This is a tough one - while "The Greatest Showman" has a great soundtrack that I will definitely listen to again and again, the narrative angle it takes is incredibly problematic. Those who are able to take the sugar-coated depiction of this story at face value are sure to have an extremely enjoyable time watching "The Greatest Showman" - it is uplifting and colourful with great music. However, those who are unable to see past this controversial story will likely get distracted by the immoral and unethical goings on.

The first act of the film is the hardest to get through. It is rushed and becomes very clear that P.T Barnum is exploiting the minorities and unique people of society - the oddities of these people are literally used in the promotional posters to encourage the public to purchase tickets. This is based on a true story so it is understandable why this had to be shown. However, where the film missteps is by not showing the backlash P.T Barnum faced for exploiting these people. Instead, the backlash the film focuses on is from the public who are disgusted that such people would be given a platform. If P.T Barnum's circus was open today, the controversy would focus on exploitation rather than the choice of who performed on stage. Of course "The Greatest Showman" is set during the 19th century and society has moved on a lot from then but it is indefensible why a big and important chunk of this story has been left out. It's very clear that Barnum does not actually care for these people - he refuses to let them into a formal event, he has them stand obstructed from view during Jenny Lind's debut US performance and as soon as Lind proves a success, he tours the country with her, leaving his circus acts to continue performing without a leader. In the final act, the film then tries to convince the audience that Barnum was a hero to these people and that they have a place in his heart- It is blatantly clear that all Barnum saw in these people was financial gain. 

Not only does "The Greatest Showman" choose to omit the fact that P.T Barnum exploited his performers, the story it chooses to tell is about a middle aged, upper-class, white man and his family. As a result these minorities and unique people, who still do not get enough representation in Hollywood today, become one-dimensional supporting characters who have just as much importance to the story as they do to Barnum's life. I would have loved to have seen this film be told from Lettie Lutz's (Keala Settle) perspective - watching a larger woman with facial hair's life be transformed from outsider to the star of the show. A great message could have also been conveyed about how we judge people. This version of the story could have brought in how Lettie felt about being exploited/used as it is clear that she feels this when Barnum refuses to let her into the formal event. Instead, all we know about Lettie is that she had a mundane job and was discovered by Barnum who put her in the spotlight. There is obviously so much more to this story than the writers choose to let on, "The Greatest Showman" has been sugar-coated and distorted for mainstream audiences. If the film had slowed down the pace and possibly extended its run-time by 20-30 minutes, it could have highlighted the darker themes that it ultimately fails to. 

The one topical and important theme that film does somewhat underline is race and the prejudice and hate that people received because of their skin colour. Zendaya plays Anne Wheeler, a black trapeze artist. Zac Efron's Phillip Carlyle starts to fall for Anne; They end up holding hands at Jenny Lind's debut performance. However, as spectators in the crowd start to notice, Phillip pulls his hand away. Anne then sings the line 'I'm not scared to be seen' during 'This is Me'. Phillip then takes Anne on a date to the theatre where he meets his parents who begin making racist remarks about Anne's skin colour. Phillip and Anne then sing 'Rewrite the Stars' and all problems seem to be solved. "The Greatest Showman" does get praise for at least attempting to talk about something important but like everything else, it is a little too glossy and doesn't get enough screen-time for it to be as emotionally moving or powerful as intended. The fact that it is never mentioned again after they sing their duet is also problematic as it seems as if the film shoe-horned in the subject as a way to develop the relationship between Anne and Phillip. It doesn't quite handle race relations in the same, powerful way that "Hairspray" does. 

The pacing is fast which can be a good thing as the film remains light and up-beat but I do think the writers ran out of story towards the end. There is one song that informs viewers of Barnum's childhood- 'A Million Dreams'. Throughout this one song, Barnum grows up, Barnum and Charity (Michelle Williams) form a stable relationship, the couple move in together and Charity falls pregnant. "The Greatest Showman" could have been a darker, heavier character study of Barnum's life but instead, the first act feels rushed and the audience barely get any character development - It's not very clear how Charity and Barnum became childhood friends. The pacing of the film's third act is comparable to "Fifty Shades Darker"- that infamous scene where Christian Grey returns seconds after supposedly dying in a helicopter crash can be mirrored in "The Greatest Showman"; The papers publish a photo of Barnum kissing Jenny and his wife gets upset but after one song, she forgives him; The circus burns down (very randomly) but that gets resolved in a matter of minutes. "The Greatest Showman" is a 100 minutes long, it could have easily added another 30 minutes which would have allowed for a steadier pace, higher stakes, darker themes and better character development. 

The music is so strong, almost making "The Greatest Showman"'s unforgivable mistakes, forgivable. Right from the start, the film has the audience engaged with a terrific opening number and a smart editing choice. Every single song is upbeat and catchy- 'The Greatest Show', 'Come Alive', 'The Other Side', 'This is Me', 'Rewrite the Stars' and 'From Now On' are all terrific. They're written by the same lyricists but I actually prefer the songs in "The Greatest Showman" to the ones in "La La Land"- they're all catchy, upbeat and fun- the one type of song "La La Land" was missing. The musical numbers are all also well choreographed and colourful. Even though many of the numbers that take place in the circus look the same visually, they are all high-energy sequences. My favourite musical number was definitely 'This is Me' - it gave a glimpse at the type of film this could have been. Lettie Lutz and the rest of the performers stand up for themselves and start to feel strong. It was a great moment and the epitome of empowerment. All of the vocalists do a great job - I'm not the biggest fan of Hugh Jackman's talk-while-singing voice but I got used to it and I was disappointed to discover that Rebecca Ferguson doesn't have the incredible singing voice the film suggests: Her vocals were dubbed by Loren Allred. 

Along with the music, the cast are also incredibly strong. Most of this cast make a great impression with terrific, charismatic performances. Hugh Jackman has decided to push his performance as P.T. Barnum instead of Logan and while I'd argue that was the wrong choice, this is the most enthusiastic and energetic I've ever seen Jackman. It was somewhat nostalgic to see Zac Efron go back to his musical routes and he was as good as he was all those years ago - Efron was charming and a delight to watch. At times he did come across as cold and wooden but I think that those were conscious choices. The film doesn't give Zendaya enough screen-time- I wish her role was bigger as I enjoyed every scene she was in. The chemistry between Efron and Zendaya was convincing and I liked how Zendaya seemed to do a lot of the trapeze stunts herself. After "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and now this, Zendaya's star is sure to be on the rise. The film does not do enough with the talent of Michelle Williams- she ends up with a vanilla, forgettable role who does not have enough to do. Rebecca Ferguson is also good but I do feel somewhat cheated that it was not her singing voice. After impressing in "Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation", Ferguson has landed many supporting roles and has impressed in all of them...how long until Ferguson gets cast as a leading lady? 

"The Greatest Showman" is a sugar-coated, glossy depiction of a much darker and harsher reality. Audiences will likely be divided. If "The Greatest Showman" was a completely fictional tale, this review would have read a lot more positively as I adored the music and was very impressed by the cast. Musicals typically feature dark and heavy subjects ("Into the Woods", "Les Miserables", "Hairspray") but "The Greatest Showman" is simply light and sweet that very briefly tackles racism. Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron and Zendaya are all brilliant. The greatest music. The greatest cast. Unfortunately not the greatest film. 

64

/100

What did you think of "THE GREATEST SHOWMAN"? What is your favourite movie-musical? - COMMENT BELOW

See You Soon!