A new clip from the highly anticipated Michael Jackson biopic, titled “Michael,” was released Wednesday and featured star Jaafar Jackson’s take on “Billie Jean.” And, after being viewed over 8 million times, the consensus for the sneak peek was resoundingly negative.
In the clip, Jackson, the real-life nephew of the late King of Pop, can be seen wearing his uncle’s signature white glove and black bedazzled jacket while singing the 1983 hit, “Billie Jean.” The scene is a recreation of the late Jackson’s famed performance for “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever,” where he debuted his famous moonwalk move for the first time.
While the younger Jackson successfully recreates the significant pop culture moment beat for beat, impressively pulling out his own moonwalk, many fans voiced their displeasure at the way the footage was edited.
“Literally the least inspired cinematography I’ve ever seen,” one critic wrote in response to the clip’s release. Another chimed in with, “Dawg how is actual footage of ‘motown 25’ looking way better than this clip???” A third commented, “The shots to the audience destroys the momentum. Dude what were they thinking?”
Others compared the snippet to the aesthetic of 2018’s Freddie Mercury biopic, “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
“I’m getting serious ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ vibes,” one person noted on X. “Shot and cut like s–t, but the incredible magic of the original artist the film is based on will be enough for general audiences.”
Though, one critic was far less kind, bluntly writing, “This is f–king atrocious. Holy s–t.”
literally the least inspired cinematography i've ever seen https://t.co/NNWRJ0D8HD
— luci (@reallucialanave) April 10, 2026
Yet, not everyone was hard on the new sneak peek, with one fan voicing optimism for the film’s release. “You guys are not ready for this movie’s international box office numbers,” the supporter said.
“Michael,” which is set to hit theaters on April 24, has faced its fair share of drama leading up to the release, including millions in reshoots, a scrapped final act, a delayed release and more.
The film was directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by John Logan and stars Jackson as the titular pop star, Colman Domingo as patriarch Joe Jackson, Nia Long as matriarch Katherine Jackson and Miles Teller as John Branca.
“Michael” moonwalks into theaters on April 24, 2026.
