{"id":2392175,"date":"2026-04-28T00:21:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T00:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2392175"},"modified":"2026-04-28T00:21:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T00:21:09","slug":"audience-says-michael-is-pure-entertainment-for-mj-fans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/audience-says-michael-is-pure-entertainment-for-mj-fans\/","title":{"rendered":"Audience Says: Michael Is Pure Entertainment for MJ Fans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<div id=\"preview-item-a23a9daf-6236-4468-bdc9-39777d52d75b\" class=\"gray-background preview-item block-preview rkv-block\" data-media-id=\"a23a9daf-6236-4468-bdc9-39777d52d75b\" data-media-release-date=\"1776988800000\">\n\t<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"poster-wrapper\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\/m\/michael\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Fan anticipation has been high for <em><strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\/m\/michael\">Michael<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, the Michael Jackson biopic, ever since it was announced, and if there were any doubters, they were all silenced by the film\u2019s record-setting opening weekend. It\u2019s true that musical biopics have been popular for the past several years, but <em>Michael<\/em> <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/editorial.rottentomatoes.com\/article\/weekend-box-office-michael-thrills-with-biggest-opening-ever-for-musical-biopic\/\">danced circles around all of them<\/a> with a $97 million debut, besting previous record-holder <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\/m\/straight_outta_compton\">Straight Outta Compton<\/a><\/em>, which opened at $60 million.<\/p>\n<p>While critics acknowledged star <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\/celebrity\/jaafar_jackson\">Jaafar Jackson\u2019<\/a>s talents in bringing the King of Pop to life, they weren\u2019t so impressed with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\/celebrity\/antoine_fuqua\">Antoine Fuqua\u2019<\/a>s film overall. But it was an entirely different story with audiences, who propelled <em>Michael\u2019<\/em>s Popcornmeter to a Verified Hot 97%, echoing the critics\u2019 sentiments about Jaafar Jackson\u2019s performance and calling the film the closest thing to a Michael Jackson concert that anyone could ask for.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what the fans have been saying in the Verified Audience Reviews for <em><strong>Michael<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><em>These reviews have been edited for clarity.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<p>\u201c<strong>This movie was pure good old fashioned entertainment!<\/strong> Fantastic history of the great Michael Jackson on full display with great actors to play the parts! Both young and old Michaels were fantastic!!! I\u2019m a big MJ fan but I dragged my husband along and he was so surprised because he loved it too and even shed a tear or two!!\u201d<br \/>\u2014 <strong>Anne, 5 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201c<strong>Jaafar Jackson\u2019s performance as Michael Jackson is phenomenal, capturing the voice and stage presence we all know and love.<\/strong> Colman Domingo also gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Joe Jackson. The entire supporting cast did a phenomenal job, with Nia Long as Katherine Jackson serving as a great addition to the film. The film\u2019s cinematography and soundtrack are outstanding! This is a must-watch for all MJ fans! Will definitely be rewatching it again soon!\u201d<br \/>\u2014 <strong>Daniel, 5 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/bMMqJVcsxec\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeautiful, amazing, and spectacular! This is the closest I will get to a concert.\u201d<br \/>\u2014 <strong>Alyssa, 5 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes this is a very Cliffs Notes version of events, but the cast, the staging, the directing makes for such an awesome visual experience. <strong>The recreations of the Victory Tour, BAD and Pepsi commercial alone were awe inspiring and Jaafar might be the first time someone is playing Michael that doesn\u2019t come across as an imitation.<\/strong> I never once was brought out of the illusion. A must see for fans, I understand the critics takes on it and they aren\u2019t wrong per se but I just left feeling like I immediately wanted to watch it again.\u201d<br \/>\u2014 <strong>Jeffrey J, 4 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMichael Jackson is my favorite artist. And seeing his story come to life in a film was such an experience. So many emotional scenes and so much joy that came from his life and performances. This movie was a 10\/10!\u201d<br \/>\u2014 <strong>Elizabeth, 5 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbsolutely loved it. Cried a lot\u2026 Usually, the emotion builds toward the end; this time, started right from the start. Juliano Krue Valdi who played Michael as a child was compelling and delivered a great performance\u2026 <strong>Michael, portrayed by Jaafar Jackson, was outstanding. His voice resembled Michael\u2019s, and his dance performance was incredibly authentic.<\/strong> Nia Long conveyed her role as a mother with care and respect. Colman Domingo (Joseph) was portrayed convincingly. I\u2019m glad to see he was not shown as physically abusive as Michael grew older\u2026. I wish the story continued further reflecting Michael\u2019s challenges and end of life, which are important\u2026 Overall, very good movie. Looking forward to Part II asap.