Les Miserables - LetterboxD Review

Original Review Link

I'm not generally a fan of musicals. With the exception of Tim Burton's Sweeny Todd and Baz Luhrman's Moulin Rouge, they've never really taken my fancy (a few other exceptions but the general rule stands)... so until I read the press and heard the reviews, I wasn't expecting much from Les Mis... The early word came and all things looked and sounded positive. Take Russell Crowe out of the equation and you've got a an enjoyable, well made, fantastically acted romp with a standout, scene stealing performance from Anne Hathaway who is heavily tipped for more major awards over the coming weeks (time will tell!).

Sadly, the film could not hold my interest. While for the most part it is well put together, the story itself and the songs themselves (in the context of a musical, one could argue the two most crucial elements), failed to engage me. The persistently bleak tone of the film and the fractured narrative jumping from one episodic story to another both conspired against me and by the end, I really didn't care much for these characters.

There are many positives. An uplifting finale beautifully constructed in the same vein (though not as emotionally fulfilling) as It's a Wonderful Life whereby a mountain of negativity can create a tidal wave of emotion when something good finally happens... is fittingly upbeat and triumphantly closes the film out...

The performances are generally top notch. Hathaway is very good whenever she is on screen. Jackman is also very good, carrying the film as the one constant throughout the story. I, for one, am not in the anti-Russell Crowe camp and personally thought his performance was perfectly acceptable and in no way as bad as anyone has made it out to be in the press. Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter do feel like they have just wandered on to the set from Sweeny and while, again, there is little wrong with the performances, it does seem a little derivative of their past works.

So that's it. It may just be me... there are certainly enough people out there who have raved about the film to suggest that for fans of either the theatrical production or musicals in general, this is one hell of a film. For me sadly, it did very little.

I rated this film 2 and a half stars out of 5 although I suspect Miss Hathaway may be one of the favourites for the Best Actress Oscar next month!