Following the highly anticipated Los Angeles premiere of Michael last night, the reviews are officially rolling in, and they are intensely divided. While the new Michael Jackson biopic is currently facing a harsh reception from critics, leading to a surprisingly low score on Rotten Tomatoes, one of music’s most respected voices is pushing back.
Questlove recently took to social media to praise the film for doing what many thought was impossible: truly humanizing the King of Pop.
It is no secret that critics are being tough on the film, but Questlove offered a completely different perspective on Instagram. He admitted that, as a music historian and diehard fan, he initially went into the theater on the defensive.
“Honestly? I was hesitant. I’m emotionally invested, and I was holding my breath,” Questlove confessed in a post on Instagram. He even noted that he started the movie taking notes on historical inaccuracies, looking for moments where a song wasn’t out yet or Jackson was wearing the wrong jacket for a specific year.
However, he quickly realized that missing the forest for the trees was a disservice to the film’s message. “I eventually put my weapons down. Why? Because they captured the SOUL of it all & gave him back his humanity,” he wrote. “If this is the final word on his legacy, showing his humanity was more important to me than any technical faux pas.”
For Questlove, the true triumph of Michael is how it successfully strips away the larger-than-life spectacle of the “King of Pop” persona.
“For the first time, we aren’t looking at the ‘THE KING’—we’re looking at a human being,” he shared, noting that this is a side of Jackson that the public seemed to forget after 1984. He was so moved by the project that he even suggested the film might do for the modern movie business what Thriller did for the record industry in 1982: save it.
Beyond the music and the history, Questlove found a profound spiritual resonance in the film, calling it a “MASTERCLASS in how to channel a gift.” He reflected on how the movie challenges the exhausting, generational narrative of “Hard Work & Sacrifice,” moving instead toward a mindset of manifestation, self-knowing, and channeling a feeling into reality.
“This film shows that the true path isn’t just about grinding; it’s about KNOWING that you know,” he explained.
Questlove ended his glowing review by declaring he will be going back to see it “again. And again.”
With such a divide between the low Rotten Tomatoes critic scores and the emotional reactions from those intimately connected to music and culture, there is only one way to truly judge the film. Art is subjective, and a figure as complex and monumental as Michael Jackson will always elicit polarizing reactions.
Ultimately, audiences should head to theaters to experience Michael for themselves and form their own opinions on whether the biopic successfully captures the man behind the music.
