tick, tick... BOOM! | Film Review

Knowing nothing of this story, I had wanted to see it for a while, purely based on my love of musicals. But once I actually read what it was about, I was only more intrigued to see it.

Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield) is an aspiring musical theatre composer living in New York in the 1990s. Ahead of his 30th birthday, Jon becomes disillusioned with his chosen career path, whilst also navigating friendship and love.

I loved this film.

I really liked the way that the story is told - through the music, the performance(s) and the narration. Not only is it interesting, but it feels unique. It's also a really fun way to watch a story being told. 

The story in and of itself is really interesting - mainly because the character of Jon is such an interesting one. But all of the characters who make up this story are well-written, interesting, and integral to Jon's life. It's not hard to become invested in the characters. 

The ideas that this film explores are universal, whether you work in a creative field or not. Wanting to have everything accomplished by a certain age (and feeling like a failure if you don't) are themes that almost everyone experiences at some point in their lives.

Even if you know nothing of the background of this story, you can tell that there is a truth and an authenticity behind the story and these characters.     

All of the actors (the film also stars Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesus, Joshua Henry and Vanessa Hudgens) do an amazing job with their characters. But Andrew Garfield completely carries the film, and does it really well.

Speaking of the actors, this is the kind of film where you can tell that the cast genuinely had a good time making it, and that just makes watching it all the more enjoyable.  

The music is amazing. It has the kind of soundtrack that you want to listen to independent of the film. I've since listened to the soundtrack on its own and fell even deeper in love with the music.

Overall, this is a beautiful, heartbreaking story that is such a pleasure to watch, whether you like musicals or not. Definitely watch this film!

8/10