Les Miserables The Movie Christmas 2012

[CJ-Rochester]

Thanks Joe and Steven! I have seen reviews all over the board about this. Most of the negative ones seem to come from people who didn't really care for the stage show or the score to begin with. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. I am waiting another day so I can see it with my mom and sister, both of whom love the show. We are looking forward to it. "One day more".

[rob_hanson1979]

Is the movie soundtrack out yet?

[jdmag44]

YES

The movie sound track is available on Amazon - in stock and delivered in two days.

[CJ-Rochester]

I just came back from the movie with my mom and sister. Joe and Steven summed things up very well. I am glad I didn't see it the first day. By waiting I heard reactions from many friends on Facebook, mostly good but some not so good. The less favorable reviews helped to reset my expectations. For those who haven't seen it yet but are planning to, just know that this is not a concert and not the stage show. The vocal performances are good (some are quite outstanding), but many of the songs are more dramatic interpretation instead of pure singing.

Hugh Jackman clearly deserves an Oscar and all the accolades he has received. I don't get all of the obsession with Russel Crowe and whether or not he can sing. Even if he was terrible it would still be a great movie. He isn't terrible, just not great either, but ok.
Ann Hathaway’s acting performance is wonderful, however I thought it becomes overdone in her song. All of the convulsions turned a beautiful song into a nightmare. I loved all of the rest of the cast. They are each very appropriate for what one expects of these characters. The cameo appearance by Colm Wilkinson as the bishop was a special bonus for this long time "Les Mis" fan.

There were a few directing choices I didn't care for, ie: in how some numbers were shortened, but most of it I loved. Some of the musical numbers are put in different order than the stage version. These changes actually work quite well and make complete sense. There are some nice new touches not found in the stage version. The bit with Javert and Gavroche at the barricade came as a complete shock. You have to see it to know what I mean, I won't give it away. I think that brief scene will move even the hardest of hearts.

I did not cry at all during the movie but was in tears at the very end. After 2 1/2 hours during which I had gotten used to this being a different portrayal than the stage version, they went and made the final two scenes pretty much exactly like what a lover of the stage version would expect to see on the big screen. This fan is quite satisfied.
-Chris

[CJ-Rochester]

Here's a really fun parody of Les Mis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa-EwjAQXEw

[jdmag44]

THAT'S REALLY FUNNY They have great voices. Thanks for sharing that.

[ERinVA]

Looks like Abbe and Tessa need to meet each other.

Now, it's time for me to confess that although I tried very hard to like the movie of "Les Miserables," I came away disappointed. As I commented elsewhere, if you want to know where the voices are in the film, you must wait until the second half when the Revolutionaries appear, because that's where the singers are, and that is where the energy is. There are several veterans of the stage version and/or other musicals among that group, and it really shows in their voices.

Now I know that Hugh Jackman has done some musical theatre, such as "The Boy from Oz," and "Oklahoma," but his voice is merely passable. Russell Crowe can carry a tune, but that's it. Ann Hathaway's voice is fine, but since Fantine is a small role, she doesn't save the first half. Helena Bonham Carter can't sing, and her Mrs. Lovett was plucked directly out of "Sweeney Todd" and deposited bodily into this film. The same thing applies to Sasha Baron Cohen. Beyond that, I felt that the scenes with the Thenardiers simply were not funny (that is not to say they weren't trying to be). I realize that in the novel, the characters are not comedic, but if you are going to put the musical onto celluloid, then the Thenardiers need to be funny, as they are on stage.

So that brings us to the acting. Jackman is fine, but some scenes, such as the one in the chapel when JVJ has his epiphany, seem overwrought, probably more as a result of the direction than his acting. Crowe seems very miscast to me. He seems so uncomfortable with the singing that it affects his acting to the point he is like a block of wood. I think he is going for implacable, which of course Javert must be, but there is no obsessive fire to his character, which is necessary to give Javert his true menace. Amanda Seyfried and Eddie Redmayne are fine. They both look dewy and fresh-faced, and they can both sing, so I give them passing grades.

Lastly, I thought much of the CGI in this film did not work. The opening scene with the ship was so fake that all I could think about while watching was how fake it was. Perhaps if I hadn't seen the promo video that showed the making of that scene, I would have come closer to believing it, but the ship just didn't work. And that wasn't the only scene where the CGI flunked for me. I had the same problem with the huge crowd scenes, and Javert's big finale on the bridge was a no-go as well.

Maybe I went to see the film on the wrong day, but I had expected a much better film than the one I saw. I'll just pass along this review from the NY Times: http://movies.nytimes.com/2012/12/25/mo ... m_20121228

[dongringo]

Ouch! I think I'll have to pass on this movie.

[kport]

Ouch! I think I'll have to pass on this movie.

I saw it yesterday; the cinema was half full, which is quite good for a lunch time matinee on a sunny Florida afternoon.

We can all have our views, but the audience gave it a standing ovation at the end.

[dongringo]

Ouch! I think I'll have to pass on this movie.

I saw it yesterday; the cinema was half full, which is quite good for a lunch time matinee on a sunny Florida afternoon.

We can all have our views, but the audience gave it a standing ovation at the end.

Interesting...I'll see it then when it hits the second run theaters.