Review of Les Misérables (2012) by Patricia W — 14 Sep 2017

I'm not usually a fan of musicals but I really enjoyed Les Miserables. Based on the French novel by Victor Hugo and the Broadway musical, Les Miserables tells the story of ex-prisoner Jean Valjean, on the run from a ruthless policeman Javert for breaking parole whose life changes for the better when he agrees to care for the daughter of an unfortunate factory worker.

The majority of the singing in this film is excellent, Anne Hathaway gives an extremely raw and emotional performance as Fantine, Hugh Jackman belts his heart out as Jean Valjean and Eddie Redmayne and Samantha Barks, as Marius and Eponine, have excellent solos.

The only place it falls down is with Russell Crowe who falls woefully short in the singing department, his delivery is flat, lifeless and you can hear his voice straining to hit the notes. It's a shame because with such a pivotal role, his solos don't have the impact they should and you find yourself waiting for his scenes to be over.

Jean Valjean's story is very well told and he has an excellent character arc as does Marius but unfortunately some characters such as Eponine and Cosette are rather neglected for less important comedy characters.

This film is emotionally focussed and if you get invested in the characters you will thoroughly enjoy the experience.