The Greatest Showman was released on Dec. 20 to mixed reviews. IMDB gave it a rating of 8 out of 10, while Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 56%, but in my opinion it deserved a much higher score.

I thought the movie was a great combination of music and imagination that captured my attention from the start. The movie is loosely retelling the life of P.T Barnum, played by Hugh Jackman. Barnum is credited for starting the circus and entertainment world in the nineteenth century. It begins with him as a young kid who started out with almost nothing and shows his life and how he managed to create show business as we know it today.

Ever since Barnum was a kid he wanted the wealthy to respect him and was hungry for riches and glory. With those ambitions, he ultimately created the first circus, but not without many troubles along the way. He hires many people that society sees as outcasts, such as a bearded lady and a 500-pound man. The skepticism and rejection of some of the townspeople cause many problems for Barnum, his employees, and his business, especially towards the end of the movie.

Barnum hires Carlyle, played by Zac Efron, to help him build his circus. Carlyle falls in love with Anne Wheeler, a trapeze artist played by Zendaya. The two of them sing a great duet called “Rewrite the Stars,” where Carlyle tried to convince her that they would be good together. Although Carlyle fell in love with Anne, throughout the movie he showed that it was hard to ignore what others, including his parents, thought of him being with someone in the circus. I wish they would have given more screen time to those two because I loved every second of the scenes they were in.

Additionally, I think that Jackman did a great job and I enjoyed watching his performance because he was so charismatic. I don’t think they could have picked a better actor for this role. He is cheerful, charming, and his acting, singing, and dancing skills were great to watch.

In general, I really enjoyed the movie. Seeing Barnum start from nothing and build a whole circus was impressive and fascinating. It wasn’t all fun and singing however, there are some major plot twists half way through the movie and towards the end that ensure you will not be bored while watching.

Despite the mixed movie reviews, I think everyone, including myself, can agree that the soundtrack was phenomenal. Just some of the many songs were “The Greatest Show,” “Rewrite the Stars,” “Never Enough,” and “This is Me.” The soundtrack hit number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

My favorite song has to be “This is Me” which is sung in the movie by the bearded lady that Barnum hires. It talks about accepting yourself and loving who you are, a great message that runs throughout the entire movie. The songs were so mesmerizing and memorable that even if  you didn’t fall in love with the movie, the soundtrack still would have probably been worth the watch.

If you are looking for an imaginative feel-good movie that you will enjoy listening to as much as watching, then The Greatest Showman is the right choice for you.