\u201d<br \/>\u2014 <strong>Hiwot T, 5 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201c<strong>This movie was more like a concert!!!<\/strong> Jaafar really embodied his uncle and it was an absolute MASTERPIECE!!!! I left with my jaw dropping because I have no words to express how much fun and joy this movie brought to me.\u201d<br \/>\u2014 <strong>Brand, 5 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s nearly impossible to dive deep into the complexity of the man Michael was in just two hours without leaving out his greatest hits\u2014that would make the movie three or four hours long. However, it touches on the essentials. I laughed, I cried, I got goosebumps, and I left wanting more.\u201d<br \/>\u2014 <strong>Antonio M, 4 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/editorial.rottentomatoes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Michael_Reviews2.jpg?w=700\" alt=\"Jaafar Jackson in Michael (2026)\" class=\"wp-image-289169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/editorial.rottentomatoes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Michael_Reviews2.jpg 700w, https:\/\/editorial.rottentomatoes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Michael_Reviews2.jpg?resize=300,163 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\"\/><figcaption><span class=\"media-credit\">(Photo by Bruce Talamon\/\u00a9Lionsgate)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201c<em>Michael<\/em> is a 5 Star, 10\/10 MASTERPIECE!! It is by far the most compelling biopic theatrical experience since <em>Ray<\/em>!! <em>Michael<\/em> offered a beautiful balance of \u201cpain and glory\u201d, capturing the \u201d humanity\u201d behind the legend and the music. <strong>Jaafar Jackson delivered a genius level transformative performance of a lifetime as Michael Jackson (Oscar worthy).<\/strong> His delivery embodied the quiet tenderness, love, intuitive perseverance and inventive boldness of a human being who skyrocketed to a larger-than-life legend. Needless to say, Colman Domingo gave me chills as Joe Jackson. Juliano Valdi as little Michael had me at \u201chello\u201d and grabbed my heartstrings with his precocious talent and sweetness. Nia Long warms the screen with a perfect grace and strength that could make anyone feel the safety of a mother\u2019s enduring love\u2026 When you can\u2019t stop thinking about an experience\u2026it must\u2019ve been truly special\u2026 With so much going on in the world today, I promise you it\u2019s not hype. It\u2019s healing. You will love it. Go see it!!\u201d<br \/>\u2014 <strong>Cassandra, 5 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor me, it\u2019s a great movie. It shows Michael\u2019s humanity and what a wonderful person he was, someone who cared about others. <strong>I\u2019m not interested in the legal aspects; I just want to enjoy what he did with his music, which is what I love.<\/strong> Without a doubt, he\u2019s the best pop artist of all time.\u201d<br \/>\u2014 <strong>Jorge Y, 5 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201c<em>Michael<\/em> offers a necessary and overall fair rehabilitation of Michael Jackson. It doesn\u2019t portray him as a saint: flaws are shown and contextualized, simplifying without distorting\u2026 The main issue is the absence of the artistic genius. The creative process is barely explored, and the film never truly explains why he was revolutionary\u2026 Narratively, the focus on the father-son relationship is excessive, while key periods are rushed or skipped\u2026 The performances are strong: both young Michael (Juliano Valdi) and adult Michael (Jaafar Jackson) are convincing, especially on stage. <strong>Overall, it\u2019s effective and emotionally engaging, but clearly incomplete.<\/strong>\u201c<br \/>\u2014 <strong>Gabriele P, 4 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cGreat entertainment. It\u2019s okay to leave a movie feeling good just for the pure entertainment of it. Jaafar WAS Michael. Colman Domingo WAS Joe Jackson. John Branca wishes he looked as good as Miles Teller.\u201d<br \/>\u2014 <strong>Deborah, 5 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI saw the movie last night in IMAX and I was awe-struck! It\u2019s incredible, <strong>Jaafar doesn\u2019t just embody MJ he becomes him.<\/strong> For his first role he\u2019s absolutely nailed it! The dancing, the mannerisms, the voice (is spot on) and the finger snapping. Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson was intense and complex\u2026 Nia Long is very warm and gentle throughout, she brings a sense of calm in every scene she is in as Katherine Jackson and you can see where Michael got his caring nature from. If I were to give any critiques it would be the pacing of the story, I feel it skipped over important moments that needed more depth for viewers who may not know the ins and outs of Michael\u2019s life. You must see this in IMAX.\u201d<br \/>\u2014 <strong>Keiron D, 5 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/editorial.rottentomatoes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Michael_Reviews5.jpg?w=700\" alt=\"Jaafar Jackson in Michael (2026)\" class=\"wp-image-289175\" srcset=\"https:\/\/editorial.rottentomatoes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Michael_Reviews5.jpg 700w, https:\/\/editorial.rottentomatoes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Michael_Reviews5.jpg?resize=300,163 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\"\/><figcaption><span class=\"media-credit\">(Photo by \u00a9Lionsgate)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWhat a fantastic tribute to Michael Jackson! I just finished watching the early screening at the IMAX theatre, excellent cast and of course excellent movie! <strong>The whole theatre was singing along to all of his songs.