A Universal Picture, Written by William Nicholson, Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg, Herbert Kretzmer, Directed by Tom Hooper.
Tom Hooper has had a very odd last decade. Three of his films became Oscar winning successes for both him and his cast, and ‘Les Miserables’ and ‘The Kings Speech’ were box office smashes too, and then ‘Cats’ happened. However, we won’t dwell on that, and we will look at the film in hand.
The way the songs are incorporated don’t always work, but when they do it’s effective, and the music in general is just so iconic and powerful that you can’t help but fall in love with it.
The cast is strong, with Anne Hathaway deserving of her Oscar, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks, and Amanda Seyfried very well cast, and Sasha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter delightfully evil.
Russell Crowe is the obvious stand out in the fact that he just can’t sing and it’s very obvious. He’s a great actor and does his best, but I just wish a different actor had played the role.
However, one man was perfectly cast and delivers a powerhouse performance that is likely the best of an already remarkable career, and that is Hugh Jackman. He brings the dramatic gravitas, the charisma, and the startling voice that Jean Valjean requires, and he dominates this film.
I think the TV adaptation on BBC last year starring Dominic West, David Oyelowo and Lily Collins is a superior version of the story, but that doesn’t take a way from what a strong effort this movie is.
Rating = 3.5/5
My love for Les Mis all began with the musical film- which I had to give a 2nd chance. Now, seen the stage show six times. My love for the musical is what led me to reading the unabridged book and the PBS series last year. My passion for musicals was created due to Les Mis.
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