The Greatest Showman
- By Anthony Sherratt
- 7 years ago
What’s it about?
A flash look of the life of legendary showman and salesman PT Barnham told in the style of a larger-than-life musical (of course).
What did we think?
Visually sumptuous, The Greatest Showman embraces chasing dreams, love and acceptance and anyone with joy in their heart will be swept away.
A stellar cast put in incredible performances and the soundtrack is both truly stunning and catchy. Audiences unfamiliar with the musical device of having periods of time pass during songs may feel the story is rushed and light, but with so much to tell the choice is a strong – albeit unusual – one.
Similarly, the promotion of aspiration over historical narrative provides a feel-good story. It’s not perfect and certainly different but there’s just so much to love about this musical spectacular that it’s easy to overlook the flaws. It’s fitting that a film about Barnham is more style than substance. After all, sometimes the entertainment is more important than the art.