Michael Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Michael Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 15, 2026

Elvis Presley, arguably a "pre-Michael Jackson Michael Jackson" phenomenon of sorts, titled his second greatest hits album 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong, to which some curmudgeonly analysts types (ahem) might respond, "Why not?" In that regard, then, it should be stated that Michael has become the first biopic in history to pass the one billion (that's with a B) mark at the box office, and that amount is only going to grow exponentially now with various home video releases. That obviously proves this film connected with a very large global audience, people who were evidently unfettered by (in every sense of this word) critical thinking about what exactly was being portrayed, and what in fact was not being portrayed. There was an understandable outcry from any number of people about the omissions in Michael, but in that regard this is certainly not the first biopic to sanitize certain aspects of its focal character's life (Great Balls of Fire!, with its somewhat similar handling of a relationship with a minor, heterosexual in this case if also incestuous, springs immediately to mind), but notable defenses of Michael have been made by such luminaries as Spike Lee. Lee takes people to task who complain about the lack of the child abuse allegations that Jackson faced since those allegations came a few years after this film's timeline ends, but that kind of avoids the fact that those allegations were reportedly going to be part of the original film until maybe a little comically attorneys stumbled across a legally binding document forbidding the mention of the primary accuser (whose name won't be repeated here). That may have been a rather convenient way out of that particular sticky wicket, since anyone who has ever gone to a supposedly factual biographical motion picture will probably be aware of the amount of "fictionalization" that attends such efforts, and there certainly could have been an artful way to get into the allegations without naming a specific victim. One way or the other, Michael strives to provide some context into the Jackson family history and how it shaped the most legendary member of the Jackson Five.

Biopics are fraught entities to begin with, and they frequently so fictionalize things that any tether to the actual historical record is tenuous at best (Frances is just one of many examples that could be cited). In that regard, Michael is certainly not the worst offender, as it charts the early life of its title subject (played by Juliano Valdi as a child and then by Michael's own nephew Jafaar Jackson for the bulk of the film, in a pretty nifty piece of stunt casting). The underlying drama here is perhaps comparable in its own way to certain dynamics that play out in What's Love Got to Do with It, with father Joe Jackson (Colman Domingo) being the "Ike" in this instance. In that regard, it might be salient to wonder whether those fans who have no problem with the "redactions" Michael makes might have responded quite a bit differently had the Tina biopic omitted Ike's abuse.

The overwhelming success of the Jackson Five is documented per the usual methods these types of films offer, and there is passing lip service given to Michael's nascent vitiligo, while offering a near Freudian reason for why Michael started hacking away at his face with plastic surgery (there probably is a Freudian, or at least psychoanalytic, tale to be told here, though I'm not sure it's the one that is told). And in fact the biggest problem with Michael is that its quasi-hagiographical qualities ignore the human being at the center of the story, one who was pretty obviously deeply troubled on any number of levels, troubles that the film wants to basically boil down to "Daddy issues". Those issues are in fact probably undeniably true, but there feels like there are a lot more emotional and psychological layers that could have been tapped here.

Performances are generally winning within certain cliché ridden constraints of the screenplay, with, for example, Colman Domingo at least occasionally coming off as an irate Randy Jackson (no relation) yelling at American Idol contestants for being pitchy. The film's repeated allusions to Peter Pan and Neverland are of course "factual", but they probably come with some baggage. In that regard, it may be unintentionally ironic that the film ends (more or less, anyway) with a performance of Bad, which may inadvertently draw attention to what was just about to happen as this film comes to its sudden conclusion.

Michael Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Michael is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate (and theatrically at least kind of interestingly also by Universal) with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. While this was mostly captured with Sony CineAlta Venice 2 cameras, there are interstitial snippets in both 16mm and 35mm, as is detailed in this really interesting interview with director Antoine Fuqua. The IMDb specifies a 4K DI. That said, and kind of interestingly to my eyes, some of the biggest variances in grain (or, in this case, digital grain) are observable solely in what I am assuming were the digitally captured scenes. There are several notable examples where grain spikes pretty dramatically, as in some of the hospital material post Pepsi commercial disaster. These variances are probably even more noticeable in 4K with HDR. That's about the only niggling qualm if it will even be that for some viewers in an often spectacularly colorful and well detailed presentation. The first half hour or so of the film tends to exhibit a more tamped down palette, with emphases on drab browns in the Jackson home, but once the Jackson 5 start performing, color begins exploding at regular intervals. Some of the reds in the live performance scenes, beginning with the brothers but then extending to Michael alone, are outstanding examples of pop even in SDR, though the 4K release's HDR / Dolby Vision grades definitely add more "oomph" in that department. Fine detail on the nice production design elements is typically excellent. Some of the passing CGI isn't especially believable (as in an early establishing shot for Gary, Indiana), though in this case maybe less obviously so than in the 4K version.

Michael Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Michael offers a really boisterously immersive Dolby Atmos track*. From the opening moments with a memorable riff to some of Michael's falsetto "chirps" to an increasingly overwhelming clamor from an obviously large and adoring audience, all of the surround channels are clearly engaged, and throughout the film the "live" musical performances, especially in larger venues, provide excellent spill that nicely evokes the live arena ambience. The live performances offer some of the most noticeable Atmos engagement, but there are some subtle overhead moments in even "quieter" scenes like some of the supposed recording sessions. If Atmos height is commendable, on the other end of the spatial spectrum, a lot of the bass heavy material offers some nice low end engagement. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

*Maybe I just haven't been paying attention on previous 4K releases from Lionsgate, but this is the first time I've noticed the Lionsgate masthead the disc boots to (before the Main Menu) had Dolby Atmos audio, with some kind of amazing whooshing panning effects darting back and forth.

Michael Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough: The Making of Michael (HD; 59:49) offers a lot of behind the scenes footage and interviews.


• Home is Where His Heart Is: Behind the Gates of Hayvenhurst (HD; 5:35) is a tour of the Jackson mansion in Encino.


• In the Mirror: Becoming Michael & Joe Time Lapses (HD; 3:39) offers several appealing looks at the massive makeup employed for the Michael and Joe characters.


• First Look (HD; 2:09) is a brief EPK.


• Becoming Michael (HD; 1:52) features Jafaar and others discussing his performance.


• Before the Big Screen (HD; 1:49) is another brief EPK talking about the impact of the Jacksons.


• On the Set of Michael (HD; 2:29) offers more behind the scenes footage and features Prince Jackson.


• Trailers (HD; 4:36)

Packaging features a slipcover.

Michael Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As Brian Orndorf mentioned in his review of Michael during its theatrical exhibition, this is a film made for fans, fans who in this case seem to have perhaps outnumbered kinda sorta father-in-law Elvis' own in terms of supporting the film. Technical merits are first rate and the supplements enjoyable, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.