CHEER! - (9 stars out of 10)

Rating: 9/10 (24 April 2019)

The stage curtains open ...
"The Greatest Showman" is one of the few newer musicals that actually lives up to its hype - it's heartwarming, grand entertainment. It's movie magic! I was never really big on musicals, which is funny coming from a guy who loves music. And I'll tell you why.
The problem with musicals today is that the songs aren't memorable. They may sound well produced, but either they don't fit the story, or they're generic. The other problem with musicals today is the opposite ... the songs may be fantastic, but the story surrounding the songs is lackluster or plain. A good example of that one is actually an older musical ... "Xanadu". The songs from that movie were awesome - the rest of the movie however was lame, especially the acting.
That, however, is not the case with "The Greatest Showman". Everything about this movie resonates well. The songs were very good. The story strong, and the acting above par. Every part of this movie supports the other. By the end of the film, I was actually humming along with the tunes during the end credits. The camera work and visuals stand out with excellent cinematography, choreography, and the pacing was right on.
This is a high recommend. I was invested in the characters and completely swept away for nearly two hours of fun movie making. Yes, the story is very loosely based on aspects of P.T. Barnum's life - a glorified account of his Circus years. But, I wasn't looking for a good historical biopic. I got what I wanted - a great musical movie experience and I'll be certain to watch this one again.