Tick, Tick\u2026Boom<\/a>, an adaptation of the semi-autobiographical musical of the same name by Rent writer Jonathan Larson \u2013 played here by Andrew Garfield.<\/span><\/p>\nThe film serves as a sort of musical biopic of Larson\u2019s pre-Rent life, following the writer\u2019s career as he attempts to break into the industry with his high-concept sci-fi musical Superbia, in between shifts waiting tables at the Moondance Diner. Interestingly, the original musical was essentially a one-man play, performed by Larson himself as a \u201crock monologue\u201d \u2013 and not, therefore, something that necessarily lends itself towards a particularly cinematic adaptation. Miranda\u2019s workaround is to frame the story through Larson telling it to an audience on stage, as in the original, but to then also show the events of Jonathan\u2019<\/span>s life play out in more traditional fashion.<\/p> This method means that many of the film\u2019s musical numbers cut between scenes of the action unfolding and Garfield singing on stage, almost like you\u2019d expect to see in a music video. It\u2019s an odd approach, and one that yields mixed results. Often, it makes it difficult for the film to escape the inherent staginess of its premise, but there are other times where it works surprisingly well \u2013 such as one number that takes the shape of Jonathan<\/span> and his girlfriend Susan having a row. Initially, the on-stage sections here seem to undercut the emotion of the scene, until Susan hits Jonathan<\/span> with the accusation that he\u2019s spent the entirety of the argument thinking about how he can turn it into a song, and suddenly it makes sense to present it this way \u2013 with the number serving as a sort of commentary on the disconnect between performed emotion and the real thing.<\/p>\nAnyone who knows Larson\u2019s story will be well aware that the film has an element of tragedy to it, but Miranda\u2019s handling of the darker aspects of the plot \u2013 both Jonathan<\/span>\u2018s own tragedy and the impact of the AIDS crisis, which inspired him to write Rent \u2013 seems a little saccharine, meaning the film doesn\u2019t have as much emotional impact as it could have, though admittedly some scenes involving Jonathan<\/span>\u2018s best friend Michael (Robin de Jes\u00fas) are played rather well. Meanwhile, the film\u2019s title is derived from the noise Jonathan<\/span> hears almost constantly inside his head, a buildup of pressure that makes his whole existence feel like a ticking time bomb. We hear that ticking prominently in the sound design at various points during the film, but perhaps this aspect could have been played up further \u2013 providing more tension to a film that sometimes feels a touch too safe to really get under the skin.<\/p>\n