Yes, the headline of this review is a cliché, but it's totally true! I received tickets to an advanced screening thanks to Sky TV. I knew VERY little about the film other than it's the first musical from Lin-Manuel Miranda of "Hamilton" fame. The film is a fast-paced heady mix of Rent, Fame, and West Side Story in terms of style, and that's not a bad thing. It's almost nonstop singing and dancing and very engrossing. The story is fairly light and fluffy, not too taxing on the brain, which is just what I needed in my first cinema visit in more than 18 months. There were several times that a musical number finished and I REALLY wanted to break into applause, especially after Abuela's big number which was powerful and visually great. Unfortunately, being British and in the UK, we really don't applaud in the cinema. The only criticism I have is that it is overly long, at 2 hours 23 minutes, yet I don't know what could or should be cut from it. It would have been better to be round the 1:55 mark. This film is the first of a run of big musicals coming out in 2021, it has set a VERY high bar and it will be very difficult for the other musicals to top it. The biggest problem this film has at present is getting bums on seats during the COVID pandemic. If it's to do the big business it deserves, I would recommend rereleasing it in the autumn - because this film deserves to be seen, and seen on a big screen. Support the film industry, go and see this film in the cinema (safely) and strap in for the ride!

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