Student Blog: TICK, TICK... BOOM! is a Great Tribute to Jonathan Larson and the Show's Themes

The original musical is by Jonathan Larson, but you have to acknowledge all the style and heart that Lin-Manuel Miranda adds to his work in Netflix's tick, tick... BOOM!

Clearly, this was a tribute Miranda paid to one of the songwriters who changed the Broadway industry. Rent is one of those heartbreaking and joyful stories about youth. This theme is reflected in tick, tick... BOOM! with good music, choreography and the excellent performance of Andrew Garfield. With many cameos from the Broadway industry and witty lines full of irony and emotion, TTB does a pretty good job highlighting the original stage show. It may even cause you to shed a few tears.

If I had to summarize the topics loading the film with importance and meaning, it would look like this: what is it like to turn 30 in for the average young man? Of course, the film touches on particular themes from the 80s and 90s-- we are talking about the time of the HIV terror (something that marked the plot of Rent). Homosexuality found itself even more discriminated against than normal thanks to this deadly virus that science took so long to control. Freddie Mercury, Anthony Perkins, Gia Carangi, Liberace and many other artists marked a generation that lived in fear of the new virus. But where have we heard that? Although TTB focuses on the early 90s, but resonates with new generations.

But this film also has another element with which it is very easy to empathize: reaching the third floor. And it is that turning 30 years old, for those of us who are already or are about to do so, is a moment that feels crucial in life. If at 30 you already have everything you wanted, I congratulate you, you are very lucky. But for most of us, it is that stage where we realize that achieving our dreams was not as easy as we thought. It is the moment when we must make "safe" decisions or continue fighting to achieve the ambitions that we seek from the idealists 20. At 30, personal relationships, friends, dreams ... everything begins to become more serious and with a sense of urgency. And the film and stage show is a great musical to identify with this moment.

tick, tick... BOOM! is a great movie that didn't disappoint me. It is one of those musical films where you come to understand and appreciate the essence of the writer/composer. It leaves you no doubt and you enjoy it like never before. And finally, Lin-Manuel Miranda made an excellent film debut as director.