Michael Jackson. Arguably one of the most famous people in the world. How can one possibly write about him without thinking about the controversy that surrounded one of the most groundbreaking artists of all time? There is so much about him that is tarnished that it’s hard to know where to start. It’s also hard to understand why, all these years later, there is a new film about him.
As most people know, MJ grew up with a horrifically abusive father who robbed him and his brothers of their childhoods by forcing them to practice music rather than have friends and do normal kid things. That abuse informed the rest of MJ’s life as he was obsessed with children’s toys, games, stories, and stuffed animals and adopted animals as his friends because he didn’t have any of his own. He even surgically altered his appearance to look more like Peter Pan. The physical, emotional, and psychological abuse is off the charts sad and infuriating. Joseph Jackson saw dollar signs – not children – and manipulated all of them in the name of “family.” As a result, Joseph is the villain of Michael – especially for the way he treated his kids like “money making machines.”
Rather than address Michael Jackson’s tarnished reputation that began following child abuse allegations in the early 1990s, Michael’s timeline starts in the mid-1960s (with a seven-year-old Michael fronting the Jackson 5) and goes through the 1988 Bad tour. As mentioned earlier, the movie paints MJ as a victim and a genius while Joseph is the monstrous villain. Everything I’ve read about the Jackson estate carefully handling this movie is evident as they were meticulous about what to include and what to leave out. According to multiple articles, the film planned to explore the child abuse allegations – until the estate found a clause from the 1993 settlement that said the child who was allegedly abused by MJ was not to be mentioned in a film. As a result, $15 million in reshoots took place and the movie took a hard pivot in terms of content and timeline.
There are plenty of music biopics that focus on a specific time in an artist’s life – the most recent example being Deliver Me From Nowhere which is a snapshot of Bruce Springsteen recording Nebraska in the early 1980s. As I said in my October 2025 review, that film is a raw, sad, and stoic account of his depression as a result of yep, another abusive father – rather than a fist-pumping ode to The Boss. So the fact that Michael only covers his childhood and the height of his career is not that surprising. That being said, the fact that this movie was made at all is a bit surprising. Why now?
One reason might be that the Jackson estate was looking to cash in on posthumous MJ while launching the career of his nephew Jaafar Jackson (he plays MJ as an adult) and Juliano Krue Valdi (he plays him as a kid) who are both incredibly talented – especially regarding their dance moves and undeniable charisma. The similarities almost make you forget that you’re not actually watching MJ footage. Another positive aspect of the movie is that it serves as a reminder of how groundbreaking Michael Jackson was in terms of music videos, telling stories through synchronized dance, inventing new dance moves, and putting pop and rock together in ways that had never been done before. His innovative choreography informed the choreography of so many pop and hip-hop artists and bands going forward including NSYNC, Usher, and Britney Spears, among many others. His stylistic inspiration is undeniable and fun to watch because that creativity was authentic, stunning, and historical.
Before we took Fleet to see the movie (his first PG-13 in a theatre), we showed him classic MJ music videos and he was enamored with the costumes, the dancing, his voice, and of course, the Moonwalk. Watching the “Thriller,” “Smooth Criminal,” “Billie Jean,” and “Beat It” videos with a six-year-old kid who has no idea about anything negative regarding the artist’s personal life was refreshing. He was able to enjoy the King of Pop with no background noise that is his tarnished image and simply take in the music genius aspects of Michael Jackson. And wow did he love that red leather jacket and Eddie Van Halen guitar solo in the “Beat It” video!
Back to the movie. I’ve read reviews that acknowledge Michael pretending that Janet doesn’t exist because she didn’t want to have anything to do with the film. I guess the only choice was to omit her completely but again, for those of us who remember the height of Michael and Janet, it’s hard to reconcile the second biggest star in that family not being part of the narrative. Critics have also pointed out that the brothers and LaToya are treated as extras in the movie – well yeah, the movie is called Michael not the Jackson 5 or The Jackson Family. One more note on family: MJ’s relationship with his mother is sweet but I cannot reconcile how she never stood up for her kids. Instead, she silently watched as Joseph beat the hell out of them. As a parent, it’s hard to watch.
Now the question is whether or not people should see the movie. It depends on if you can separate the man from the movie. My mother met the Jackson 5 in New Orleans in the 1980s – the ultimate star sighting – and sold his records for decades. The photos attached to this review were taken by my dad. We are fans of MJ as an artist and groundbreaking part of the music business. He was also a philanthropist who holds the Guinness World Record for supporting the most charities including his Heal the World Foundation. Over the course of his life, MJ donated millions of dollars to various organizations and co-wrote “We Are the World” in 1985 which raised over $60 million for famine relief. All that being said, child abuse is the worst crime a person can commit. No one will ever know exactly what happened with MJ and those kids but I can only hope that none of the allegations are true. In the meantime, I’ll keep talking to Fleet about what Michael Jackson did for music, pop culture, and his fans. There is no denying that he brought people together and that his music is still impacting the world.
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