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The new Michael Jackson film’s $15million reshoots seem to have paid off as early reactions praised it as ‘the ultimate love letter to fans’.
Michael, starring his nephew Jaafar Jackson in the lead role, had a rocky road to get to the cinema after having to cut out child abuse allegation scenes, which Jackson himself denied while alive.
The film promised an ‘unbiased’ look at the Bad singer’s life, from his early years in Jackson 5 to a reported ending with the police closing in on Neverland Ranch.
According to Variety, filmmakers were forced to reshoot the finale after a clause in the settlement with Jordan Chandler, which prohibited him from being depicted in any film.
Early screeners have now been released after the film was delayed from April last year, and it seems the 22 days and $15m (£11m) of reshoots weren’t for nothing.
Social media reactions have praised Jaafar’s performance, with one influencer claiming the ‘entire theatre’ was singing and dancing along.
‘It’s perfect,’ wrote @therealsupes. ‘Jaafar Jackson gives the performance to beat for the rest of the year. I can’t say enough about it.
‘The voice, the dancing, the heart & soul are all there & it was magic. Entire theater was singing & dancing the whole way through. The ultimate love letter to Michael fans. This is the movie we wanted.’
Full critic reviews are not yet out, so those curious about the movie will have to go off the remarks on social media.
Equally enthusiastic @LiamTCrowley of ScreenRant said: ‘#MichaelMovie is why we go to the movies. Thriller, Beat It, etc recreated to perfection – genuinely couldn’t resist a head bump and finger tap at any moment.
‘Makes you smile where it wants to, wince where it needs to. Colman is your earliest supporting actor candidate. Some pacing woes, but strong stuff all around. Can’t wait to see this one with a crowd. HEE HEE.’
Meanwhile, Discussing Film’s @AndrewJ626 offers a more tepid response, saying: ‘If there’s anything to give Jaafar Jackson and Antoine Fuqua credit for, it’s that they weren’t interested in doing an easy recreation of MJ’s life.
‘The two genuinely capture how MJ was a deeply lonely individual who was scarred by fame, showing his flaws alongside the good. It would have been easy to get someone who can do all the dance moves and mimic MJ’s voice, but Jafaar can do all of that while delivering a truly grounded performance that feels vulnerable. It’s genuinely uncanny how much he feels like the real MJ at times.’
Little has been said about the plot so far, with the critics largely choosing to focus on Jafaar’s performance as his late uncle.
So far, none of the critics has addressed the reported removal of all mention of the child sexual abuse accusations against Jackson.
The third act was supposedly dedicated to the allegations and their impact on the singer’s life until the Jackson Estate’s lawyers realised the Chandler settlement barred any inclusion.
Michael’s finale was reworked by writer John Logan and director Antoine Fuqua, now ending on his Bad tour instead, with Jackson still at the height of fame.
Jackson’s children Blanket (aka Bigi), 24, and Prince, 29, attended the Berlin world premiere, with the latter having executive-produced.
However, Paris, 28, was missing after admitting she had come to believe the allegations against her father were true.
In a video, she shared: ‘A big reason why I haven’t said anything up until this point is because I know a lot of you guys are going to be happy with it.
‘The film panders to a very specific section of my dad’s fandom that still lives in the fantasy. And they’re going to be happy with it.
‘The thing about these biopics is they’re…it’s Hollywood. It’s Fantasyland, it’s not real. But it’s sold to you as real.’
She claimed the narrative was ‘being controlled’ and that it was ‘just full-blown lies’ that didn’t ‘fly’ with her.
Michael is released on April 22, 2026
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