Les Miserables

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks
Directed by: Tom Hooper
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Musical, Romance
2012

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An ex-criminal (Hugh Jackman) on the run decides to risk his own safety to help a poor woman's (Anne Hathaway) daughter.

Review:

. Tim: I was interested to see Les Miserables. It received a lot of critical acclaim, and won 3 Academy Awards. Tom Hooper does a very impressive job adapting this musical to the street, and the film is undeniably good. I don't believe it quite reached the desired level of greatness, however. The film was entertaining, beautifully shot, and memorable, but it didn't quite live up to its potential.

I wasn't aware that in this musical, every single word in the entire film is sung. That's even more impressive, considering this film clocks in at 158 minutes. The singing is quite good, especially considering that every single song was recorded live on set. That's never been done before on this level. I loved this decision, because it gave the whole film a gritty, realistic quality to it. I was very impressed with all of the actors and their singing as well.

Hugh Jackman was pretty incredible in the lead role. His early scenes are stunning, and I loved his look, his voice, and everything about his performance. I was impressed with how much weight he lost for the part. As the movie goes on, Jackman unfortunately retreats into the background and other characters overshadow him some. I was very glad he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor- he deserved the nomination.

Anne Hathaway was really good. Her performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" was stunning. I thought she was excellent, but I wish she had more screen time. She's hardly in the movie at all. Still, she makes the most of every second she has. Her portrayal was incredibly strong and brave, and I'm happy she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She deserved it.

The rest of the cast was good. Russell Crowe impressed me with his singing, and I thought he worked well in the cast. Amanda Seyfried was a nice addition, and a good singer as well. I didn't care much for Helena Bonham Carter or Sacha Baron Cohen, but I suppose they provided some needed comic relief. Eddie Redmayne was impressive, and I was very impressed with Samantha Barks. I have no idea who she is, but she was stunning singing, "On My Own". I see big things for her.

The movie featured some terrific songs, but there were a number of songs I didn't love, either. Not every song can be a classic, but there were a few numbers that I wish were a little better. I suppose that singing every line in the film made it interesting, but after a while, I wanted to hear at least a few spoken lines. That brings up another point- I know the book is long, but this film was really, really lengthy. It's hard to imagine where to cut, but 158 minutes makes this film a bit of a marathon to sit through. That cuts down on the number of repeat viewings for this film.

While I wouldn't consider Les Miserables a truly great movie, it's a stunning achievement, a truly beautifully shot film, and features a powerful story. It is a really, really good film. I enjoyed it, and would highly recommend it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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