FILM REVIEW · LIFESTYLE · SASHASHANTEL.COM
I honestly cannot think of a time when I didn’t love Michael Jackson. From the moment I was introduced to his music, I knew it would never leave me. As a performer, Michael wasn’t only entertaining to watch, he was mesmerising. No other entertainer has ever made me feel as empowered, as inspired, or as in awe. It was precisely because of these immense feelings that I was scared to watch this film.
People close to me, as well as the thousands of glowing reviews I’d seen online, had all told me it was worth watching. But for a long time, I had buried my love of his music. The accusations were something I never believed, and I refused to get drawn into back-and-forths with people who wanted to say otherwise; because I knew how I felt, and I knew that man was not capable of what they cruelly accused him of. Yet I suppressed my love because, in some strange way, it pained me that such greatness, such magnificence, had been tainted in this way.
To step back into my love of MJ and all his music was a major feat for me. I knew that once I stepped back in, I wouldn’t want to step back out. And that is exactly what happened when I watched Michael.
A cast worth celebrating
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and produced by Graham King; the same creative force behind Bohemian Rhapsody; the film traces Michael’s journey from his earliest days as a child performer right through to his iconic Bad World Tour. The supporting cast is extraordinary: Nia Long, Colman Domingo, Miles Teller, Laura Harrier, Jessica Sula, and Mike Myers all bring their respective roles to life with conviction. Colman Domingo is commanding as Joe Jackson, and the portrayal of the complex, often painful relationship between father and son is one of the film’s most quietly devastating threads. KeiLyn Durrel Jones brings real warmth to a young Jermaine, capturing the layered dynamic between brothers who loved each other deeply while navigating fame, pressure, and competition in real time.
Juliano Krue Valdi — the young Michael who stopped me in my tracks
Before we get to the headline performance, I have to talk about Juliano Krue Valdi, who plays a young Michael Jackson and who is utterly astonishing. Watching him on screen, you genuinely might think you were watching the real thing. He carries the weight of Michael’s childhood with both vulnerability and fire, and the scenes depicting the early Jackson 5 years, the rehearsals, the performances, the suffocating pressure of Joe Jackson’s ambition are some of the most emotionally charged in the entire film. This was Juliano’s film debut, and he has already become one of the most talked about young performances of the year.
Jaafar Jackson — a revelation
And then there is Jaafar Jackson. Michael’s real-life nephew and Jermaine Jackson’s son, Jaafar earned this role after an audition process that lasted two whole years. To prepare, he worked with acting coaches, dedicated himself to mastering his uncle’s iconic moves, and even moved back into the Jackson family’s Hayvenhurst estate in California, sleeping in different rooms, training in the very dance studio Michael once used, immersing himself completely in the energy of the man he was about to become.
That dedication is visible in every single frame. What Jaafar did was take me straight back to my childhood; those hours I spent watching Michael dance and sing, utterly transfixed. He reminded me that this music has always had the ability to pull me out of my lowest moods and remind me that no matter how challenging life gets, anything is possible if you believe and stay consistent. Even Katherine Jackson, Michael’s mother and Jaafar’s own grandmother, approved of the casting; saying he “embodied” Michael. That says everything.
The performances that had me in tears
The recreation of iconic moments in this film is staggering. The re-enactments of Beat It, Bad, Human Nature, and Thriller are out of this world and for a moment it honestly felt like I was watching the great man himself on screen. The recreation of the legendary Motown 25 performance, the moonwalk, the fedora, the stillness before the storm; it was electric. The joy I felt watching those scenes was immense and completely overwhelming.
The film ends with Michael’s concert at Wembley Stadium during the Bad World Tour, with the words “His story continues” appearing on screen. A sequel is already being discussed and I, for one, cannot wait.
More than a film — a renewed sense of purpose
Watching the painful challenges Michael faced as a child, woven through with the relationships between the brothers, felt deeply personal and gave me the sense of having front-row seats into his life. There are moments in this film that are genuinely hard to sit with and they should be. Greatness rarely comes without cost, and Michael does not flinch from that truth.
Michael awakened my love of MJ in a way I didn’t know I still needed. Since watching it, I’ve been binge-watching behind-the-music documentaries and revisiting his most iconic concerts. But more than anything, what this film has given me is a renewed sense of purpose. Michael and his siblings overcame tremendous adversity to become superstars, and it reminded me that although my own circumstances haven’t always been easy, I too can change my life. Michael Jackson’s music is more than just good on the ears; it is, quite frankly, life-changing.
The film has already grossed over $218 million worldwide in its opening weekend, and I am so glad. There is and will never be another Michael Jackson, and this film helped me reawaken a love story that, this time I will not suppress.
Have you watched Michael yet? I’d love to know how it made you feel — drop your thoughts in the comments below, and if you loved this post, share it with a fellow MJ fan who needs to see this film. 🖤
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