How the Michael Jackson Film Is Now the Worst Reviewed Music Biopic in History: Report

Michael Jackson's long-awaited biopic Michael has been branded one of the worst-reviewed music biopics in history, despite it storming the global box office – a stark divide that has fueled criticism over its "sanitized" portrayal of the late pop icon's life.

As OK! has reported, the film, directed by Antoine Fuqua, follows Jackson's rise from his childhood in the Jackson 5 through the early stages of his solo career, with the singer portrayed by his nephew Jaafar Jackson.

But the production has drawn intense attention for both its subject matter and its glaring omissions, particularly given the child abuse allegations that dogged Michael to the grave.

Despite its high-profile release and commercial momentum, with forecasts suggesting a $150 million global opening haul, critics have delivered a harsh verdict.

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Michael debuted with a 27 percent rating – later rising slightly to 34 percent – placing it well behind comparable biopics. A Complete Unknown holds 82 percent, Better Man sits at 89 percent, and Oppenheimer leads with 93 percent.

Other films, including Priscilla at 84 percent and Ferrari at 73 percent, have also outperformed it.

Even the critically lukewarm I Wanna Dance with Somebody achieved 43 percent, while Back to Black edges ahead at 35 percent. Only Reagan, starring Dennis Quaid, has scored lower, at 18 percent.

Critics have been blunt in their assessments.

A reviewer at BBC News described the film as "a bland and barely competent daytime TV movie," while critic Brian Viner said: "It is simplistic, unchallenging and riddled with egregious omissions."

Industry sources suggested the backlash stems from what they described as a "carefully controlled narrative" – which others have branded a "whitewash" of Michael's scandals.

One insider said: "The film avoids the most controversial aspects of Michael Jackson's life, and that has left critics questioning its credibility – it feels incomplete. And it is getting some of the worst reviews of a music biopic in movie history as a result."

Central to the criticism is the absence of the child abuse allegations that shadowed much of Michael's career.

According to Variety, the original cut included a third act addressing the fallout from those allegations, ending with investigators arriving at Neverland Ranch.

However, the storyline was removed after producers identified a legal clause tied to a settlement with accuser Jordan Chandler that barred any depiction or mention of him.

A source close to the production said: "Once the legal constraints became clear, the filmmakers had no choice but to rework the ending – but that decision fundamentally changed the story they were telling."

The revisions delayed the film's release by approximately a year and have fueled claims the final version presents an overly polished image of Jackson.

Several figures close to the singer declined to participate. His sister Janet Jackson was among them.

Her sibling LaToya Jackson said: "She was asked and she kindly declined, so you have to respect her wishes."

Michael's daughter Paris Jackson has been more openly critical.

She said: "They're gonna make whatever they're gonna make. The big reason why I haven't said anything up until this point is because I know a lot of you guys are gonna be happy with it."

Paris tellingly added: "The film panders to a very specific section of my dad's fandom that still lives in a fantasy, and they're gonna be happy with it."

She continued: "The thing about these biopics is it's Hollywood. It's fantasyland – it's not real. But it's sold to you as real, and a lot of sugar-coated… the narrative is being controlled. There's a lot of inaccuracy, and there's a lot of full-blown lies. At the end of the day, that doesn't really fly with me. I don't really like dishonesty."