Mixed basket of very good, ordinary and the slightly unoriginal

Rating: 6/10 (3 January 2018)

I love music, so as this is a musical, I will begin here. I have seen comparisons to LA LA Land. Totally different films, but where they can be compared, the music in this film is no comparison. Simplistic, unoriginal and repetitive, it borrows from many already tired pop riffs. In terms of acting and the show, Jackman brings this to life. Williams and Efron also do a solid job. Although not a fan of her music, Zendaya brought energy and grace to her role. Yes there were very good, nigh excellent elements. But the drought of originality, not of the concept, but of the delivery, totally underwhelmed me. Also, although the script was not dry, it did lack mystique, as many of the events and interactions were reasonably foreseeable. That all said, aside from the music and the simple script, the better elements bring this show up to a level of entertainment worthy of not regretting the watch.