The Greatest Showman is a musical extravaganza based on the life of P.T Barnum, who famously created Barnum’s Circus. It stars Hugh Jackman as Barnum, with Michelle Williams as his wife Charity and Zac Efron as his business partner Philip Carlisle. The first thing to say about this film is that I love it. I’ve seen it three times and have had the soundtrack on repeat. I think ultimately it succeeds as it is an excellent piece of entertainment and the evidence of this is the fact that its still playing to packed audiences months after its initial release. This review will highlight some of its strengths while also responding to criticisms.
Firstly, the film’s key strength is its songs. The music and lyrics are written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, previously known for working on La La Land. It combines classic musical numbers with modern pop, that creates memorable numbers that can be enjoyed by all ages. Not just the songs, but the choreography which accompanies them is simply stunning. The casting is pretty much spot on with Hugh Jackman an excellent leading man and excellent support, in particular from Keala Settle, who plays the Bearded lady. Visually the film is wonderful, with exciting visuals, beautiful costumes (lots of top hats!) and a great setting.
Now, the film has been criticised for an unrealistic portrayal of Barnum, a man who by all accounts was no saint. However, this is not a huge issue for me as ultimately this is a ‘musical extravaganza’ based on the life of P.T Barnum as opposed to a ‘gritty biopic’. Barnum is a fascinating character and I’m sure would make a very interesting biopic, but that is not what this film is, so to criticise it as such is not altogether fair. Another criticism is the portrayal of animals, who for years have suffered greatly in circuses. I am wholly opposed to any mistreatment of animals, but for me to pretend that it didn’t happen and not include it would have been more of a problem for me than using CGI animals.
Ultimately, The Greatest Showman is a wonderful piece of entertainment that all the family can enjoy. At 105 minutes its a near perfect length for a film and includes something that (almost) everyone can enjoy. For me it really is ‘The Greatest Show’ in town and is not to be missed! 5 stars.
Movie Night 