Within the first five minutes, it had me, along with the entire audience, hooked. The music drew me in and brought out emotions I didn’t know were possible from a film. Tears of sadness and joy fell out from my eyes during the entire 90 minutes. I was taken back to the 1870’s in New York City, full of lively music and exotic dances.

Barnum (Hugh Jackson) grew up poor and had absolutely nothing in life. The song “A Million Dreams” tells how he always is dreaming of more and wants more in life. Barnum’s wife, Charity (Michelle Williams), is content with the life they have together and doesn’t mind taking risks, as long as they do it together. Once Barnum gets laid off from his job, he gets a loan from the bank and buys a museum full of wax figures in hopes that it will get big. Of course, nobody in New York is interested in wasting their time and money there.

He gets an idea of bringing unique and unusual individuals into his museum. These individuals are made up of different colors, shapes, sizes, and all different backgrounds and come together as equals. These individuals include a bearded lady, a 750 pound man, a dwarf, a man covered in tattoos and many more. Barnum’s museum is soon changed to be called a circus and is a “celebration of humanity” sending out the message of equality for everyone. Though it is not historically correct on Barnum’s character and his intentions for the circus, the film and the message is amazing and a must-watch for anyone.

Director Michael Gracey pieced every element of the film perfectly together. The music all flows well along with the dancing. Great musical scenes include Phillip (Zac Efron) and Anna Wheeler (Zendaya) singing “Rewrite the Stars” and “From Now On” sung by Barnum (Hugh Jackson) and of course the song “The Greatest Show” performed by Hugh Jackson and the rest of the cast.

The only complaint I have for the film is it isn’t long enough. You get so hooked into it that you want more of it. They could have added a few more scenes at the beginning to show more of Barnum’s childhood and how rough it really was. Besides that, it is a beautiful film and will make you think a little harder about the world we live in and how everyone matters no matter what color, shape, or size they come in.