The Greatest Showman

I could tell this film was popular but I never got around to seeing it until my girlfriend showed it to me. I was impressed by its story, performances and by a few of its songs. There were some admirable visual elements to be sure but they did not outshine the story.

A rags-to-riches story, when told right, can be the basis for a great movie. Also, the song "A Million Dreams" portrays a wonderful love story by way of a montage. I loved the use of a lantern to create some romantic lighting during this montage. When Barnum and Charity appear on a rooftop, it is designed and framed as if it is a theater stage. This helps to remind the audience of the genre this film belongs in. The special effects likewise are flashy and theatrical in nature when they need to be. For the fire scene where the circus is destroyed, the special effects needed to be more realistic for dramatic purposes and this was achieved. Normally, in a rags-to-riches film, the protagonist finds success over the course of the whole film but Barnum becomes prosperous quite fast. This is because he is going to encounter more dramatic conflicts in the second half of the film because of his success. For example, Barnum begins to neglect his sideshow and forgets that it was those in the circus who got him to where he is. The film wasn't too focused on politically correct issues at first but that didn't last. During "This Is Me" for instance, the circus troupe sing during a stand off between themselves and the mob of harassers. Additionally, Phillip’s parents look down Phillip & Anne’s romance and a clash between the protesters & the circus troupe causes damage. I go to the movies to escape the world, not to be reminded of it. Every one of these three plotlines/scenes I have mentioned create drama but collectively, they don't inspire us. Instead, they remind us of the broken nature of the real world and this negative feeling isn't a good fuel in creating realistic change. I think a simpler approach would have resulted in the second half of the movie being more inspirational. If the filmmakers for example had left out the protestors and focused on the Phillip & Anne dramatic subplot (or visa versa), those watching the film would have remained immersed in the world of the film instead of consciously making comparisons to the real world. Real change happens when the people subconsciously decide for themselves instead of others telling the public what they should do. As a side note, I think it's funny that this film is inspired by a company that was known for the mistreatment of animals but it still tries to preach a few liberal ideals.

This isn't the first major Hollywood film to be inspired by the Barnum & Bailey Circus. "The Greatest Show on Earth", released in 1952, won Best Picture at the Oscars but has been called one of the worst films to ever win that award (it beat "Singin' in the Rain"!) I haven't seen "The Greatest Show on Earth" so I can't make an accurate comparison but "The Greatest Showman" seems to have a better reputation. The three main actors really shined and there was definite chemistry between Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron, especially during the song "The Other Side". Michelle Williams did a great job in "Oz the Great and Powerful" and did great in this movie too. Oscar-winning writer Bill Condon co-wrote the screenplay for "The Greatest Showman" and many other popular film musicals have his name attached. The two best songs in this movie are obviously "Rewrite the Stars" and "This Is Me". I believe those songs will be the legacy that this show leaves on the musical world. The latter song won the Golden Globe for Best Song and was nominated in the same category at the Oscars.

My favourite line in the whole show is spoken to Bennett, the critic: "A theater critic who can't find joy in the theater. Now who is the fraud?" Many people have criticized my film reviews because I am much less harsh than more professional film critics. I go to the movies not to be let down but to enjoy myself. Also, my time is valuable so I usually go to films that have the greatest chance of entertaining me. If I become a film critic by profession, I will certainly be seeing a lot more movies that let me down because of vulgarity, poor storytelling, etc. I am blogging for free currently and so my theater experiences usually tend to be positive ones. In addition, my mindset is on what is good about any given movie as opposed to what is bad about it. Furthermore, I have to remind myself that the general public does not share my critical eye and therefore may enjoy the movie more than I did. For example, concerning the social themes in this film, I have to remind myself that other movies are a lot more preachy than "The Greatest Showman". The acting and songs stood out and what I was grateful for the most was that the story was not sacrificed.

4 Stars out of 5