While "The Greatest Showman" was a blockbuster success, the opinions of acclaimed critics seem to not agree with those of families headed to the movie for a good time. Ironically, this matches an important aspect of the movie, in my opinion, which is the strange relationship between Barnum and the critic trying to continuously tear his reputation and business down.
One of the biggest complaints from critics is that the musical movie is not realistic enough of the real Barnum’s life. As someone who doesn’t know much of the true history behind Barnum’s life, I was okay simply watching for an emotional escape We follow the putting together of his circus weaved together with important life messages, romance and outstanding music.
For me, I saw the names Hugh Jackman, Zendaya and Zac Efron and immediately knew this movie was something I wanted to see. Hugh Jackman is a musical genius, and one of the most charming and talented men I’ve seen on the big screen. I was surprised to see that Efron was returning to his musical beginnings, as it was widely known that he hated his own High School Musical films, but loved the experience. Zendaya is one of the biggest young actresses of our time, and I was glad to see her getting more recognition in such a big film.
The film tackled a side storyline of an interracial romance between Zendaya’s character and Efron’s character--a rich, white man and a poor African American acrobat. The romance and onscreen chemistry was very believable to me, even knowing in the back of my mind the age difference between to two actors. I found myself feeling their emotions alongside them and even tearing up in the theatre during their heartbreaking but uplifting duet.
The cinematography was beautiful to me. The color schemes and the quality all transported me into the film. The music is what had really drawn me in. Every single musical number, I felt I could dance and sing in my seat or cry with the characters. The songs were very pop in my opinion, rather than straight Broadway theatre, but regardless, I enjoyed every note.
One thing I didn’t think was well put together was the affair Barnum had with one of his star acts. It seemed very forced into the storyline of the film, but did bring out more important life messages. Barnum teaches that we should always choose our family, whether they are the blood family or our created family, that takes care of us. He teaches that whether you grow up poor, as a minority or as a “strange” outcast, you can follow your dreams and change your life.
Overall, I give this movie an A for its ability to make me feel emotion in a very real way, and the incredible cast and music numbers.
