Hamilton 2020

I really enjoyed this.

Lyn-Manuel Miranda is widely and deservedly regarded as a genius and this musical/film adds more evidence to support that.

Clever, funny, rapid-fire lyrics blend with an (until this musical was created) under regarded figure of US history. But his genius is even more evident in his decision to pitch a musical where most of the white historical cast are portrayed by Black American performers... with hip hop music at its spine. Originality is king if you want to make memorable art.

The cast in this production are luminescent. They may not all be names theatre goers will readily recognise but you've seen many of them on TV and film. There's even a key figure played by a semi-regular from Glee (singing a song that sounded very Tim Minchin to me).

As a huge fan of musicals I was always going to like this. The flip-side of this is that I judged it against the others I've seen and loved.

So yes, its hands don at least 8 stars (and most people say more than that, and that's fine) but some of the things I regarded as flaws held me back.

Relationships - no real kick-arse relationships of emotional depth except for the one who dies midway through the second act. And while it was portrayed and told well, I felt it failed to resonate as much as it could have by the lack of foreshadowing the bond. The relationship with his wife seemed tacked on and the hinted relationship with another woman (won't add a spoiler here) never delivered. The fact it was never established as fact in the real life story of Hamilton was no doubt part of the reason, but including the hint that goes nowhere served little purpose.

The story - Some stories are light by nature (Grease, Little Shop of Horrors) but they at least have a powerful relationship at their base. Some are significant because of the story they cover (Les Mis, Rent)... and they also mostly have a powerful relationship or two in the midst. I know the purpose of telling Hamilton's story was to share details of an almost forgotten figure, but I kinda feel like he deserved to be forgotten. Definitely an intellect, but his role in the War of Independence was bureaucratic, his additions to legislature were significant, but again bureaucratic. If they had hung some of the story on a significant moment rather than to provide a greatest hits package of his life, maybe there was more power to be had? Having seen it and enjoyed it, I still wonder "why Hamilton?"

Anyway, those are just some of my personal misgivings and I DID love the film/musical. Miranda is the genius in this case and while it's very easy for people on the sideline, like me, to critique or fiddle with the idea, there's no idea at all without his amazing mind.

You really should see this.

Hamilton is absolute dog shit. I'm not a musical fanatic but I can get into musicals most of the time. But this is just a bad story. It's stretched an hour longer than it needed and got extremely repetitive halfway through. I'm a huge fan of history but this is not the story to make into a 3 hour play. Hamilton is not Alcibiades or Hong Xiuquan or Napoleon or Sulla. Historically Hamilton is interesting for what he was NOT able to accomplish but the play just gives him God mode and everyone loves him to the point that they're also all jealous of him. He's a glorified accountant/banker with sexual controversy that only makes you dislike him. Weirdly the play implies that it shouldn't make you dislike him and that it isn't a big deal while simultaneously showing that it was extremely important in his downfall. There's just way too many songs that are purely about gossip in this play and honestly (and yes I know this is one of the central concepts for the whole thing... but) the rapping was just cheesy as fuck and a continued reminder that you are watching a melodramatic play rather than engrossing you in a compelling story.

tldr: It's boring and over half of the dialogue is cheesy gossip rap, it stretched the history way too thin and has terrible pacing, Hamilton is turned into a man where his only flaw is that he fucked bitches all day every day and even his enemies love him, and the story is never sucking you in because it's all so melodramatic. I have no idea what people see in this other than minority representation, which is fine but it doesn't make the story bearable.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW, NOW THAT WAS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!!!!!!

Having seen a lot of Broadway shows in person, I was sad that I wouldn't be seeing one this summer. But boy was I wrong as when they announced that Hamilton will be coming early to Disney+ I immediately was hyped and couldn't wait to watch it. This is just such an amazing experience with everything in the show being flawless and this might just be my new favourite show.

Every single actor in this show played their parts so perfectly it was unbelievable and the talent on and off stage was just off the scales, just to highlight a few Lin-Manuel Miranda (Alexander Hamilton / Writer), Jonathan Groff (King George), Phillipa Soo (Eliza Hamilton), Daveed Diggs (Marquis de Lafayette / Thomas Jefferson), Leslie Odom Jr. (Aaron Burr) and just so many more just killing it.

