The Greatest Showman (2017)

To start this review I would like to say I first watched this film for my 9th birthday because all the other movies were full, so going to see the film not really knowing what to expect I was utterly, and very pleasantly surprised.

So, where to begin? Well right from the start of the first song I was totally absorbed in the wonders of the circus, the soundtrack immediately grabbing my attention and I have been humming the songs ever since. Hugh Jackman plays P.T. Barnham, an aspirational entrepreneur who I found very inspirational, someone who tried to better himself for his family. Despite liking his character for the majority of the time, there were occasions within the film when I felt he let himself down, by turning his back on the people he originally chose to work for him. I had mixed feelings about his his decision to employ people with difference, as it seemed as though he was exploiting them so that he could make money out of them without much concern for them as people. He did however seem to genuinely respect them by the end of the film and I liked how they ultimately became friends.

I am a fan of musicals, but this seemed to stand out to me, throughout the film I felt the songs enhanced the 'watchability' and without the music and dancing I think it would have been less enjoyable. The fact that it was based loosely on a true story makes it more interesting and made it more emotional. the moral to the story is to be brave and not care about what other people think. There were other important issues addressed in the film including racism and class. One quote from Jenny Lind, who was an opera singer in the films sums this up, 'a man's station is only limited by his imagination'. For me, this aspiration can apply to everyone and that is why I love this film.