The Greatest Showman Review: 5 Ups & 4 Downs
Flawed, entertaining Oscar bait.
Not content to chase Oscar buzz solely for his fantastic performance in Logan earlier this year, Hugh Jackman is back in cinemas with a far more traditional awards prospect: a musical based on the life of legendary American entertainer and businessman P.T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman.
Though the movie recently scooped three Golden Globe nominations, reviews have been firmly split, mostly praising the film as an enjoyable three-star jaunt, but one that also falls short of its potential to be so much more. How much that bothers you will ultimately dictate whether you enjoy the movie or not.
As far as slushy holiday efforts go, though, it's certainly a solid enough proposition, at a time of year where just about everyone lowers their cinematic expectations. It could've been much better, sure, but it's also an incredibly watchable awards movie with plenty of bombast to make it worth catching on the biggest screen you can find...