Academy Award-winning director and The Roots drummer Questlove took to Instagram this week to share his profound reaction to the new Michael Jackson biopic, Michael. Despite initial hesitation and his own self-described “diehard” tendency to nitpick technical details, the legendary musician declared that the film succeeds by stripping away the spectacle to reveal the human being behind the “King of Pop” persona.
“I’m not here to hype MICHAEL into the ground or talk box office projections,” Questlove wrote, though he noted the film might “save” the movie business much like Thriller saved the record industry in 1982. He admitted that while he initially tracked minor historical inaccuracies, he quickly “put his weapons down” because the production captured the soul of Jackson’s story. For Questlove, seeing Jackson’s humanity was more important than any “technical faux pas.”
The filmmaker further described the biopic as a “masterclass in how to channel a gift,” shifting the narrative from one of constant struggle to one of manifestation. He linked this themes to his own upcoming project, the Earth, Wind & Fire documentary To Be Celestial VS That’s the Weight of the World, which is set to open the 2026 Tribeca Festival in June. “I’m going back to see it again. And again,” he concluded, solidifying the film’s status as a must-see cinematic event.