While there are a few of them I dig, I am not a fan of the musical genre in general. They just rarely feel natural with the forced songs coming out of nowhere and more often than not make little sense. The trailer for The Greatest Showman caught my attention based on the story and involvement of Jackman himself. Surrounded by a great cast including Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Rebecca Ferguson, and Zendaya could this original musical actually live up to the greatest show on Earth or should it lower the curtain before it starts?

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The Greatest Showman follows the ambition and imagination of P.T. Barnum, to tell the story of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a mesmerizing spectacle that became a worldwide sensation. Right out of the gate this film makes sure you don’t forget it is a musical and I have to admit that I enjoyed both the song and the overall choreography to set the tone of the film we are about to witness. From here it begins the actual story that thankfully is really good despite not being totally accurate. This is one of those true life stories that takes some liberties to tell a cohesive story that fans can relate to in relation to the famed circus.

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Everyone in the cast do a great job with both the songs and the overall acting performances with Jackman leading the charge to perfection. He has spent years bringing the savage Wolverine to life and with one film is fully convincing as P.T. Barnum and clearly loving playing the part. This movie could be horrible on all counts, but he embodies the title of greatest showman and is thankfully surrounded by a great film to bring it all together. Everyone here feels like a family and while there are some predictable moments the film manages to make you care about everyone here and where they are going to be taking the story and their lives.

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There are a couple of the songs that felt out of place for me, but even then they are still decent enough. I loved the sets and visuals to capture the time and most of the actual numbers are a marvel to watch. I was unexpectedly pulled right into this world and entertained in a way that I totally did not expect with a musical. Maybe it was the music, maybe it was because I’m a big fan of Hugh Jackman or the more likely reason is that it is just a damn good movie.

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In addition to the film this release features over two hours of bonus features that take viewers behind the scenes of bringing this spectacle to life as well as a sing-along edition and music machine “jukebox” features. Step into the spotlight and grab your copy of The Greatest Showman available now on digital, movies anywhere, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and VOD from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.