<\/strong> GO SEE IT!!!\u201d<br \/>\u2014 <strong>Basilio B, 5 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe music &amp; dance scenes are amazing if you love the music. If you are looking for any juicy details of his life it\u2019s not in this movie. They get in the brutality of Joe Jackson to his son. Most of the storyline is sugar coated. I feel this was made to try to improve his image and renew interest in his music.\u201d<br \/>\u2014 <strong>Lisa, 3 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis film was nothing short of epic. Jaafar Jackson stepped into impossibly big shoes and delivered \u2014 he did Michael justice in every sense. The mannerisms, the movement, the presence. You forgot you were watching someone else. You remembered why the world fell in love with him in the first place. <strong>What struck me most was how nostalgic it felt. These are songs I have known my whole life, melodies sewn into my memory, and hearing them in that context brought everything rushing back<\/strong>\u2026 I came home ready to revisit every album, every era, every sequinned glove. A brilliant film. Go and see it. And don\u2019t be too dignified to dance.\u201d<br \/>\u2014 <strong>R B, 5 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis will be the cheapest concert you can attend this year. and the movie is really really good too.\u201d<br \/>\u2014 <strong>Mel, 5 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Michael Jackson film was a powerful and emotionally engaging experience. <strong>Jaafar delivered an impressive performance, truly embodying his uncle\u2019s essence<\/strong>\u2014particularly during the musical sequences, where his presence, movement, and energy felt both authentic and captivating\u2026 Coleman Domingo\u2019s portrayal of Joe Jackson was equally compelling\u2026 Watching this movie with my family made the experience even more meaningful. <strong>It was more than just a film\u2014it became a shared moment filled with laughter, nostalgia, and emotion.<\/strong>\u201c<br \/>\u2014 <strong>Racheal S, 5 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI could write an essay on how incredible this film was. Seeing it last night was an experience I haven\u2019t felt honestly since <em>Avengers Endgame<\/em>. <strong>My entire theater broke out singing and dancing and it was truly the closet thing to a Michael concert other than a Michael concert itself.<\/strong> Jafaar Jackson did such an amazing job portraying his uncle\u2026 Juliano Krue Valdi also blew me away with his portrayal as young Michael and I think he deserves a lot more praise. Colman Domingo was menacing as Joe Jackson and you can IMMEDIATELY feel his intensity the very moment he comes onscreen and at times I felt like I was in trouble myself lol. Nia long did an amazing job portraying Kathrine as well. Great movie overall and I will be seeing this again tonight\u201d<br \/>\u2014 <strong>DaQuan B, 5 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been waiting for this movie to come out since it was announced, and it did not disappoint. The whole cast did a stellar job, Jaafar absolutely crushed it as Michael\u2026 His appearance, voice, mannerisms, and dance moves were all top notch. If you are a fan of MJ, this movie will be both uplifting and also have a few moments that will rip your heart out. My only complaint is that some iconic moments and eras were not shown in the movie\u2026 Otherwise, it was wonderful and I plan on going to see it again.\u201d<br \/>\u2014 <strong>KD, 4.5 Stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<p><strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\/m\/michael\"><em>Michael<\/em><\/a> is currently in theaters.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/rdup88LacHI\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>Thumbnail image by \u00a9Lionsgate<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em><strong><em><strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/editorial.rottentomatoes.com\/article\/app\/\">Find Something Fresh! Discover What to Watch, Read Reviews, Leave Ratings and Build Watchlists. Download the Rotten Tomatoes App.<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source editorial.rottentomatoes.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fan anticipation has been high for Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic, ever since it was announced, and if there were any doubters, they were all silenced by the film\u2019s record-setting opening weekend. It\u2019s true that musical biopics have been popular for the past several years, but Michael danced circles around all of them with a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2392176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[362230,21912,345885],"class_list":["post-2392175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-biopics","tag-movies","tag-musicals"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Audience-Says-Michael-Is-Pure-Entertainment-for-MJ-Fans.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2392175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2392175"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2392175\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2392177,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2392175\/revisions\/2392177"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2392176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2392175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2392175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2392175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}