Movie Review - "Hamilton"

I have written of the musical "Hamilton" many times in this space and have had the good fortune to see it twice on stage, so it was with great excitement that I looked forward to seeing the movie version of "Hamilton" that began streaming on the Disney+ platform today.

If you don't know the background, the original plan was for Disney to release this movie in theaters in the Fall of 2021.  With the COVID19 pandemic upon us, and with there being no telling when movie theaters will reopen, Disney and creators Lin-Manuel Miranda and director Thomas Kail decided to release it now, on the July 4, 2020 weekend.  No doubt financial considerations played into this for all concerned.  We won't be naive about it, but the anticipated release of this movie generated an enormous amount of excitement among fans of the show, and fans of the music who have not been able to see it performed on stage.  One of the big criticisms of the show has been the enormous prices that the demand for tickets has generated.  Now, for a mere $6.99 a month, anyone can have access to unlimited number of viewings of the "Hamilton" movie.  That is a real bargain, trust me on that.

But this is not a movie version of "Hamilton" like the filmed adaptations of Broadway plays that we are used to seeing.  This version was made from two filmed performances of the play as it was performed in New York in 2016, with the original cast still intact.  Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr, Chris Jackson, Daveed Diggs, Anthony Ramos, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, Jonathon Groff....all those voices that you know from that original cast recording are here.  What you are seeing is not  really a movie, but a theatrical performance.  It is like being in a theater and sitting in the audience.  Even better, the cameras and the close-ups allow you to see the facial expressions and nuances of the actors that you would never see when sitting in a theater.  We can even hear the reactions and the applause of the audiences that were in attendance during this performance.  You even get the traditional Curtain Call, too!  It was an amazing performance.

I am not going to go into plot summaries and music reviews here.  I've done that before in The Grandstander so no need to be redundant.  All I will say is that if you are a fan of the show and the music, this movie is a must see.  And if you have never seen the show, are not all that familiar with the music, but you enjoy a great show with rousing performances, it is a MUST see.

I am not sure how the Motion Picture Academy will deem this movie.  My understanding is that they are considering rethinking their stance on films that go straight to streaming.  If so, and considering the dearth of movies that have been released in 2020, with no end of that trend in sight due to the pandemic,  I would think that "Hamilton" would be a strong contender for Academy Award nominations and wins come awards season.

It gets the full Four Star treatment from The Grandstander.

The Curtain Call as seen from my TV screen