by Edward Baillargeon
If there is one genre of movies and entertainment I tend to enjoy, it’s always a great musical. Some of these in my opinion include anything made by Disney such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Frozen, and Moana, other animated musicals like South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, My Little Pony: The Movie, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, or live action classics old and new like The Wizard of Oz and La La Land. Now Academy Award nominee Hugh Jackman stars in his passion project that he always wanted to do for a decade until Twentieth Century Fox would let him retire from his role of Wolverine in the X-Men franchise with the new musical drama The Greatest Showman.
Inspired by a true story, this musical celebrates the birth of show business and tells of P.T. Barnum, a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.
The Greatest Showman is a fun and entertaining film for the winter season that I honestly don’t get why the critics were dismissing it as much as they did. I would’ve thought that if it got nominated for 3 Golden Globes, including Best Musical/Comedy Picture, it must’ve received high critical praise to become this year’s Oscar bait musical like the aforementioned La La Land. The story is well told and I wasn’t really bothered as much as the critics with its accuracy to the life of P.T. Barnum in a similar vein that I haven’t criticized the accuracy of the depictions of P.L. Travers, J.M. Barrie, and Tommy Wiseau in movies like Saving Mr. Banks, Finding Neverland, and The Disaster Artist respectively. The acting is also fantastic from the cast led by Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum giving one of his best performances of his career next to his performance earlier this year as Wolverine in Logan. Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, and Rebecca Ferguson were also really good as Phillip Carlyle, Charity Barnum, and Jenny Lind respectively. The musical numbers are the highlights of the movie with its vibrant colors, fantastic choreography, and well-written songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the songwriters of La La Land. I have to give major credit to not just Pasek & Paul, but also director Michael Gracey for managing to direct some of the most stellar musical numbers I’ve seen in a cinema. Rather it be an inspirational anthem like “A Million Dreams” and “This is Me” or during a performance scene like “The Greatest Show” and “Never Enough”, the songs will make you want to buy the soundtrack the moment the credits roll.
Overall, The Greatest Showman is another movie to see with your family this winter if your family. If you are a fan of musicals and Hugh Jackman’s filmography, this is a must watch for you. I give The Greatest Showman a 10/10 with the Edward’s Seal of Approval and my highest recommendation.
