A review of Les Misérables

DISCLAIMER

I seem to be the only one in my circle of friends and family that didn't adore this movie.  So, statistically speaking, you will probably like it.  Take what I write with a grain of salt.  I am much more critical of movies than most.  Nevertheless, it was the single most unique film experience I think I've ever had.  

INTRODUCTION

From the first trailer, showing Anne Hathaway singing 'I Dreamed a Dream', I have anticipated this film.  With a cast including Hugh Jackman, Russel Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, and Samantha Barks, I felt this project couldn't go wrong (with the exception of Amanda Seyfried, which I contend that she is always the worst part of any movie she's in).  Add Tom Hooper (director of The King's Speech, which I ADORED) and we are setup for Oscar territory.  Even more interesting was the innovative 'live singing' that they did--basically they sang live on set, instead of prerecording the tracks as all others filmed musical have done.  

THE GOOD

Anne Hathaway is the best part of this movie.  Every scene she was in had me in tears.  It will be a travesty if she doesn't win Best Supporting Actress for her performance.  Hugh Jackman gave the best performance of his life.  And of course Samantha Barks' Eponine was brilliant.  

The cinematography was quite brilliant, with a few exceptions.  The coloring, the costumes, the lenses were all amazing. 

THE BAD

Regarding the cinematography: I could have done with more variety of camera shots and angles.  The camera focused almost entirely on a close-up of the current singer's face.  It was very distracting to me.  

Russel Crowe is one of the great actors of our time, but Javere just might be one of his worst performances ever.  He CANNOT sing!  Whoever thought it was a good idea to cast him should be run out of Hollywood.  

Amanda Seyfried was less atrocious than I expected, but she had dramatically less screen time than I had anticipated.  It seems they got the memo that she is an awful actress during the editing process.  Her singing voice is almost unbearable to my ears. 

In the end, the 'live singing' was also a distraction for me.  It didn't feel like a musical to me, but like an entirely new genre.  Each individual performance was powerful (with the exception of Russel Crowe's and Amanda Seyfried's), however when they are strung together it just felt weird to me.  It didn't have the energy that a musical normally does.  I felt the brakes being slammed between almost every number.  

CONCLUSION

Like I said in my disclaimer, I seem to be the only one of my acquaintances that didn't love this film.  As a result I recommend it to all except those who are critically-minded.  Also, it is NOT family-friendly.  Lots of sexual content, most of it unneeded.  My score: 3/5 stars.