Was ‘The Greatest Showman’ the greatest?

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Britney Nguyen, Staff Writer

Viewing the trailer of The Greatest Showman for the first time, I was fascinated with the soundtrack and visual performances. The Greatest Showman a musical drama film loosely inspired by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The film seemed like it would be a big hit due to all the famous actors starring in the film like Zac Efron, Hugh Jackman, and Zendaya. Although, I was interested in watching the film it was not enough to buy a ticket. After it released a lot of praise was given to the film, they even won a Golden Globe for Best Original Song and Hugh Jackman was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture.

After much debate I finally decided to watch the film but it was not to my liking.  The music was cheerful and it made you want to jump out of your seat but the storyline was a generic rags to riches movie. P.T. Barnum played by Hugh Jackman is a low class male who got fired from his job, wanting more for his family he decides to buy a museum. He hires “freaks” for his museum. However conflict arises with P.T. Barnum’s ambition with becoming rich but it is solved by the end of the film. The side story between the blooming romance of Philip played by Zac Efron and Anne Wheeler played by Zendaya seemed forced and bland because it seemed that there was not a lot of story put into the characters. The music was uplifting and I believe it is the best part of the film, the genetic storyline is washed away with incredible music scored by John Debney and Joseph Trapanese. For people who want to watch a family friendly film with incredible original music and famous actors I would recommend it.