ABOUT THIS EPISODE
After many stages of development, we finally get the film biopic about one of the greatest musicians to have ever do it and one of my favorite music artists, the late and legendary King of Pop, Michael Jackson. With a first time actor in the case of Jafaar Jackson and a great supporting cast, along with the producer of Bohemian Rhapsody and The Town and the iconic director Antoine Fuqua, who has directed some great films especially Training Day and with so much ground work to cover, can the Michael Jackson biopic (the first half of a potential two-parter) live up to the hype, excitement, curiosity and concerns that MJ fans, movie fans and music fans have? Well, let's talk about it here.
In this LIVE review, Epictastic Joshua's Joshua Drake Randall gives you his honest and unedited thoughts on "Michael" aka "Michael: Part One" and breaks down his excitement from the positives to negatives to overall how does this first half does justice to Michael Jackson's early career from childhood to the 80s?
#MichaelMovie #MichaelPartOne #JafaarJackson #AntoineFuqua #MichaelJackson
*Timecodes*
0:00 - Review starts
3:51 - cast and crew/plot synopsis
6:21 - thoughts on MJ and his music/legacy
10:33 - thoughts on music biopics/excitement and nervousness for Michael
21:50 - expectations to thoughts
25:00 - Full disclaimer
27:40 - The Light (pros)
50:42 - The Dark (negatives)
1:02:03 - Overall thoughts/rating
1:10:21 - Conclusion and ending
Sypnosis
The story of pop superstar Michael Jackson -- from his extraordinary early days in the Jackson 5 to the visionary artist whose creative ambition fuels a relentless pursuit to become the biggest entertainer in the world.
CAST & CREW
Directed by
Antoine Fuqua
Written by
John Logan
Produced by
Graham King
John Branca
John McClain
Starring
Jaafar Jackson
Nia Long
Laura Harrier
Juliano Krue Valdi
Miles Teller
Mike Myers
Colman Domingo
KeiLyn Durrel Jones
Jamal R. Henderson
Jayden Harville
Tre Horton
Jaylen Lyndon Hunter
Rhyan Hill
Judah Edwards
Joseph David-Jones
Nathaniel Logan McIntyre
Jessica Sula
Kendrick Sampson
Larenz Tate
Liv Symone
Kevin Shinick
Cinematography
Dion Beebe
Edited by
John Ottman
Harry Yoon
Conrad Buff IV
Tom Cross
Original Music by
Lior Rosner
Casting by
Kimberly Hardin
Victoria Thomas
Production Design: Barbara Ling
Costume Design: Marci Rodgers
Production companies
GK Films
Optimum Productions
Distributed by
Lionsgate Films (United States)
Universal Pictures (International)
Rated: PG-13 for some thematic material, language and smoking
Genre: Musical, music film, biography, drama, period piece,
Release dates:
April 10, 2026 (Berlin)
April 24, 2026 (United States)
Running time: 2 hours 7 minutes
Budget: $155–200 million
Box Office: $217.4 million
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