The story is so good as well as it gives you a lesson in some American history but with some of the catchiest songs I have ever heard, just to name a few that I love would be difficult, but my favourites are You'll Be Back and The Room Where It Happens.

I urge you to watch this as honestly, it is the perfect family entertainment (maybe 12A) and it will have something for everyone. To people who say they don't like musicals, please give this a try as I have suggested it to two people who are not hugely into musicals and they loved this.

This production, has seized my coveted top slot for best movie I've ever seen. Even tho it took me months to finally finish it due to its immense complexity. I finally was able to finish the experience in its full glory (Audio & visual wise-4k VR+ IEM 24k gold headphones) man this is simply a stunner of a masterpiece. Whether it were a made up story or not, the production and script would still be pure gold. Zero faults with this production. Everything was masterful, and I am understanding that theater is blind so I know some of you secretly strip points from the production because you don't understand this and want to see George Washington himself on stage etc, but this was a true masterpiece of a production perfectly translated to the big screen and I am inspired and awed.; I wept at the end of this film, so much effort was placed into recollection, that they set you up so perfectly to recall emotions and intent, with its characters. However the ending was a total plot twist I never imagined, based on the introduction, I thought it would end savagely but Jesus was I surprised to feel gloom for just about every character involved by the end.

Hamilton is fantastic. I never had listened to the music or really knew what Hamilton was about so when I heard it was coming to Disney+ I was very interested to watch it. I guess I never got into the Hamilton craze because I thought I would never get to see it. I have to say it lives up to every bit of hype it gets. The plot is great it’s entertaining and very historic. It may not be historically accurate but it has so many real life historical figures and events that you really have to know the story of the revolutionary war to truly understand it. Hamilton’s story is very interesting and makes an entertaining play/movie.

The acting is terrific Lin-Manuel Miranda and Phillipa Soo give terrific performances. Leslie Odom Jr and Daveed Diggs give great supporting performances. The music is phenomenal every song is incredibly well written and catchy. The opening song “Alexander Hamilton” is a perfect way to start a movie/play and does a great job at introducing the characters. The ending scene is somehow uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time. Technically this isn’t a movie and it’s just a screening of the Broadway but I’ll count it on my 2020 Movies ranked it. Overall Hamilton is a global phenomenon that lived up to the highest expectations I had, if you haven’t seen it I highly recommend it.

(9 out of 10)

Let me preface by saying I am not really a theater/musicals guy, but due to family influence I had listened to the musical a few times before this was released and I liked it. So finally seeing what the production around these songs is like I will say it does enhance the experience by adding visual elements that are lost or just not present on the cast recording like the scene where Hamilton receives the letter informing of Laurens’ death or even Eliza’s soul piercing scream when Phillip dies. Being able to see the actor’s faces after hearing them for so long really helps understand some of the nuance in emotions you do not get from audio alone (ex. Burr's downwards spiral). It is impressive what these actors can do especially in one go especially while moving (looking at you Daveed Diggs).

The stage setup is impressive, the way the rotating platforms are used help bring a fluidity in movement that you just do not get from simulating movement (ex. any of the duel scenes, Satisfied and Hurricane). Also, the upper deck section also provides an extra dimension especially since some sections move as well (ex. Non-Stop) helping bring that verticality when needed.
I read that this was captured along 3 different functions as well as some audience-less scenes and all I can say is that the filming crew as well as the editors did a great job capturing and splicing the different performances to look as one fluid function. I do appreciate that they did not commit the mistakes that many live performance recordings do where they cut too much, and it makes it distracting and you cannot focus on what is happening.

All in all, a fantastic production that hopefully creates a precedent where some of these snobby Broadway people realize that this serves as a great example that the full experience (or better depending on who you ask) can indeed be faithfully captured on film for others without the privilege to enjoy at home or even the movie theater. Guess we gotta thank the mouse for the 85 mil.

