Michael Jackson Film Michael First Reactions From L.A. Premiere
Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in 'Michael.'
Glen Wilson
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The King of Pop is back! Well, kinda. The first reactions to the much-anticipated Michael Jackson biopic Michael have hit social media after the film’s star-studded U.S. premiere in Los Angeles on Monday night.
The Antoine Fuqua-directed feature actually had its world premiere in Berlin on April 10, but social media reaction from American press has been limited. Full critics reviews for Michael drop on April 22, with the film released in theaters worldwide on April 24.
The first official biopic of the late Michael Jackson, Michael tells the story of the music phenomenon from his early Motown days performing with his brothers in the Jackson 5 to his breakout as a solo artist. There has been much speculation about whether the film will include the more controversial aspects of Jackson’s singular life.
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The long-gestating Lionsgate film notably has the rights to use Jackson’s music, and is produced by Graham King, the man behind the four-time Oscar-winning Freddie Mercury/Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody which made a massive $911 million at the global box office.
Michael is led by Jaafar Jackson (Jackson’s nephew and son of Jermaine Jackson) who plays the singer during his transition from a member of an immensely popular boy band to becoming the era-defining solo artist the world fell in love with. The young Michael is played Juliano Krue Valdi. The cast also includes Colman Domingo as Michael’s father Joe Jackson, Nia Long as Michael’s mother Katherine Jackson and Miles Teller as John Branca, an entertainment lawyer and manager.
Lauren Farrier plays the music exec Suzanne de Passe, Kendrick Sampson plays legendary producer Quincy Jones, Larenz Tate plays the all-powerful Motown chief Berry Gordy, Liv Symone plays singer Gladys Knight and Kevin Shinick plays TV legend Dick Clark.
Michael’s brothers, both older and younger versions are played by: Jamal R. Henderson (Jermaine) and Jayden Harville (young Jermaine); Tre Horton (Marlon) and Jaylen Lyndon Hunter (young Marlon); Rhyan Hill (Tito) and Judah Edwards (young Tito); Joseph David-Jones (Jackie) and Nathaniel Logan McIntyre (young Jackie); with Jessica Sula playing Michael’s older sister La Toya Jackson. Janet Jackson does not feature in the film.
See the early social media reaction to Michael below.
> Jaafar Jackson is tremendous in MICHAEL, truly making you forget he isn’t the real thing. An off-the-charts performance.
The rest of the movie is about as generic as you can get. Fans will love the musical performances, but there’s sadly no humanity behind them. pic.twitter.com/Fxax2ZHtID
— Daniel Howat (@howatdk) April 21, 2026
> I usually enjoy a good music biopic but Michael is so boring and one-note, maybe because we already know MJ's story and this is pretty much the Colman Domingo show… for the diehard fans only.
— Edward Douglas (@EDouglasWW) April 21, 2026
> Just saw the Michael movie.
Tough.
— Van Lathan Jr (@VanLathan) April 21, 2026
> Media película pensando que la magia negra de los biopics musicales ya no tenía efecto en mí… hasta que llegó el número de Beat It, Michael se echó tres pasitos con flow y volví a ser la perra de los biopics musicales.
Qué maldita leyenda es Michael Jackson, carajo. https://t.co/U10hkgJTII
— Carlos Camacho | CHICO DUNE 🌓 (@AyCarlosCamacho) April 21, 2026
> Jafaar Jackson is unreal in MICHAEL. I know the voice was assisted, but the demeanor and dance moves and overall presence is really amazing to watch.
— Matthew Belloni (@MattBelloni) April 21, 2026
> From start to finish the new @michaelmovie is so good! 10/10 learned something new about the king of pop. Such a fun night with my WABJ family. #MichaelMovie pic.twitter.com/BeWL31HJLK
— Kelsey Nicole Nelson (KNN) (@therealknelson) April 21, 2026
> MICHAEL is an extraordinarily sanitized, overly audience-friendly music biopic that makes Bohemian Rhapsody look like a complex, nuanced character study. With the dramatic depth of a Wikipedia article, the film introduces but fails to even remotely explore fascinating aspects of… pic.twitter.com/eCPTUTmVeX
— The HoloFiles – Movie/TV News & Reviews (@theholofiles) April 21, 2026
> #MichaelMovie is the best musical biopic I’ve ever seen, and it’s fitting for arguably the greatest performer of all time. What separates this film