Les Miserables and I go back a ways. Our story started waaaay back in 2006, when my high school put on a production of the Broadway smash. Back then I would tech for shows, but Les Mis was one I decided to sit out on, boy do I regret that decision. I only attended one showing of my high school's production, but I was completely enamored by the show, and the memory of that one production has stuck with me all these years later. Now, our story continues with the highly anticipated movie adaptation.
Les Miserables is about how one simple act of kindness can forever change a man's life. When a recently paroled convict, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is caught stealing a local bishop's money, instead of condemning him, the bishop frees Valjean. This simple act forces Valjean to change his ways and sets his life on a collision course with many unfortunate, miserable people whose lives Valjean will change.
The first question that we must ask is this: Does Les Mis the stage musical work as a movie musical? The answer is a surprising: not completely. For the most part it works really well, there are many epic, spectacular moments that adapt themselves well to the big screen. I must give director Tom Hooper credit, he set out to make as faithful an adaptation to the stage musical as possible, and he just about succeeds in his endeavor. He cuts very little out in the movie adaptation (though he does rearrange a few parts and adds a few things here and there, nothing too noticeable though and it doesn't change all that much when you get down to it), which runs at a lengthy 157 minutes, however this means that the film does drag...a lot, especially in the 2nd half at the barricade. I could see how newcomers to Les Mis may get bored or frustrated and Tom Hooper seems to sense this issue and tries to fix it by attempting to up the tempo. Even though the 2nd half is where most of the film takes place, and it is where the most crucial events occur, it feels very rushed....to the point where it didn't feel natural. By giving this whole part a rushed feel, Hooper doesn't allow the gut-wrenching events that occur during the 2nd half to hold the emotional impact that they should. Yes it may drag, but it's supposed to and by rushing these parts he robs the film of it's natural flow and emotional weight. There were moments where I should have been tearing up, but I wasn't.
While Hooper does undermine the emotional impact of some moments, there were areas where he made very wise decisions, like the cinematography and choice to record the songs live on set as the camera rolled. The sets are fantastic, from the opening number where convicts are forced to drag a ship into harbor during a violent storm, to the building of the barricade, every set is beautifully realized. The film does utilize quite a bit of CGI, but unlike other recent films the CGI works fairly well in Les Mis and blends pretty well into the sets. I also appreciate how almost every solo in the film is filmed using extreme close-up shots. these allow us to focus on the character singing (much like we would during a stage musical) and allows us to view the natural progression of their emotions during the song. This technique works best during "I Dreamed A Dream", "On My Own, and "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables". Of course, for reasons I'm sure I don't have to state here, the choice to record the songs live on set worked incredibly well for the film as well, giving the film a raw, real quality that you can otherwise only get on stage.
The whole cast here was well cast. Hugh Jackman was a natural choice for Valjean, the hero of our story. He acts the crap out of his role and sings his songs like it's nobodies business. Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter were perfectly cast as the Thenardiers, the despicable and ugly owners of an inn who spend their free time doing various naughty deeds. Their singing was ok, but they fit the roles perfectly...I just wish they added some real menace to their characters that was present in the stage version but missing here. Amanda Seyfried was ok as Cosette, she has never been my favorite character and she is as boring here as she was in the stage version. You still care for her though. Seyfried's singing was very shaky, especially when she had to sing high, which was in just about every one of her songs. Anne Hathaway was amazing and heart-breaking as the unfortunate and tortured Fantine. She does an amazing acting job and her singing was top notch. Another fantastic performance came in from newcomer Samantha Barks, who plays the tragic role of Eponine (my favorite character from the stage version and my favorite character here too). She has raw emotion here, and her versions of "On My Own" and "A Little Fall of Rain" are fantastic. Barks had played Eponine on Broadway, so naturally she is extremely memorable here. Expect to see both Barks and Hathaway receive a best supporting actress nod, though I'd give the edge to Barks here...she was absolutely sympathetic and perfect in her performance. Daniel Huttleston (also fresh off broadway as Gavroche, apparently he acted next to Samantha Barks in the same production there) was perfect as Gavroche, another one of my favorite characters from the show. He fit the role like a glove and embodied the role extraordinarily well, shame they cut his solo out of the film. Aaron Tveit, a seasoned Broadway performer, was great as Enjolras, the leader of the small revolt that is the focus of much of the film. Eddie Redmayne was great as well in the role of Marius, Enjolras' best friend and love interest for Cosette. He did a pretty great acting job, although his face looked a little too exuberantly wacky at times. Every performer here did an adaquate job at singing their songs except for Russel Crowe as Javert, the police officer who is hell-bent on capturing Valjean. It boggles the mind how the casting directors could have fumbled the ball so spectacularly. Crowe is a Baritone, this means he sings in a deep voice. this would be fine, except that the role of Javert requires him to sing in an upper octave. He does try, but his voice just wasn't made to reach those high notes, unfortunately. That said, he does an ok acting job.
For fans of musicals, Les Mis is just about as perfect an adaptation as you can get. As I had already said, the film pretty accurately adapts the musical to the big screen. Problems you have with the film most likely would be problems you would have with the musical as well. If you do not like musicals, you would be wise to avoid this film at all costs. Just like the stage version, all the dialogue is sung minus a line here or there. For fans of musical theater though (like myself), you have found valhalla, the movie that the musical gods have so kindly bestowed among us.....this is nirvana. I was geeking out constantly during this film. Is it slow? You betcha! Will you cry? Most likely. Will you love every second of it despite a few possible small qualms? Well, I sure did! It's fitting that Les Miserables was released Christmas day, because it makes for a perfect gift. I know I would give no second thought to forking over the cash to see it a second and maybe even a third time. If you are a true fan of Les Miserables and musicals in general, then this film is indeed for you. If you haven't seen the stage version and you are a newcomer to Les Mis, I highly encourage you to see this film. Expect this film to get quite a few Oscar Nods. While I still need to see a few more films that are sure to make the Best Picture category, for now this is my personal favorite film of the year.
4/5 STARS
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