The Critics Agree: “Hamilton” the Movie is a Smash, Too
We’ve written about how director Thomas Kail and his team live-captured Hamilton for the screen. We’ve covered the glorious trailer and the fact that Disney moved the release of the film up a full year. Now, we can share how Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway juggernaut actually plays on screen. Folks, you’ll probably be unsurprised to find out that as a movie, Hamilton slaps.
Critics have gotten a look at the film version of Miranda’s Broadway phenomenon and they’re in agreement—t’s better than a front-row seat. So without further ado, here’s a round-up of what some of them are saying.
Variety‘s Justin Chang has good news for us newbies: “For those of us who have never seen the stage show…it’s a particular pleasure to be figuratively ushered into the live Richard Rodgers Theater audience.”
Solzy at the Movies‘ Danielle Solzman agrees: “For those who do get to experience Hamilton for the first time with the original cast, you really couldn’t have a better experience.”
CinemaBlend‘s Sean O’Connell speaks to all us cynics out there: “Against all odds, lives up to its hype. Breaking news, I know. But…I’d convinced myself that Hamilton couldn’t be nearly as good as the rest of the world was proclaiming.”
For folks who have seen the Broadway show, Mashable‘s Angie Han says the movie “emphasizes the individual performances, albeit sometimes at the expense of the show’s staging and choreography. Still, it’s an effective way to capture the show’s emotions, if not its sweep.” Variety‘s Chang adds: “Due to the abundance of long shots and smooth cutting, the intermittent closeups are all the more striking in their intimacy. And sometimes their comedy.”
The Chicago Sun-Times‘ Richard Roeper writes: “The filmed version of the Broadway sensation makes for immersive, exhilarating, magnificent cinema.”
Fresh Fiction‘s Courtney Howard says of the overall movie experience that it “captures the widely-beloved show’s infectious vigor and electrical charge, spinning it into a renewed powerful, affecting, and immersive experience.”
Indiewire‘s David Ehrlich writes succinctly: “Hamilton is as monumental a thing as ever.”
Hamilton streams on Disney+ on July 3.
Featured image: NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 12: Lin-Manuel Miranda and Christopher Jackson of ‘Hamilton’ perform onstage during the 70th Annual Tony Awards at The Beacon Theatre on June 12, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