8.5/10

I haven't seen a live production of Hamilton and, considering its widespread cultural impact that verges on omnipresence, have had surprisingly little exposure to the soundtrack. As such, when the filmed version dropped on Disney+ back in 2020, I was excited to watch it effectively blind. My main takeaway then, and my takeaway now after my first re-watch two years later, was quite simple: Hamilton 100% deserves its lofty position in our cultural zeitgeist. It's got everything going for it. Clever lyrics, memorable songs, excellent performances, poignant emotional beats. All wrapped in a surprisingly educational package that will undoubtedly increase the average knowledge base of U.S. history for generations to come. Calling out a few highlights: (1) Leslie Odom Jr - probably my favorite performance; (2) Helpless/Satisfied - so much storytelling packed in these and I always love a good perspective change/reframe; (3) Jonathan Groff - just hilarious; (4) Cabinet Battles - all politics could be improved with rap battles; (5) It's Quiet Uptown - definitely had me choked up. Those are just the few that come to mind, but really enjoyed virtually every song/scene. The only exception might be the semi a cappella finale, which didn't quite work for me. Just felt a bit more melodramatic/forced than some of the rest.

This was painful to watch. 3 hours of boredom.

Everything was wrong with this.

The "music": Dialogue as song. Super generic musical music mixed with rap. Felt very anachronistic.

Casting: Total disregard for race or age of the characters portrayed. Why use a grown up mad to play a 9 year old. They even had to explain it in the play. Calling this a biography is really a stretch.

Lighting: Weak use of colored light. I felt like in a cheap 70'es movie. Felt almost like Suspiria.

History: Total disregard to historical fact - it came across as an American homage to founding fathers only. Felt like propaganda.

Stage: Only one stage setting. Everything happened with only one set of scenery. And what is up with the dancers. They served no purpose except as filler on the stage.

Story visualization: It seems a lot of important events was just skipped and the characters talked about them after the fact. Hugely missed opportunity.

Costumes: Modern haircuts and only some costumes fit the era. The rest was anachronistic. Whoever did this should fired

Only redeeming part is the Orchestra performance. They played well.

After this I fail to see why anyone would watch a Broadway musical. Ever.

I reserve my lowest grade to rare cases. This is one of them: 1/10.

Living in Canada, I never had a chance to see the stage production of Hamilton, but I ended up listening through the album at least seven times (and individual songs countless times). Every time I listened, I would understand something I didn't before, dazzled by the sheer feat of the compositions and lyrics forming the impossible story: a hip-hop/rap musical recounting the life of American founding father Alexander Hamilton.

And then Disney released the filmed version on their streaming service.

I had no idea how far ACTUAL CONTEXT for these songs could go, but seeing the actors do their thing, dance, emote... it breathed life into this world I had been replaying in my headphones for years.

I have no idea why this was one of the first things I noticed, but the costumes are amazing! Each character is distinct in their roles thanks to the phenomenal costuming department. Props to them.

I got choked up, teared up, laughed, and sang along. I felt such a vast array of emotions, more than I usually do while watching even some of my favourite movies. The amount of love and care and dedication poured into this play is tangible. The editing is surprisingly effective in telling this stage play like a film.

I'm not American, but this has to be one of the coolest things to come from our big brother downstairs.

“[Hamilton] is also (…) a love letter to writers.” said the creator of “Hamilton”, Lin-Manuel Miranda. And, may I also say, a love letter to readers!
For those who do not live in New York or in America, in general, “Hamilton” is impossible to watch live. I am, unfortunately, part of that percentage of people. Also, “Hamilton”, even though I heard many times my theatre geek friends talking about “Satisfied”, never caught my attention. I knew it was a story about one of the Founding Fathers, but in hip hop music? It did not sound right.
Well, how I was wrong! It took many advertisements and friends and family talking about it being on Disney+ for me to watch it. I am so helpless and satisfied at the same time (pun intended).
Yes, Hamilton is a love letter to writers and readers. It tells us that by reading and writing we can actually change our life and change, maybe, our country! Hamilton proved words do have power. And they do last longer than violence because there is someone who is going to tell our story.
Yes, perhaps it is not someone we actually believed who would. In Hamilton’s case, two people tell his story. In real life, it was his beautiful and so caring wife, Eliza. She included herself in the narrative by making the loving sacrifice of telling how precious her husband and friends’ lives were. On the other hand, on the play, it is his nemesis, Aron Burr, “the damn fool who shot him”, who is carrying the narrative.
Therefore, “Hamilton” makes us think: how are we living our lives? Are we writing them, which means, trying to make something profitable of them? Are we making a legacy? We do not know who will tell our story, but how is it going to sound like? Is it going to be a story about someone who fought, loved, tried to make the world a better place?
Let’s write our way while there is time. It does run out.