The Greatest Showman [SteelBook] [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD] [Only @ Best Buy] [2017]

Our family went to watch this movie on Christmas Eve. We hate musicals, and I hadn't seen any previews, so I had no idea what I was getting the family into. Imagine my surprise when the previews ended and Hugh Jackman sang, "Ladies and Gents this is the moment you've waited for." I cringed, and looked over at my husband. He gave me the, "You've gotta be kidding me! We paid $40 to see A STUPID MUSICAL!" look. I shrugged, and mouthed SORRY. We only pony up the money to see movies in theaters, maybe three times a year. If that. Frankly I was mad that we just wasted a ticket. I sat back, and made up my mind to hate it. But truth be told, I didn't. I liked it. We all liked, but didn't want to admit it out loud to each other. We walked out and all agreed it was better than we thought it would be. Then a funny thing happened. We all kept singing the songs. So... we bought the album. After listening to the songs over and over, we all agreed we needed to go see it again. We loved it, and all agreed it was an awesome movie. It became an addiction! We kept listening, and the more we listened, the more we loved it. We tried to resist paying to see it again... how silly would that be? After waiting two weeks, we went to see it AGAIN. Now we all agree, BEST MOVIE OF ALLLLLL TIME. Ever. Hands down, our new favorite. It's February 5th and I've already bought a digital copy on Amazon. Give it a chance! Even if you're like us, and hate musicals!

I'm a big fan of Hugh Jackman who is by far a great showman in his own right. And there are some fantastic and moving tunes composed for this film as well. The money spent on this effort is everywhere to be seen. Here's the problem: The script is sketchy. It covers a lot of ground, social, personal and political issues abound. So many of them that nothing gets experienced with any depth. The whole thing just baits and switches from one issue to the next. For example, this wonderful , amazing and well loved entrepreneur for no other reason than to stick in yet another social nod to relevancy decides to ban his sideshow of freaks from a promotional event. This gives them a justification to crash the event and sing the epic and empowering song, "This Is Me!" They never at any time confront or distrust Jackman for his decision to omit them and the movie just goes on without ever referring to that event again. The film abounds with events such as this. You name it (inter-racial affairs, marital issues, a big fire) it's in there, but it is all episodic and nullified by everything else that is crammed into the running time of this movie. It is everything and nothing all at once. I bought it and recommend it for the spectacle and the music, but the story is cliched, superficial, insincere and falls flat -- maybe from the weight of all it is trying to do.

Let me start by saying I'm not a fan of musicals. I watch them because my wife likes them, but in general I would not choose to watch a musical if I can help it. I wasn't sure I wanted to see "The Greatest Showman" because of that, but with all the buzz, and the fact that my wife wanted to see it, I decided to take a chance on it. I'm so glad I did! I was a bit nervous about another Hugh Jackman musical, since I thought "Les Miserables" was terrible. What a pleasant surprise this movie was! Jackman does a fantastic job and sounds great. The cast is excellent, and the musical score is expertly put together. You'll be tapping your feet throughout. Some have criticized this movie for not being historically accurate. As long as you're not expecting to get a history lesson from watching this, you can ignore that and just have a good time. The movie is very stylized and has that "magical" quality that just makes it a fun ride. When the movie ended, I was gearing up for the next chapter. That's how enjoyable it was. For a fun break from everyday life, do yourself a favor and watch this one!

Beautifully filmed, with a wonderful sound track & some great set pieces: this is a movie that (most of) the family will enjoy - and should be "safe" for nearly all audiences. Wife was given the SD DVD as a gift: I bought the Blu-Ray figuring if I was going to see it Multiple Times we might as well view it in 1080p. (Backgrounds are "soft" on the SD DVD - especially when viewed at 110-inches - but foreground shots & the music are enjoyable even on SD.) If you are stickler for True Facts, you may not want to Research the story - but even so there are some very good points made (without being Overly Preachy - for the most part) to go along with the excellent Musical & Dance numbers. This probably deserves 4 1/2 starts - with a half-point deducted for Artistic License - but while I would not argue with anyone giving it a "5" it doesn't quite get there "IMHO."

I saw this movie in the theater last Christmas and didn’t know it was going to be a musical. The songs told the story of PT Barnum and how he got started entertaining people with the most unusual people who were very talented but because of their appearance were discouraged by their families in thinking they weren’t important or good enough for society. Guess you’ll have to decide for yourself after watching the movie. The movie is very inspired and leaves you in a upbeat mood at the end. The songs will have you humming them if you like the music. The soundtrack is also excellent to purchase for your devices. The extras on the DVD take you behind the scenes of the making of the movie. There is also a sing a long track you can play and get into the mood of the movie. Definitely a winner for a musical..

I saw this movie on a flight earlier this year. It was so memorable that when I finally bought a 4K UltraHD player I purchased The Greatest Showman as my first 4K Blu-Ray. I could go on and on about the film itself. Everything in 4K is so much better! The visuals pop in HDR on a different level than the standard Blu-Ray - watch the first scene with Charity and note her dress color. The soundtrack is highlighted by thumping foot stomps during the opening and sucks you in during Jenny Lind's performance of Never Enough. I also enjoyed the director commentary, Special Features, and stories behind each of the songs. I would give this 10 stars if I could!

I'm giving The Greatest Showman, I have to say in some respects I actually enjoyed this musical more than last year's "Best Picture winner" (wait. . .what?). As completely inappropriate to the time period as the Pasek and Paul tunes are, they work, at least for the most part (I personally found the Jenny Lind number pretty lamentable, but that's probably just me). Michael Gracey really stages this film impeccably in my not so humble opinion, and my hunch is both younger folks who loved La La Land and older folks who pine for the days of the Freed Unit will find something to enjoy here, even if the whole thing doesn't appeal to them. Fox has provided a disc with top notch technical merits and appealing supplements. Recommended.

The film is quite enjoyable with it's earworm pop inspired songs and eye catching visuals. The film takes many liberties with the historical facts, which can be confusing for younger children with a desire to learn more about PT Barnum and find that the real life figure was nothing like he was in the film. I purchased this film early on digital because my girlfriend really wanted to see it and missed it in theater. What resulted was multiple viewing over the next week. The kids could not get enough of it, and the soundtrack has become a regular part of rides in the car. When it came out, I picked up that physical release because I enjoy the extras included with the film. For a first time viewer or someone who has already seen the film, this is well worth picking up.