Les Misérables - 8.5/10
A spectacularly directed musical with bravura performances from a talented cast.
I've been looking forwards to this musical since I saw the teaser trailer back in August before The Dark Knight Rises. I saw it last night and was blown away. There was a lot resting on the shoulders of director Tom Hooper, but with an all star cast and one long gripping story, we all had faith. And sure enough, this movie did not disappoint.
Set against 19th century Paris in the midst of a revolution, Jean Valjean is a freed convict-turned-Mayor who finds himself relentlessly pursued by Inspector Javert and on the way meets factory worker Fantine, whose now grown up daughter in Valjean's care falls in love with student revolutionary Marius Pontmercy against the backdrop of the 1832 Paris Uprising.
The Cast:
Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean: The 'star of the show' as it were, Jackman makes this role his own, with sincere performances that suit his voice and while there are people who could have sung the songs better than him, the fragile element of his voice convinces me that he's just an honest man with a tarnished reputation who wants to move on.
Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert: While Crowe is undoubtedly the weakest cast member voice-wise, there were some scenes when I saw him and felt his character. Although he was among some more talented singers, he still came across to me as a good actor, maybe for a non-musical version but I can think of better people who could have portrayed the complex character with a little more dexterity.
Anne Hathaway as Fantine: Anne really came into this role. Her raw, heartfelt rendition of the song we've all come to know and love: I Dreamed A Dream was second to none and no doubt Oscar worthy. Shot in one take with one camera, the close ups of her battered, bruised face and the tears in her eyes no doubt had half the audience crying with her. One of, if not the best performance of this character I've heard or seen.
Amanda Seyfried as Cosette: Seyfried, while maybe not everyone's first choice to play Cosette nevertheless won me over with her childlike innocence and her chemistry with Marius, although they had limited screentime together. Her impossibly high notes also impressed.
Samantha Barks as Eponine: Barks really was made for this role, having played it on stage before. As her debut film too, she really made it her own and stole the audience with her song 'On My Own'. As a West End singer you could tell she was holding back voice-wise but that didn't stop her. I felt her death scene was a little rushed, however but Barks completely came into this character and was a natural in front of the camera.
Eddie Redmayne as Marius: Adorable Eddie as Marius, the student revolutionary who falls head over heels with Cosette. Another Oscar-worthy performance who, I think, has been slightly overlooked. His performance of 'Empty Chairs at Empty Tables' was sad and you could hear the regret in his voice over his dead friends. Another bravura performance.
Sacha Baron Cohen & Helena Bonham Carter as thhe Thenardiers: These two were made to play the Thenardiers. Adding just the right amount of comic relief in the film really made them stand out as crooked innkeepers, and their shining song 'Master of the House' is one I was especially looking forward to, and it did not disappoint. Kudos to them both.
The Film:
One of the best things about this film was the choice to record singing live on set rather than in a studio. You could hear the cold in the voices, hear the anguish and heartbreak, rather than a determination to lip sync properly that the manufactured voices of some movies seem to have, and it added a heightened sense of realism to the movie that many others lack. The little imperfections made them more relatable, which is probably why half the theatre were singing along with the revolutionaries, crying to the dreams she dreamed and laughing with the Thenardiers. Hooper's direction, too was second to none, as the prospect of actors singing live on a scale this big is intimidating enough to make anyone quiver, but he managed it and managed it well. The special effects are explosive, artistic, and I'll mention it again, the amazing cast performances were the icing on top of the cake. Overall, the scale of this production and the hype around it are quite unnecessary: it would still be a great adaptation of one of the best musicals of all time.
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