Review of Les Misérables (2012) by Simon T — 05 Sep 2016

The cohesive strengths of the original Nunn-Caird RSC staging are almost entirely lost in Tom Hooper's lopsided and strangely unaffecting film version. His decision to have everyone sing live doesn't work, and the way the locations zip from Portsmouth to Greenwich to a very obvious and stagey Montmartre inside Pinewood Studios doesn't help.

The singing - with the exception of Anne Hathaway's tremendous Fantine - is terrible. Eddie Redmayne seems to be channelling Mandy Patinkin, Russell Crowe hits most of the right notes but seems bored, and Hugh Jackman sings through his nose, although his acting is fine.

First half good, second half tedious.