Splatter: on FILM

Hugh hits high notes with jazz hands in a red circus master’s jacket. What more could you want?

Zac Efron joins just in time to allow for a romance with Zendaya under the big top.It’s spectacle and light with a coating of saturated prime colors and a crisp, palatable score. It all works. The pacing proves perfect as the cast of unique characters dance and sing and soar from scene to scene.

The first song covers a period of at least ten years. Heart-fueled hard belting Broadway voices preach equality for the marginalized, hope for the lonely, bravery for the penniless.

Family friendly, fast-paced and fun. I was skeptical walking in, missing Logan’s claws and envisioning Les Mis moments of sorrow, but this I recommend for the big screen as long as you prepare your soul for a classic burst-into-song musical, which it is.