I know I'm a bit late to the hype with this film and I missed it when it came out in the cinema. But my sister, having already seen it, brought it on DVD and came into the lounge and forced me and my mum to watch it with her. I was reluctant at first because this film was hyped up, much like the film La La Land was which really wasn't my cup of tea and I was left disappointed. I was just afraid that this film wouldn't live up to the expectation either, but boy was I wrong.
The Greatest Showman (Michael Gracey, 2017) is a musical, loosely based on the creation of Barnum&Bailey's Circus, and the adventures of P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman) and his star attractions. With it's cast being filled with recognizable faces and a production budget of $84 million, it's clear this film was made with the potential to be a huge success.
The story begins with a young P.T. Barnum (Ellis Rubin) who came from near-to-nothing, who
meets Charity Hallet (Michelle Williams) and the two of them have an instant connection. Barnum dreams of having as much in this life as possible, and starts a new life with Charity. The two of them raise their two children, and using a loan from the bank, Barnum opens Barnum's American Museum.
Barnum begins to recruit extraordinary people to perform in his circus including the bearded lady Lettie Lutz (Keala Settle), a dwarf performer Charles Stratton (Sam Humphrey) and trapeze artist Anne Wheeler (Zendaya). Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron) is also recruited as Barnum's trusted partner.
Despite ultimately being a feel-good, inspirational film, the plot also covers serious topics such as greed, the class system, discrimination and loyalty. It appears even Barnum seems embarrassed of his performers for a short while in the film. However, they prove to themselves and the audience that they shouldn't be ashamed of who they are. Then, there is the whole "will they/won't they" tension between Barnum and Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson), the Swedish singer who Barnum leaves his family for to join on tour.
The visuals in this film are simply breathtaking, for the most part. The opening number gave me goosebumps, seeing all the acts perform and the stage covered in bright colours. Each character is also fully suited up in a gorgeous and unique costume, so huge shoutout to the costume and set designers.
The only flaw I had with the visuals was the animation in some parts. Animals seem to be particularly difficult to animate in live action films and this is something that stands out on several occasions in the film. Firstly, the movements and sizes of the elephants are questionable giving a sense of falseness. Secondly, I noticed when Charles was riding his horse it was quite obviously an animation which I feel effects the quality of the film.
For me, the cast was fantastic and each character was right for the role. Each child in the movie was undoubtedly cute and very talented. Zac and Zendaya both gave touching performances and there was no denying the chemistry between them. And for me personally, I feel like Zendaya showed a bigger range of emotions in this movie than in any other role I've seen her in. There's no denying Hugh Jackman is a talented actor, and he really was able to live up to the title of "the greatest showman". For me his only downfall was his inconsistent accent throughout the film. Even my mum (who is the world's worst person at recognizing accents) was able to spot his Australian accent slip through.
And finally, I can't discuss a musical film without mentioning, well, the music. As someone who doesn't have a musical bone in my body, I found myself still humming along with all the songs and I still have the soundtrack stuck in my head as I'm writing this. My top 3 songs from this film were, Never Enough, Rewrite The Stars and This Is Me. Picture the scene, I was listening to these songs covered in goosebumps and tears streaming down my face.
I know this movie has received a lot of mixed reviews, but I was honestly pleasantly surprised with how much I loved this movie. I would rate it a 9/10, and if it were up to me this film would be considered a modern day classic. It's truly one of those movies where you finish watching it and you just feel grander and more inspired for watching it.
Have you seen this movie yourself? If so let me know what you though in the comments below,
Izzy K xxx
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