The Greatest Showman MOVIE TALK

85%
I'm so glad I watched this film in the cinema- it's the best way to get the full experience. And I was instantly blown away because all of the songs were beautiful and the cinematography was stunning all the way through. I became invested very early on and the aesthetic of the movie was truly mesmerising.
The choreography was so brilliantly done throughout and it was an effortless and seamless performance.
This movie celebrates difference and humanity in a beautiful and seamless way.

TRAILER

AMAZON

SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
I loved how the movie started with a flashback of young PT and Charity meeting, falling in love and starting their lives together. It gave us a nice starting point and the song, A Million Dreams, was super sweet and heart-warming to listen to.
We skip to the older Hugh Jackman, PT Barnum, with Charity and his kids. I have to say, their kids were super cute and I loved their small inputs into the story. Whether it was their own little story arcs of learning ballet and not to quit or just them showing up to the shows, they were super cute and it was heart-warming to watch PT do everything he could for them and their futures.
But the movie really picks up with PT invested in the circus and collecting the acts he wants. The song that accompanies this journey, Come Alive, is such a great tune and is full of energy that really drives the movie.

PT then goes on to recruit Phillip Carlisle (Zac Efron) and I really loved this whole scene- it's one of my favourites of the movie. The Other Side is one of the best songs of the soundtrack in my opinion- it's got such attitude, confidence and fire which I love. And the choreography of this whole sequence was so smooth and cool from the dancing on tables and sliding drinks everywhere.
One thing I really liked about this movie was how flawed PT was. He isn't your typical protagonist who's practically perfect in every way- PT had some serious personality fails despite him meaning the best. He became a little selfish through the course of the movie, too money-orientated (though, I understand where that came from) and he even neglects his family a lot in order to further his success. But... this just means he's flawed and I liked that.

But these qualities only truly showed when he wanted Jenny Lind as an act to make more money. After a random trip to England to meet Queen Victoria (which was a really odd and random part of this movie), PT convinced Jenny to work with him and we then had her performance which... was my favourite scene of the movie without a doubt. The song Never Enough is my favourite and it was delivered with so much emotion and power- I had major goose bumps! And I also loved the directing of this sequence- the cuts between Jenny, PT's awed face, Charity's subtle heart break as well as Phillip and Anne's hand-holding breaking off quickly as they get bad looks. All of these things came together so powerfully and I was blown away- it was truly stunning.
And then we have a character flaw in PT which I really didn't like. When the rest of the acts want to join in on this high class party because they're individuals and deserve just as much as anyone else, PT refuses them and tells them not to go out in public because otherwise people won't pay to see them. I thought this was so terribly insensitive and just showed how PT had begun to only look at them as dollar signs instead of actual people.
And the true anthem of this movie, This Is Me, was so powerful to watch. This was the first song I'd ever heard from the soundtrack, prior to watching the movie, and it's got such a great message and never fails to make me feel motivated as heck.
But from that point on, PT distanced himself from the circus and Phillip grew much closer which was an interesting role reversal that was cool to watch.

Through the movie, we had the subplot of Phillip and Anne's romance which was super sweet. Their song, Rewrite the Stars, was really nice and the trapeze choreography was compelling to watch. I will admit this was a rather cheesy section of the movie but I liked it anyway.
We had a lovely song from Charity, Tightrope, and I was enamoured at this part of the choreography. The song was beautiful and the dancing and cinematography was heart-wrenching to watch. I felt really sorry for Charity through this movie, especially as the PT and Jenny kiss got to the papers (though, I totally understand that wasn't his fault). I appreciate that she chose to forgive him and that they were able to rekindle their marriage- it was a very satisfying conclusion to their relationship.
And then we had the fire. This bit had me literally gasping because I was not expecting that! I seriously thought someone was going to die- especially when Phillip went in after Anne. Thank Gods everyone lived because I would've been sobbing otherwise- I was teary eyed when Anne was visiting Phillip at the hospital but that was as far as it got.

But, despite everyone living, the building had completely burned down and PT had no money to restart the circus up again. Good ol' Phillip though saved his money like a sensible person. Well done, Phillip.
We had a great song, From Now On, which re-sparked everyone's belief and I also loved the choreography of this section- everyone dancing together in the bar. The song From Now On was also a nice arc to PT's character as he realises how blinded by the light he'd been and how he'll hand things better this next time around.
So, they get a tent and the circus is back in full swing. I loved this final scene, the song The Greatest Show bringing such life to the final scene and nicely linking back to that small snippet from the beginning. Seeing PT hand the circus over to Phillip was really nice and I loved Phillip and Anne being comfortable and open about their relationship. The final scene nicely wrapped up all the loose ends.

I will say one issue I had with this movie is that they didn't spend much time with the actual acts. I can't even remember their names- bearded lady, dog boy, Irish giant and small soldier guy? I think they should've spent more time showing these individual personalities and making their characters more complex instead of just an act. And the lack of screen time for these characters sort of ruined the end message about them all being a family because... we hadn't seen that family growth and bond. We were just told it happened and expected to accept it. But that was my only issue.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment your thoughts. Stay amazing!
Chloe