Let me begin this review with a warning...
***** THIS REVIEW WILL HAVE SPOILERS****
Sorry to be so blunt about it, but I can't give a proper review without spoiling a bunch of stuff... But in all honesty, if you haven't seen the stage show, or don't already know the story, THAT IS YOUR OWN FAULT!!! That being said... On with the review!!!
Let me start out by saying this about Les Miserables... I FRICKEN LOVED THIS MOVIE!!! Was it perfect? No. Were there things I would have changed? Of course. But on the whole, this movie was so good, the problems were few and far between.
THE GOOD:
I was FLOORED by how faithful the movie version was to the brilliant stage version of the story. Never in a million years would I have thought that someone would have the guts to REALLY film the whole thing without spoken dialogue. For those of you wondering... this movie is about 99% singing!!! They did not dumb it down for the every day moviegoer.
Tom Hooper was the man behind this movie. I was a huge fan of the last movie he directed (The King's Speech), so I had high hopes that he would deliver the goods this time around as well. Honestly, I can't imagine ANYONE else doing as good a job with this material. The creativity he gave his cast to explore the characters they were portraying was just what needed to be done. It made sure that these actors really gave everything they had... and it TOTALLY worked. The fact that he made the decision to NOT pre-record all the music was wonderful. I would have hated it if it were just a carbon copy of every other version of Les Miserables that was out there. I honestly think every movie musical from here out should follow this idea. It makes for a better movie, with better performances.
Hugh Jackman - When rumors first started circulating several years ago that there was going to be a filmed version of one of my favorite musicals, I immediately thought the ONLY person who could play Jean Valjean was Hugh Jackman. His casting made me a very happy man, and HOLY CRAP was I happy with his performance. I could feel the inner turmoil inside his head after the Bishop (played perfectly by the ORIGINAL Jean Valjean, Colm Wilkinson) sent him on his way with all of his silver. The tears were real, and flowing... and the whole thing was done with maybe ONE camera shot. His voice was just right for MOST of the show... Only one minor issue with one of his songs... Bring Him Home felt a little strained for him...
Anne Hathaway - Everyone is, and will be talking about how great a job she did as Fantine. And I have to agree with them. She really did shine in this role. I have been a fan of hers for a long time now, and her portrayal of Fantine in this movie made me like her even more. Her short time on the screen was as close to perfect as you could ever ask for.
Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter - First off... I am NOT a fan of Helena Bonham Carter. That being said, her chemistry with Sasha Baron Cohen was awesome! You could tell that the two of them really had fun playing off each other. Between the two of them though, I was MUCH more impressed with Sacha... His singing was exactly what it needed to be, and his characterization was perfect.
Samantha Barks - Wow... Playful when she needed to be, and emotional when she needed to as well. For someone who has heard "On My Own" performed AT LEAST a thousand times, she knocked it out of the ball park. Sadly though, I have to admit that I was chuckling a bit during the song in the movie NOT because of her, but because of the almost literal camera shots taking place behind her (when you see it, and think about it, you might laugh a little too).
Eddie Redmayne - HOLY CRAP!!! Where did this guy come from? Good lord does this guy have some serious singing chops! Seriously, this guy MADE the movie for me (even more than Anne Hathaway). His rendition of "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" is BY FAR the best I have ever heard... and I have heard a LOT. It was both haunting and COMPLETELY heartbreaking. But my favorite line he sings isn't even from that song... When he sings "I was born to be with you" in the song "One Day More", I was hooked. It's just a quick line, but it really was perfection. If you need proof, just listen to it below... The line is at about the 1:05 mark. (listen to the whole song though... it's pretty awesome...) Also, I have linked his AMAZING rendition of "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables"... It's pretty amazing.
One Day More
Empty Chairs at Empty Tables
Now...
THE NOT SO GOOD:
Russell Crowe - **Oh Russell... you tried SO hard to fit in with all of these musical theatre people... You did as much of the role as you could without having to sing like the rest of them... but when you DID have to sing, you just couldn't keep up.** Ok... I will say that his characterization of Javert was pretty spot on. You knew that he was genuinely upset that Jean Valjean was able to escape his clutches every step of the way. The confusion on his face was completely evident when he COULD have killed Valjean but didn't, instead letting him go. The only logical decision at that point was to kill himself, which he did. I give him credit for trying, but with all of the outstanding talent in this film, he just couldn't compete.
Amanda Seyfried - To begin with, it would have taken a lot for me to even like this character... I just never have liked Cosette (sorry to all of my friends who either like Cosette, or have maybe even played her). That being said, she did NOT help with my lack of caring about her. And again... it was because of the singing... Seriously... she sounded like an OLD recording of Snow White, being sped up to sound like the Chipmonks. Her vibrato was grating and annoying, and I just wanted it to stop... lol.
THE REST:
This was just a beautiful movie. The cinematography was spectacular (although, I think they could have used a few less close up shots). The minor cuts to the score were not missed. Is this my favorite movie of the year? MAYBE... To me it is probably a toss up between Les Miserables and The Avengers (what can I say, I'm a nerd)... but looking towards the future, I think I will end up watching Les Miserables a lot more... It is as close to a perfect movie musical as you can ask for.
FINAL VERDICT: I easily give this a 9.5 out of 10... Which if you ask me, is just about as good as it gets!!!
GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!! Bring some tissues (it's not a feel good movie). And don't be surprised by the amount of singing! Like I said, it is about 99% singing with maybe a half dozen spoken sentences in the entire movie (which is almost 3 hours long).
