The Greatest Showman (2017) Movie Review

Official TGS poster

The Greatest Showman is a full-fledged musical, filled with splashes of color and bursts of joy, consistently spread throughout the film. The movie follows the journey of P.T. Barnum, a resilient human being who founded the concept of circus, and is credited as the creator of the show business itself. Having been born in a poor family, young Barnum had always craved for something exciting; working in a bank all day and typing stuff was definitely not what he was meant to be. This is precisely what his wife tells him when he arrives home, sharing the news that he was let go for bankrupt issues. This triggers a compelling chain of events, toppled by some inspiring moments with his children. And from these genuine and heartfelt moments, Barnum gained the required strength and impetus to create what every man intends to leave behind, after the dust settles: a legacy.

Still of Zac Efron and Hugh Jackman 

The film is inspired by true events, even though it takes some creative liberties. In order to preserve the awe factor, this is as far as I am going to get, for fear of spilling the beans on something unworthy of said spilling. The film is plastered with outstanding musical performances. The songs are extremely well put together, which makes up for an incredible soundtrack (I must confess I replayed most of them as soon as I had the chance). What is interesting about these songs is that they actually play a role in expanding the story, as opposed to being generic time-filling tunes.

Still of Jackman as P.T. Barnum and all of his acts

The wardrobe is sleek and on point, capturing the era in which the movie takes place in. Regarding the cast, everyone is fine and competent, but Hugh Jackman is the real deal here. He has a strong screen presence, carrying the scenes he is in with charisma and gravitas, both elements who we, as an audience, have come to know and love. It was truly magnificent to witness Wolverine enter Jean Valjean territory once again and treat the audience with a nuanced performance, energized by genuine joy. Jackman is fully committed to his role and even risked hurting his vocal cords, in order to get those notes straight. Bravo!

Still of Zac Efron and Zendaya

Zendaya and Zac Efron were also great, with these two sharing the most magical cinematic moments, in terms of elegance and execution. Narrative wise, the plot is straightforward and simple, even though the film carries a strong message: what makes us special and unique is what differentiates us from each other. Or, to quote the greatest showman himself: “Nobody ever made a difference by being like everybody else”. Such a delicate and polished line of dialogue that manages to encompass the entire film.

Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for!

All good things come with adversities, however, and Barnum faces no shortage of setbacks; a large assembly of angry citizens who, at their core, are afraid of the weird and new, an initial lack of disinterest in this brand new concept which resulted in low tickets bought and a harsh critic who was not able to embrace the odd and seemed rather cold and incapable of having fun. How ironic, that a man whose job was to watch as many art shows as possible could not enjoy himself and simply appreciate what was unfolding before his eyes. The latter was a metaphor not so subtly disguised as a direct punch to most of today’s movie critics, especially the ones who consider themselves purists of the seventh art (please note that Flick Screen Reviews does not intend to become one of those, obviously).

The Greatest Showman official promotional banner 

My main problem with the film is that the ending was rushed; it felt as if the movie could use a longer run time, but overall it was a fast-paced and compact film, with the occasional suspension of disbelief needed, to appreciate the narrative. The Greatest Showman makes up for a great time at the theatre because of its charismatic leads, energetic soundtrack and its powerful message, deeply rooted in those moving pictures.

With that being said, I rate this movie with an A-. What about you? Have you seen The Greatest Showman? Make sure you jump into the comments’ section down below and share your thoughts.