The Greatest Showman

The Greatest Showman

The Greatest Showman is another beautiful addition to the growing list of original musicals that we have seen as a growing trend in the last couple years. This movie has a tone perfect for Broadway but they the directors and cast are able to do so much more with a movie set then they could do on stage.

The Greatest Showman is a story about the life of P.T Barnum, most people will know the Barnum name from the famous Barnum and Bailey Circus that he started. It takes a deep dive into not only his life starting the Circus, but also his family life and motivations for starting such an interesting genera of show business.

The star of this film is 100% the music. Each song is catchy, engaging, and adds a level of emotion that gets communicated better with music. This film will be replayed over and over again with fans and I think the soundtrack is worth a listen if you are into musicals. The other star of this film is the cinematography, this is shot so dynamically that it really captures the tone of the film and gives you interesting perspectives into each scene.

This is not a perfect film though, although the music is great I thought it had some serious pacing problems. The film goes very quickly at times and progresses large spans of time, it seems like they are really passing through a lot of interesting plot details when they jump into a song. They also struggle with resolving conflict so quickly, it lacks any kind of weight or resolution. As you are thinking about what choice Barnum made, and how you feel about it, they resolve the issue and give you an answer.

Overall this film thrives on the music and the beautiful and dynamic cinematography. The acting is strong, the music is catchy, and although the plot is weak at points the focus sits with it’s musical numbers.

Buff Bros Ranking: Music-5 out of 5

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