Alycia Rivera is a current junior at Torrington High School. She’s the treasurer of her school’s Black Student Union Club and is currently striving for a higher position. She does outdoor track during the season and enjoys going out on a nice sunny day to throw. Her goals right now are to keep her grades in check while staying on top of her work. She wishes to upload many articles in protest of things she doesn’t like and in support of things she does. Outside of school, she spends her time playing video games, sleeping, and indulging in lots of tasty food.
No artist has shaped global pop culture quite like Michael Jackson, so it’s only fitting that the film telling his story could become the greatest movie ever. The 2026 biopic perfectly balances entertainment and truth. It includes real-life events that are well known, as well as the more niche, personal parts of his life.
The story follows the start of Michael Jackson’s solo career, his dealings with the Jackson 5, and his struggles to break out of his childish reputation.
The storytelling, the visuals, the sparkly clothes – everything came together perfectly to help the audience understand his life and rise to fame. The lead actor, Jaafar Jackson, also happened to be Michael Jackson’s nephew. The movie was his first-ever appearance on TV, and he smashed his role.
Jaafar not only looked identical to Michael, but he also had his dance moves. He performed as his uncle during the first concert scene for “Billie Jean,” and it was the most perfect and accurate representation of how the concert actually went. He was able to dance accordingly without making it seem as though he was a perfect replica of his late uncle.
The movie was emotional, deep, inspiring, and exciting. There were loud, flashing scenes with all of Michael’s hit songs and parts of his childhood that shaped him into the man he became. In the end, all the scenes came together in a beautiful crescendo.
Now, a lot of people criticize the fact that the movie focused too much on his experiences with Joseph Jackson and the Jackson 5, but I believe it added a lot to the story and plot.
The premise of the movie was his beginning as a solo artist, and on his way to that success, there had to be an explanation of how he got there. Michael Jackson didn’t just start out as Michael Jackson — there was a gradual build, and that’s what made the movie so special.
If I had to rate the movie on a scale from 1–10, it’d get a perfect score. Everything about the movie greatly exceeded my expectations.