A great show

Rating: 9/10 (4 January 2018)

Love musicals, always have from a very young age seeing the likes of 'The Wizard of Oz', 'West Side Story', 'The Sound of Music', 'Calamity Jane', 'Singin in the Rain' and Disney musicals. So there is absolutely no bias against musicals, though there are bad ones out there and ones that are still enjoyable or mixed where stories, scripts or both are not strong suits.
Went to see 'The Greatest Showman' yesterday with my sister, having been blown away by the trailer (one of the best of the year to me). Both of us found ourselves loving it, it actually is one of my favourites of the year and loved it just as much as 'La La Land'. Like was said with another 2017 favourite 'Paddington 2' it was a breath of fresh air after a variable year seeing my fair share of overblown big-budget blockbusters with little soul, films that waste great premises and films that attempted laugh-a-minute laughs and doing it in a way that came at the expense of heart as well of course some gems.
Am not sure where the critic bashing (which has been blown out of proportion for some time now for a lot of films, acclaimed and panned, and is getting incredibly annoying and abused) is coming from. Despite the low Metacritic score and the average one for Rotten Tomatoes, actually personally have seen a lot of positive reviews and word of mouth even from people hard to please.
Is 'The Greatest Showman' perfect? Not quite. Some secondary roles are sketchy at best and only serve as ones getting in the way of the troupe overcoming obstacles and adversity and providing conflict. A few of the dramatic parts, like the fire, veer on the slightly melodramatic. Those are my only real complaints.
Anybody who has heard of Jenny Lind will need to suspend disbelief at how she would never have sung like she does here. No record survives of her singing (apart from a rumoured cylinder recording, recordings that often didn't do justice to singing voices, particularly in later life and when they were past prime, and nothing like how they are documented as), but from what has been read about her personally her vocal production and technique is too perfect for a voice that has been described as an acquired taste voice despite immense popularity and admiration. Can overlook that, because "Never Enough" was so brilliantly performed and it is hard to match what Jenny Lind sounded like when you don't have the audible evidence and only have documentation on critical reception to go by. 'The Greatest Showman' is also not that sort of film to do that.
Honestly feel however that the historical inaccuracy, as a biographical drama 'The Greatest Showman' is heavily fictionalised, can, and should be, easily ignored. It is so easy to be captivated by the incredible dazzle and delights of the spectacle, and not many 2017 films left me feeling charmed, with my heart fully warmed, fully entertained, uplifted and with tears welling up in my eyes. 'The Greatest Showman' did all those things, from as early as "A Million Dreams" and never let go.
'The Greatest Showman' looks amazing, one of the best-looking films of the year. It is one vibrant and classy shot and frame after another, the colours are eye-popping without ever being garish or exhausting and the period detail is as sumptuous as they come. The editing is dazzling and if this is a directorial feature film debut honestly can't wait to see where 'Michael Gracey's directing career takes him.
Was wholly captivated by the song and dance numbers. To me the songs were truly infectious and catchy. "A Million Dreams", "Never Enough" and "This is Me" are the particularly memorable standouts. The choreography is a sheer delight in its energy, class and verve, "This Is Me", "From Now On" and "Rewrite the Stars" are just jaw-dropping. The cast do them justice. Vocally, Loren Alfred in "Never Enough" and Keala Settle in "This Is Me" are brilliant and the aforementioned songs for the choreography are especially well danced.
Personally don't agree that 'The Greatest Showman' lacks substance or that the dramatic parts are empty. Sure the more dramatic sections are not as memorable, as well done or as entertaining as the song and dance numbers. Some of it is melodramatic. However the family scenes do have a lot of heart and charm, are sympathetically and touchingly played and the girls are adorable. The themes and values are not hammered home too much and are relevant and as relatable today as they were then.
Couldn't have asked for better performances, especially the pitch-perfect one of Hugh Jackman, showing that he is fully at ease in musicals as he is as Wolverine. Despite loving him as Valjean in 'Les Miserables', the role of P. T. Barnum suits him much better particularly in the singing, he sounds incredible with a more even and attractive tone. He is as light-on-his-feet as the great dancers of the Golden Age classic musicals were (capturing the spirit of this era was another thing 'The Greatest Showman' excelled at) and he handles the dramatic/family moments with nuance.
Zac Efron not only sounds wonderful and dances a dream (especially in "Rewrite the Stars") but shows that he can act, he has come on such a long way and this is the direction he should be taking. Michelle Williams is sympathetic and touching and Rebecca Ferguson is every inch the operatic diva. Keala Settle and Zendaya are especially good of the troupe and the singing voice of young Barnum is beautiful.
Overall, really is a great show. 9/10 Bethany Cox