Genius, fame, and flamboyance, no one has ever put all three together quite like Michael Jackson. His biopic “Michael,” shows all three sides seamlessly. 

   The film begins with a young Michael living in Gary, Indiana growing up under intense pressure from his father. Even at a young age it is clear just how brilliant Michael was, but with that brilliance comes a loss of childhood experiences. 

   At the start of the film we catch a glimpse of how Michael was frequently beaten by his father Joseph, and how this affected his early life. He also wasn’t allowed to do normal childhood activities and was touring at a very young age. 

    Although it was really hard to watch just how abusive his father was, I personally thought this portion of the film did an excellent job of laying the groundwork for the rest of Michael’s life.    

   As Michael grows older the film traces his transition from child star to superstar. Highlighting just how groundbreaking his voice and presence truly were in case you needed a reminder. 

   The film does a fantastic job at portraying the struggles that can come with fame. It also shows just how amazing of a performer Michael was. In the film he is portrayed by his nephew who at times to me at least looked completely identical. 

   One of my personal favorite moments is how they portray all of Michael’s pets throughout the film. I loved how they introduced his pet chimpanzee “Bubbles,” and thought it was a great moment in the film. 

   Although “Michael” does a lot of things very well, I personally feel they could’ve done a better job with the movie’s pacing.    

   There’s nothing wrong with it. I just personally found myself bored a couple of times throughout the duration of the movie.

   Overall I think that the movie was a very good portrayal of his life up to 1987. I thought the film did a great job of encapsulating who Michael Jackson was, and what made him such an icon. If I were to personally rate this film out of 10, I would rate it an 8.5. I thought it was a great representation of his life, and I would definitely watch again.