REVIEW: Greatest Showman has all the Hugh Jackman song-and-dance numbers you can possibly handle

REVIEW: Hugh Jackman’s The Greatest Showman is a weapons-grade musical of the old school, full of forced smiles and wanton warbling. You’re not in La La Land anymore, OK?

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN (PG)

Rating: three stars (3 out of 5)

Director: Michael Gracey (feature debut)

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson.

Hugh dares, wins again

Hugh Jackman sings! Hugh Jackman dances! Hugh Jackman wears a top hat, tails, and exclaims ‘Huzzah!’

Stand back, people. Take a deep breath. You’re not in La La Land anymore: The Greatest Showman is a weapons-grade musical of the old school, loaded to its high-spirited hilt with forced smiles and willful warbling.

Hugh Jackman gets his showbizzy buzz on in The Greatest Showman.

If you are not ready to enter a world where conversations can suddenly become rousing singalong anthems, and pleasant strolls can suddenly become spectacular production numbers, then consider yourself warned.

Those who are prepared to accept The Greatest Showman’s open invitation to “step right up” will be rewarded with the glitzy, spritzy good time they were hoping for.

The literal ringmaster of this true-ish tale of the formative, pioneering days of the American circus is our own Mr Versatility, Hugh Jackman.

It is staggering to reflect that earlier this year Jackman was fronting Logan, a superior action picture in which he issued a dark and downbeat farewell to the character that made his name, Wolverine.

Zac Efron, left, and Hugh Jackman get their boozy buzz on in The Greatest Showman.

It was one of the heaviest dramatic triumphs of Jackman’s extraordinarily varied career. And yet, here he is now tripping the light fantastic in a colourful crowd-pleasing musical without missing a single beat.

Jackman embraces the lead role of famous 1800s circus impresario P.T. Barnum with such a cheerfully enthusiastic bear hug that resistance is pretty much not an option for willing attendees here.

Just don’t go swallowing The Greatest Showman’s ‘reimagining’ of the Barnum legend as anything resembling the actual truth, and all will be fine.

Hugh Jackman is really giving Michelle Williams the sheets in this scene from "The Greatest Showman."

Jackman guides a very cheesy, breezy tale through all of Barnum’s fabled trials and tribulations as he builds his showbiz empire upon an unlikely foundation of freakshow performers (one of whom is a bearded lady with more whiskers than Wolverine) and novelty exhibits.

Along for the ride (and taking turns with the singing and dancing whenever Hugh needs a well-earned breather) are Michelle Williams (as Barnum’s patient wife), Zac Efron (Barnum’s impatient second-in-command) and Zendaya (Barnum’s best trapeze artist).

Zendaya trapezes with ease in The Greatest Showman.

The ten-plus original songs on the soundtrack connect quickly and strongly, as they had to considering they had never been heard before. More than a few will become global earworms in months to come.

Bit of a shame then that the recording of the vocal performances goes too hard with the Auto-Tune. In some cases, vocals are sugared with so much pitch-shifting they are stripped of all warmth.

The Greatest Showman opens in general release on Christmas Day Dec 25.

Originally published as REVIEW: Greatest Showman has all the Hugh Jackman song-and-dance numbers you can possibly handle