Review - Les Miserables Movie

GRADE: B+ 

Of course I enjoyed it - I'm a Les Miserables fanatic.  But it was not perfect.

This is a review of the movie for those who know the story, know the musical, and can even name many of the actors.  This review spoils everything, does not review the story at all, but rather the mechanics, the casting, writing, and filming.


Here's what was great: 

1. New Song: "Suddenly" was very needed because it finally gives Valjean a reason to care so deeply for Cosette. Before in the musical, he finds her, takes her away from Thenardiers, and then suddenly loves her like a daughter with no explanation.

 2. Colm Wilkinson as the Bishop: Having the original Valjean in the movie was genius. He sang it well.

3. Adding Marius' Grandfather: It was a needed addition to the story line to show how Marius can have this rich extravagant wedding and care for Cosette well.

4. Gavroche: He was amazing. His face and singing was perfect. The moment with Javert and the pin was very touching. My personal favorite addition was the fact that Gavroche lives in an elephant statue. That is taken directly from the book, and I appreciated it.

 5. The Revolution scenes: They look so real. The war is real, the despair is real, and the outcome is real. Tragic, and real. It was well filmed

6. Javert toe's the line: During "Stars" and "Suicide" he literally toe's the line on the ledge, and the symbolism is deep.

7. Fixing the ending. They finally took Eponine out of the song when Valjean is dying and going to heaven. It never made sense. Replacing her with the Bishop made it a great ending. (I wrote a whole blog post about this before)

 8. Many singers: Marius, Enjolras, Grantaire, Cosette (old and young), Eponine, Gavroche, the Bishop, and Fantine all did an amazing job. Madame Thernardier sang it exactly like the concert version - which was great. Valjean and Mr. Thernardier were good. Javert was fair.

Thing that they messed up: 

1. Russell Crowe. I think they should have cast someone else - but even so - they screwed up worse. They added new lines just for the movie, they were lines that were only going to be sung by one person (Russell Crowe) in one movie. WHY did they write them in a high octave?!?! They made Crowe sound ridiculous by writing him high notes to sing/speak when they could easily have written them in his range. That was dumb.

2. Changing "I have bought your soul for God." They made it "I have saved your soul for God" instead. The book and the original say "bought." Why change it?

3. New lines being sung with odd melodies. Many of the new lines were important, but the music was poor, and they sounded very forced.

4. Bring Him Home - Sorry, but Hugh Jackman couldn't sing it high and soft like it needs to be. He had to belt it out to make it work - which ruined it.

I thought was a very good movie. It tells the story very VERY well. It all makes sense, it is emotional, and it draws you in and makes you weep. I'll buy it. I wasn't perfect, but I recommend it.

To prove how much of a Les Miserables nerd I am:
Here are the prediction I made about the movie back in September

Here is my abridgment of the entire book (500 pages)

Here is my comparison of Valjean with Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof

Les Miserables Predictions:

Yes - I am one of THOSE people.  I love Les Miserables.  I mean REALLY love it.
Due to lack of funds and time I have only been to see the stage musical twice - but here are a few examples of how much I love the story:

I have read the unabridged book 3 times.
I have read 3 abridged versions.
I have abridged my own version because I don't think anyone else "did it right."

I own the 10th Anniversary "In-Concert" DVD
I own the 25th Anniversary "In-Concert" Blu-Ray even though I don't own a blu-ray player. (I refused to buy the DVD because I wanted higher quality)

I watched the 25th Anniversary concert in a movie theater in Reno because I didn't want to wait to buy the blu-ray.  (which I still can't watch)

I can recognize and name everyone from the original cast, the 10th Anniversary cast, and the 25th.

Get the picture?  I'm sure I'm not the biggest fanatic out there - but I might make the short list.

WITH ALL THAT SAID - Here are my predictions:

Prediction #1 - The movie will be a huge success - and not because of people like me.  I see this movie kind of like the JJ Abrams version of Star Trek.  There are fanatical Star Trek fans around the world - but that isn't the reason that Abrams version succeeded.  His version made over $350 million while the last Star Trek movie before his made just $60 million.
Why?
He made it for the masses.  He left enough classic trek material and enough fun inside jokes that trekkers could love it - but even if you had never even heard of Kirk or Spock - you could still love the movie.

That is what Tom Hooper is doing with Les Mis.  He didn't cast Lea Salonga and Alfie Boe, or even Michael Ball (amazing singers from the show) - he cast Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Helena Bonham Carter.

He cast film actors.

He also included enough classic Les Mis to satisfy fans like me.  The original ValJean (Colm Wilkinson) is playing the Bishop.  Samantha Barks is playing Eponine.

Which brings us to...

Prediction #2 - The name that will be on everyone's lips will be Samantha Barks.

Yes - people will say that Anne Hathaway gave a beautiful and heart wrenching performance.  Hugh Jackman held his own as ValJean, no one knew Russell Crowe could sing and he actually did fairly well. 

They will say that Helena Bonham Carter was perfect in her role - the freaky and intimidating but funny Madame Thernardier.  Her husband, Sacha Baron Cohen will also get some good reviews.
Cosette (Amand Seyfried) will be mediocre.

The name that will be talked and talked and talked about - will be Samantha Barks.  Why - because she is amazing, and she is relatively unknown.

She has never been in a movie that wasn't a recording of Les Miserables.  Her T.V. appearances were on a reality show - auditioning for the lead female role in the musical "Oliver!"
She can act, she can sing, she's gorgeous, and she is going to be the best singer in the movie - and people will notice.  This will be her breakthrough to the masses.

Prediction #3 - More musicals will follow suit with the "live recording of songs." Very few musicals use vocal recordings from the set - they're always recorded in a studio and then the actors lip sync on the movie set.  Les Mis is one of the first in a long time to try it - and I think they'll succeed and start a trend.  They'll have to clean up some of the tacks, and some will have studio recordings mixed in (Amanda Seyfried) - but most will be live recordings, and audiences will love the change.

Hugh Jackman explains it here:

Prediction #4 - SPOILER WARNING! The Bishop (Colm Wilkinson) will be in the last scene. 

The musical really screws up one scene - the last one.  In the end, Valjean is dying. 
In the book it goes this way:

"Do you want a priest?"
"I have one," answered Jean Valjean.
And, with his finger, he seemed to designate a point above his head, where, you would have said, he saw some one. It is probable that the Bishop was indeed a witness of this death-agony.

In the musical Fantine and Eponine appear to ValJean  They sing a beautiful duet and take him to heaven.  It's nice, but it doesn't make sense (I've written an entire blog post about why)
In the film this will be fixed for two reasons. 

1. It makes sense.
2. They want Colm Wilkinson to have one last moment at the end of the film - one last goodbye to the role he defined.  He was the original ValJean, and they'll let him end it.

oh - and here is a screen shot from the trailer that shows ValJean and the Bishop - and ValJean is NOT dressed like a convict.  (hint hint)


The film opens Christmas day.  Enjoy.