Review of The Greatest Showman (2017) by Compi24 — 13 Feb 2018

Though it's clear director Michael Gracey intended this period musical to be a sweet, wholesome, and good-natured anthem for kindness and tolerance, a simple Google search on the actualities at hand will deflate any notion that the movie's real-life characters were anywhere near what they actually were.

This aspect along with the film's undeniably confused musical soundscape ultimately made me feel disappointed by the experience, which was frequently laden with groans, scoffs, and face-palms. Sure, the choreography and production design are worth a look, but if you're a musical where only about a third of your songs are 100% bearable, you've got an issue.

Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, and Zac Efron give their all, but it's not enough to save a the film from an element that probably never needed to be there in the first place - the whole "musical" element itself.