As expected, the Michael Jackson Estate has now released another 4K “upscaled” short film from the Dangerous era, with the mysterious and emotionally charged Who Is It being the latest entry to receive the AI treatment.
Released in 1993, Who Is It stands apart in Michael Jackson’s filmography for its dark tones and noir-style narrative. Directed by David Fincher, who later became one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed filmmakers (Seven, Fight Club, The Social Network), the short film plays like a modern, twisted version of Pretty Woman. Instead of a romantic fairytale, Who Is It presents a story of seduction, secrecy, control, and emotional breakdown within a wealthy fictional underworld.
While some fans debate whether every shot includes Michael himself, the short film remains one of his most stylistically sophisticated visual works, matching the song’s haunting production and introspective lyrics. In many ways, it foreshadows the mood and visual depth of Stranger in Moscow, released years later and sharing the same sense of loneliness, isolation, and internal collapse.
Once Again: The AI Debate
And yet, despite the film’s artistic strength, the technical side of this release feels sadly predictable. As with the recent Dangerous era upgrades, the “4K” version is not a true restoration from original film elements but an AI-generated upscale, something the Estate continues to label as “uprezzed.”
Fans have repeated the same concerns for months: if the Estate can spend resources on re-releases, vinyl pressings, MoFi collaborations, and merchandising, why does the most important part of Michael’s legacy, his visual artistry, receive a downgraded shortcut treatment? Michael Jackson redefined the music video as cinematic art. Every one of his short films deserves the level of treatment given to Thriller: a proper, industry-standard restoration, not a blurry, smoothed, artificial result that cheapens the original photography.
A Masterpiece That Deserves Better
Who Is It is a complex, stylish, nearly lost gem in Michael’s videography. It is mysterious. It is dark. It is emotional. It is art. And like so many pieces of art, it deserves to be preserved faithfully, not approximated by software.
The film is now available on Michael Jackson’s official YouTube channel in its newly AI-enhanced version. We celebrate the masterpiece, but we will keep demanding the respect and restoration Michael’s legacy deserves.
Sebastian for MJVibe
Hey , nobody is going to talk about the sudden changes in most of the “upscaled ” short films . Not only does it look cheap like any child could do it by pressing the AI button to do its thing, but they changed most of them from their original directors cut. Now , although it is wonderful to see new unseen footage of MJ dancing or different angles it makes me nervous that they can just do that with no warning and just change someone’s art work. The ” who is it “short film is totally different. And i do like to see more unreleased footage of mj, but at the same time it feels wrong. In this video particular MJ singing part is out of sync which it wasn´t before. That is devastating . Inthecloset HAS also new footage so it has been changed so is Black or White ..