Brilliantly Executed

Rating: 10/10 (2 January 2018)

Not my genre, so I was a bit skeptical, but this is truly masterfully done. Many times in the same scene you can see P.T. Barnum as he saw himself, as others saw him, how he saw the world, and how the world saw his business.
For the dance numbers, there were some subtle effects with brilliant timing. At first glance you might think of just the slow motion and real time synced appropriately to the music, but Hugh Jackman worked some magic with some stage props and a talented cast.
They also didn't miss a subtle humanitarian message that the mere creation of the circus addressed in its time. Being as society has largely learned what it can from this phenomenon, this movie also serves as a sort of time capsule to help ensure those lessons aren't lost. I haven't seen a proper circus in decades, and figure the industry is slowly dying.
This is a movie for everyone. Bring a date, bring the family, bring the kids!