Director: Michael Gracey
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Duration: 105 minutes
The Greatest Showman (Blu-ray) – Movie Review
When you promise the love of your life an extraordinary future. Full of sensation, fire, excitement, magic and wonder; you sure need to give everything inside of you to reach that goal. This is what P.T. Barnum is chasing in this movie, his childhood dream, and who says dreams can’t come true. The greatest showman is a heart-warming drama full of cliché romances, dreams, friendship and some minor twists. Where Barnum went from a visionary to the greatest showman alive.
When Barnum (Ellis Rubin) was little he helped his dad, who was a tailor, with some of his assignments. One of their main customers, the Hallet family, had a daughter his age, named Charity (Skylar Dunn). It didn’t take long before Barnum and Charity fell in love, but he would never be good enough for her dad. So he promised her an extraordinary future. She was sent to an all-girls school, but nothing could keep them apart as they kept writing letters. When Barnum (Hugh Jackman) had his life sorted out, he came back for her, and they decided to build a life together.
Barnum wanted more in life, so after he lost his job he opened a museum. It didn’t go as well as he thought, but one of his daughters gave him an idea to create a more vivid experience. He would search for unique characters, who are considered to be freaks by the rest of the world, and put together a show. The lower class adored the show. Still, he wanted more, he wanted everyone to love his show. So he convinced Phillip (Zac Efron), a well-known playwright, to join him. Phillip falls in love with one of the ‘freaks’, Anna (Zendaya). He isn’t able to hide his feelings for long, but she doesn’t believe their love could last because of who she is in the eye of others. So she turns him down. After a while, it’s clear that Barnum’s desire for more fame, wealth and recognition can’t be quenched, he decides to pick up other ventures, but due to this, he has forgotten what mattered the most and this may eventually lead to his downfall.
The flow of the movie is pretty straightforward. At the start of the movie you see the childhood of P.T. Barnum and what has driven him, or who in this case, to become one of the most talented showmen ever born. After that you see the buildup of his company and how he rose from a visionary to an entertainer. Sadly, after a while poor choices are getting the better of him and everything he worked for is on the verge of falling apart. But never underestimate the power of those who care about you, even if you’ve let them down.
The Greatest Showman has a sublime cast, with Hugh Jackman being the in the foreground the entire time. We have seen what this stellar actor can do in his role as Wolverine, but he also proved his musical skills when being starred in the movie rendition of Les Misérables back in 2012. It came as no surprise to see Jackman back in a musical role, but we never expected it to be an original tale. Zac Efron does a great job in supporting the lead after a third into the movie, and he also proved himself a worthy singer in this piece about P.T. Barnum. The other supporting cast members were top notch as well, making this a delightful viewing experience.
When it comes to the special features on the Blu-ray edition of The Greatest Showman, you’ll be able to wade through several making of sequences, concerning the idea of the movie and the cast members. A heavy focus has been put on the music of the movie, as you’ll see how the track came to fruition and there’s also the option to view all the songs from the movie, with or without the possibility of a sing-along feature. Overall certainly worth purchasing the physical edition for, if you’re very fond of the music.
Conclusion
The Greatest Showman proved to be one of the best musicals of the past few years. It is enjoyable and easy to watch, just right for a lazy Friday evening on the couch with your family. After mere moments with the movie, you’ll notice that the music has been handled with care and the cast was chosen with the right people in mind. Let this movie carry you away in a magical evening full of spectacle and music.
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