Finally hitting theaters after many years, the biographical film about Michael Jackson, "Michael," will meet audiences in all cinemas this weekend. The film stars Jafar Jackson, Michael Jackson's nephew, portraying The King of Pop, alongside a cast that includes Juliano Valdi, Colman Domingo, Miles Teller, and Nia Long. The screenplay was written by John Logan and directed by Antoine Fuqua. While some fans have argued that Fuqua may not be the right choice for a Michael Jackson film, the director has a successful track record with films like Training Day and The Equalizer.

This morning, the critical embargo for Michael was lifted, and the film did not make a strong start. At the time of writing, it has received a 24% Rotten score on the aggregate review site Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the lowest-rated films of the year. This score is based on 46 reviews and, while it is subject to change, it is unlikely to shift significantly. Taylor Gates, in her review for Collider, rated the film 7/10, offering a more positive assessment than many other critics. Gates praised the performances, writing, "Jafar Jackson perfectly embodies The King of Pop," while also criticizing the characters in the film as being "overly sterile."

A review by Liz Declan for ScreenRant was also more favorable than most critics, giving the film a 9/10 rating and describing it as "a masterfully crafted biography worthy of The King of Pop's legendary status." In contrast, Robert Daniels, reviewing for RogerEbert.com, took a much more negative stance, giving the film 1/4 stars and describing it as "hollow" and "filled with technical flaws."