Okay, time for me to be a killjoy. Yes, the musical numbers in “The Greatest Showman” are magnificent, from the editing to the actual tunes by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. And yes, the film, in theory, preaches the value of empathy and tolerance over social climbing, which is a perfectly fine message. But the way it shamelessly sanitizes a real-life scumbag like P.T. Barnum to make him palatable is irresponsible at best, and he still comes across as a bit of a jerk (even with Hugh Jackman bringing the full might of his charms). Not to mention, the non-musical scenes tend to be rather lifeless and the majority of the movie’s characters are flat and unmemorable.

Obviously, though, this is just, like, my opinion, man, and there are plenty of ways one could enjoy “The Greatest Showman” while still recognizing it’s highly problematic. (On a related note: Pasek and Paul also wrote the music and lyrics for “Dear Evan Hansen,” so making problematic musicals that become huge hits is kinda their thing.) Whichever way you feel about the film, the odds seem against a followup happening, given where the first movie left things. But then again, when it comes to Hollywood sequels, one can never truly say never, right?

“The Greatest Showman” is streaming on Disney+.