So, last week I watched The Greatest Showman after so many people recommended it to me. They were all praising heaps on it and so I thought why not I watch to find out what they were raving about.

I probably should have lowered my expectations.

Hugh Jackman plays P.T. Barnum, which is where this original musical is inspired from, a poor young man who had an incredible vision of creating a show filled with unique characters. The birth of show business.

I had lots of hope for it. I mean, lots of people loved it so I thought it has to be good. I love musicals as well and prior to watching the movie, I heard the songs on Spotify and I love “Never Enough” and “Rewrite The Stars” so it has to be good, I thought to myself.

Maybe I should not have watched an incredible Angelina Jolie-directed movie First They Killed My Father. I was in awe of the movie so maybe I was at a high.

I like The Greatest Showman. I do. The songs are great and for a musical, the storyline is not draggy – it’s quite fast-paced, going from one scene to the next. However, I do not like predictable storylines. The moment I was able to predict the next many scenes and the ending, I get easily distracted and bored because it’s not surprising anymore for me and there is nothing that will excite me. Except the songs. There is also no emotional connection for me to care for the characters – the downside of the quick pace is no character for me to connect with.

The acting was great, the vocals are top-notched but it’s not enough for me to say it is the top musical for me. I love Hairspray (god knows how many times I watched that movie) because it has a more emotional impact and it’s easily relatable.

The message behind The Greatest Showman is inspiring – being different is okay because different makes you human.

However, what’s not enough is for me to give this movie a high rating.

I give it a 3 out of 5.

Trailer…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXCTMGYUg9A