The Greatest Showman is a toe-tapping musical spectacle

GET ready to be seduced by Hugh Jackman’s powerful baritone because his latest movie will have you dancing in the aisles.

WITH a title like that, you would expect a smashing spectacle with grand musical numbers and eye-popping dance choreography.

And that’s exactly what The Greatest Showman is. A traditional, extravagant musical, this Hugh Jackman headliner doesn’t hold back on any of its ambitions to entertain though it is lacking in depth.

The film is based on the life of P.T. Barnum, that 19th century rapscallion and promoter famous for duping his customers into thinking they were seeing mermaids and real “monkey boys”, and professionalising the travelling circus.

Barnum was a genius when it came to marketing, knowing exactly what it took to get customers through the door and away from their money. He was also a controversial figure at the heart of exploitation accusations but that all falls to the side when the most charming man on Earth, Jackman, dons his top hat.

The Greatest Showman only claims to be “inspired” by Barnum’s life and there are certainly many creative liberties taken in the movie, with several decade-spanning events condensed down to a few years.

Efron manages to keep up with Jackman’s all-singing, all-dancing talent

Longing for a life free from humdrum and aching to prove himself worthy to the rich folk who looked down on his poor father and him, Barnum sets out to reinvent entertainment for the masses with his museum of curiosities and his band of “freaks”.

The timing of its Boxing Day release is going to invite inevitable comparisons to last year’s musical La La Land and not just because Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote the songs in both movies.

Where La La Land came in for some criticism over its rather tame songs and the relatively limited vocal range of its stars, The Greatest Showman will face no such judgment.

It announces itself from the opening moments with its first belting number The Greatest Show, leaving you in no doubt that the filmmakers want to seduce you with Jackman’s powerful baritone.

It’s just the first of a dazzling array of toe-tapping musical numbers, from the power ballad of Never Enough to the anthem This Is Me. A duet between Jackman and Zac Efron, The Other Side, is a highlight in terms of kinetic tempo.

Eye-popping dance choreography lifts the movie

Meanwhile the romantic ditty between Efron and Zendaya’s characters, Rewrite The Stars, features thrilling choreography and showcases the pair’s chemistry and talents. This is a couple you definitely want to root for.

But there are a few songs that feel a bit indistinguishable and generic.

The Greatest Showman has assembled a formidable and charismatic cast, well chosen for their considerable singing and dancing abilities — though Rebecca Ferguson’s singing was dubbed by The Voice contestant Loren Allred.

This is Australian Michael Gracey’s first feature in the director’s chair, having previously worked in the visual effects department of films like Ned Kelly. His background means the movie does indeed look great, simulating the slightly stagey aesthetics of old-school musicals — all pops of colour.

Prepare to be seduced by Jackman’s energetic performance

As is also often the case with musicals, with all the focus on the show tunes, the characterisation is a little thin. With all the emotion and story being carried by the songs, the dialogue scenes play a bit flat.

And while the movie is supposed to be a celebration of outsiders, it lacks the narrative and character sophistication to comprehensively pull it off — most of the “freaks” barely have names, let alone lines.

So while La La Land didn’t have the big showstopping musical numbers seen here, that was a more emotionally cohesive film.

Barnum says in the movie that he’s looking for something real and sometimes, in the pizzazz and lure of the music, you forget that there’s not much more to The Greatest Showman than seduction. But there’s a crowd-pleasing charm to its simplicity and it remains incredibly beguiling.

Rating: 3/5

The Greatest Showman is in cinemas from Boxing Day.

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