Ladies & gentlemen, first of all, happy Good Friday, and happy Easter come this Sunday! Second, tonight we are going to be reviewing yet another Disney+ exclusive that was supposed to hit theaters first, but, like many other Disney films that were to be released, got delayed, or put straight on Disney+ because of the unnecessary COVID deal. Well, here we go with Disney’s PG-13 rated film, Hamilton.
Plot: The story takes place around the time of the Declaration of Independence, and the war that followed. In this instance, it centers around the life of Alexander Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda), who was apparently the first Secretary of Treasury Of The United States, and some of the things that he did during this time of his life.
Okay, as some of us who saw this film already know, this musical has most of these real life characters being portrayed by mostly non-white people. Although most of these actual historical figures were in fact white in real life, that doesn’t change the fact that this film does an excellent job of capturing what life was like back then. The songs, and the music overall are also brilliant. I’m not sure how much time the actors needed to spend to practice rapping during most of the musical numbers. Now, do all of the songs have rapping in them? No! However, a good majority of them do. Quite frankly, it was brilliantly creative how the songs were put together as a result. Not to mention that the choreography is superb as well. However much time that was, though, the actors, and actresses, were undoubtedly successful. In addition to all of this, both the major, and minor characters seem to stand out in one capacity, or another. It’s almost like the situation with a film like say Disney’s Zootopia, or some film like that in terms of how most of the characters end up being memorable no matter how much time you get to spend with them over the course of watching the film. As for the acting itself, it is also top notch. Next, it’s also cool to see this live performance filmed in New York on Broadway. Apparently the movie/show was filmed back in 2016. Why Disney ended up making this live performances movie form, I’m not sure. On the bright side, the quality of the filming does NOT disappoint. Another benefit to this movie is that it doesn’t shy away from showing the dark moments of Alexander Hamilton’s life. I don’t recall being all too familiar with this particular historical figure. However, this movie is fantastic at showing the good moments that Hamilton went through, as well as the tragedies of life that happened to him as well. Oh, and the characters end up really growing in character over the course of the film, especially when it comes to people like Hamilton, and Eliza Hamilton (Philip Soo). Another good thing to mention about this film is that it can do a great job of teaching people some very valuable lessons. One of these includes how, just because we may accomplished certain good things, or tasks, doesn’t always mean that we’ll end up being happy one hundred percent of the time. Yeah, Hamilton seems to touch on how even if we do these things, or those things, we can still remain empty-handed in the end. Well, it just comes to show that there is only one thing, and one person who can help us all feel satisfied in the end. Oh, and there’s another thing that should be worth noting. Hamilton also is great at portraying how people can often have a tendency to say, or do things in anger, frustration, or guilt, and not always mean what they say, or do. Wow, what a pity that ends up being a part of life sometimes. Well, I guess that proves all the more how broken this world can get, you know?
Are there any negative aspects about this film? Well, there is one thing that could potentially drag this film down at least by a tiny bit. It’s how there seems to be a lot of cussing during the dialogue, and songs. Okay, I’m sure that cuss words have existed even since the beginning of time. However, one should wonder if they were more prevalent during a time like the 1700s. Somehow, it seems doubtful. But please correct me if I’m wrong. Of course foul language has been big to one degree, or another. But the question is, “How common was it during this particular time period, you know?”
And that’s my review for the Disney+ exclusive, Hamilton. It is a great film with a great cast, well-written music, great characters, and an overall good story. Honestly, it’s understandable as to why this film was around 2 1/2 hours along. Trust me, other than the questionable cussing, that long of running time doesn’t disappoint. If you have Disney+, definitely watch this film. That is especially if you like musicals, or want a possibly unique type of movie musical.
Final Grade: A
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 