I finally got to see this movie, which still held a big crowd of audience on a weekday. And what a treat. It was possibly the most fun I’d had in cinemas in a long time.
Going in with a friend, I was a bit worried about how this movie would turn out. The turn out of the movie would definitely be the topic of the dinner that came after. So it better be good.
In the end, we wanted more. We discussed it throughout dinner, and easy to say, we were blown away.
Hugh Jackman, aka my ex husband because Chadwick Boseman came into the picture and Wolverine died, has now regained his status back as my current boo. Thanks to this movie. Well, we will see in February when Black Panther comes out.
The story began with a stellar performance led by the one and only P. T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman), and then from then on we were guided to how he began his journey.
A young boy named Phineas Barnum (Ellis Rubin) was admiring a suit from the shop window when his father, a tailor, dragged him away to go to a client’s house. The client was a rich man whose young daughter, Charity (Skylar Dunn), caught Phineas’s interest and became his dream for the next decade.
Phineas (Jackman as adult) and Charity wrote each other for years, despite being apart, and one day Phineas came to get Charity (Michelle Williams as the adult Charity) from her parents and they got married into a simple life.
Growing up always wanting more, Phineas chased his dream to be an entertainer. He got a bank loan to buy an abandoned museum, and started opening it for public with the help of Charity and their two daughters. Unfortunately, the museum didn’t attract many visitors, and one night Phineas’s daughters told him that the place needed something alive.
Inspired by their ideas, Phineas recruited unique individuals, doomed by the society to be freaks, to be a part of his show. At first, people came to see the wonders that these unique people could show them, but then they grew to enjoy the show, and Phineas became a famous showman with enough profits to give Charity the life he believed she deserved.
Charity warned Phineas of his greed, but he wanted more. When she only wanted a simple life with a happy family, Phineas was keen on proving the rich that he too could be one of them.
One night, Phineas spotted Phillip (Zac Efron), a rich kid who ran a successful theater despite having no passion in it. Seeing his potentials, Phineas recruited him as a partner, and the two started working their way up to the higher class, starting with meeting Queen Victoria.
Phillip was hesitant at first, but he liked the idea of trying something bold. And when he met Anne (Zendaya), one of Phineas’s performers, he was smitten. Together, the whole act, now calling themselves a circus, became a family.
Despite harsh treatments from some people, the circus went strong. But Phineas still wanted more.
After meeting Jenny (Rebecca Ferguson), a singer with a captivating voice, Phineas turned his attention towards building his audience amongst the rich. He started neglecting his circus family, and focused on making Jenny his main act.
However, Jenny agreed to give her all because she had feelings for Phineas, and they had to part ways when both realized they did not want the same thing. Unfortunately, when Phineas decided to go back home, a fight broke out in the circus’s building and led to fire that destroyed everything.
Now back to nothing, Phineas had to figure out his way back. And no one was more eager to help him out than his circus family.
This movie took my breath away. The moment I got home, I looked up the songs and after I finish writing this, I will make my purchase on iTunes. What a beautiful masterpiece.
And let me start with a name. Keala Settle. What a performance. I loved every single second she was on screen. I loved her character. So fierce. So strong. And so inspiring. I wanted more of her singing, and it made me happy that she actually had a moment of full spotlight on.
Everyone in this movie blew me away. I must say, the plot line was as cliche as it could be, and we could predict everything going in the movie. But the way it was directed, the way the music took us on the journey, the heart in every song won me over.
I was smiling from ear to ear most of the time, and clutching my heart as I witnessed this piece. I will probably buy this movie too when it’s out on iTunes.
You hear that Apple? Give me this movie and take my money!
The Greatest Showman is a 9/10 from me. People, seriously, if you haven’t, go see it.
OpinionHuis 