"...'cause you're dreamin' with your eyes wide open!"

Rating: 10/10 (8 August 2019)

There are a host of production numbers and scenes that are pure spectacle, and one can't say enough about the incredibly talented cast. Hugh Jackman shows a side I've never seen before in terms of athleticism and singing ability, and it's always a pleasant surprise to discover such talent in an actor who's not particularly known for it. The scene that really popped for me was when Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron) and Anne Wheeler (Zendaya) performed their flying trapeze-like choreography during the 'Rewrite the Stars' sequence. It was way beyond magical and for me was the most entertaining segment in a picture filled with them. Though the depiction of Phineas T. Barnum (Jackman) here was almost entirely fictional, there's no question that the story, in the words of New York Herald writer W.D. Wheeler (Eric Anderson), was in the truest sense, a 'celebration of humanity'. I'm not big on movie musicals, and wasn't aware that this was one when I picked it up, but it left me spirited and enthusiastic with it's vibrant energy. It was as much fun as a three ring circus.