(spoiler free)
This year in cinema has been quite a good one for the film musical. ‘La La Land’ was one of the most talked about films of the year, and rightly so. It has some of the most impressive sequences in any musical I’ve seen and some of those songs are just excellent. A few months later we also got the live action remake of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ which allowed audiences to relive one of the most popular musicals of all time. Now as we reach the end of the year ‘The Greatest Showman’ I’m sure is hoping for a similar success, but does it hit all the right notes?
Well if you aren’t a fan of musicals this isn’t the one that’s going to convert you. It embraces a lot of the musical cliches, if you can’t cope with characters randomly bursting into song this won’t be for you as it’s rather heavy on this. However, that’s kind of what musicals are all about so fans of the genre will have a very different experience. The film follows P.T. Barnum, played by Hugh Jackman, on a rags to riches journey. He states to have come from nothing and has ambitions of a better life for his family and himself, leading him to putting on shows featuring the weirdest and most wonderful that humanity has to offer. There are definitely familiar beats to this story and it has to be said when our characters aren’t singing and dancing the film is never as engaging. However the lack of originality is forgivable because the story is simple, yet executed well. It also has many sound messages running through it and has an especially lovely final scene which really puts everything into perfect perspective.
‘The Greatest Showman’ is at its best when the cast are all singing, all dancing and it knows this. Thankfully there is an abundance of these sequences and audiences never have to wait too long for the next toe-tapping spectacle. Similarly to the narrative the songs have a rather simplistic make up in terms of their lyrics but they are performed with such passion and vigour that this never matters. They are insanely catchy and after one verse and chorus you’re already trying to sing along. They have a brilliant continuity between them too which really helps to fuse the film together as a whole. The cast are fantastic at bringing the story and songs to life. Hugh Jackman was an inspired casting choice for the lead, he’s got so much charisma that it’s impossible not to get on board with his ambition. The supporting cast which includes Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya are equally as entertaining and share a good chemistry helping to sell ‘the greatest show’ as just that.
Embrace ‘The Greatest Showman’ as a fully fledged musical extravaganza and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy it. Right from the rise of the curtain the film has an energetic pace which never lets up thanks to the special musicality and enthusiastic cast featured. Whilst the narrative isn’t anything we haven’t seen before the lessons it teaches are always worth hearing and it’s a particularly poignant way to round off another year in cinema.
Written by Hamish Calvert
Rating – 8/10
Question: What’s your all time favourite song from a film musical?
(Leave your answers in the comments section below!)
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