, which was directed by Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua and produced by Bohemian Rhapsody’s Graham King.

– What are the controversies surrounding Jackson and the film?

The singer was accused of being a prolific child abuser – an allegation he denied up until his death.

Jackson was found not guilty of molesting a boy at a high-profile trial in 2005, however, the accusations resurfaced in 2019 following the explosive documentary Leaving Neverland, which featured graphic interviews with two men who said he routinely abused them as boys.

The documentary’s director Dan Reed told The Times in 2024 that he had seen a version of the script for the biopic which he described as a “complete whitewash” and that it had rewritten and dismissed the allegations.

– What do critics say? 

Critics have not been impressed with the blockbuster.

The Times gave it one star and described the film as “the quintessential Trump-era film where difficult truths are met with bold-faced mendacity”.

The Independent also gave it one star claiming it “resists story in favour of content” while The Guardian and The Telegraph gave it two stars.

The Guardian described it as a 127-minute long trailer montage of “every music-movie cliche you can think of” while The Telegraph criticised the film for refusing to “address the elephant in the room”.

Michael is out in cinemas in the UK and Ireland now.