Questlove says that the Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic, humanizes the “King of Pop.”
In a lengthy Instagram post, Questlove described how it was to watch the film as a fan of Jackson/
“I’m not here to hype MICHAEL into the ground or talk box office projections. Though I’m marveling at the fact that this film might do for the movie business what Thriller did for records in ’82: save it,” Quest wrote.
“Honestly? I was hesitant. I’m emotionally invested, and I was holding my breath. But this project does the impossible: it strips away the spectacle and shows us the person. For the first time, we aren’t looking at the “THE KING”—we’re looking at a human being.”
Quest went on to say that the film “captured the SOUL of it all & gave him back his humanity. If this is the final word on his legacy, showing his humanity was more important to me than any technical faux pas.”
He also shared that the film is a beautiful display of “how to channel” one’s gift.
QUESTLOVE SAYS THE FILM TAKES YOU INTO A ‘HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS’
“For those of us leaning into a higher consciousness, this film is a MASTERCLASS in how to channel a gift,” he wrote. “We’ve been fed the ‘Hard Work & Sacrifice’ narrative for generations—the same one passed down from our ancestors and overseers. I’m ready to let that go because it’s not serving us anymore… We have to want a change now as bad as he wanted to give his gift to the world.”
This film shows that the true path isn’t just about grinding; it’s about KNOWING that you know,” Quest wrote. “It’s about knowing that you know. Channeling that feeling into reality. It’s the perfect setup for what’s coming in the Earth, Wind & Fire doc—a shift from the “struggle” to the “manifestation.”
I’m going back to see it again. And again.
Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic starring Jaafar Jackson, is set to hit theaters on April 24, 2026.