7/28/2019 Les Misrables 2012 film review

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Les Misrables

By: Jaycee Angeline Candelario Lorenzo

Award winning director, Tom Hooper tries to create musical history through a remake of

Victor Hugos classic Les Misrables. The most talked about film of 2012 made lots of peoplecurious on what the buzz was about and sent Broadway fans lining up in cinemas. Apparently,

Les Mis (todays common term) was first to enter the live-on-set-singing-world among filmed

musicals, sending a new rush of sensations to the usual theatre staged novel. The films bold

approach and star-studded cast yield a good line of patrons and spectators outside the movie

house. But the question remains: Did Hoopers Les Mis live out our expectations?

Set on French revolution, rows of dirty, chained prisoners pulling a ship sang Look

down! Look down! when Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) was given his freedom after serving for

19 years, and was eventually set to an endless chase with Javert (Russell Crowe) when he broke

his parole. The films opening was vivid in a sense that no other musical had ever gone through.

A little different approach on the usual take, but different isnt entirely good. It lacked of the

impressive voice quality which was the trademark of musicals, but definitely made up to it for

being clear and realistic.

Years after, a pariah named Fantine (Anne Hathaway) was at her lowest point when

Valjean, a changed man nurtured her and promised to care of her child, not long before she

sang the tear-jerking I Dreamed a Dream. This song was a crucial part of the movie and

basically affects the impression of the film taken as a whole. Though there was an unnecessary

close-up of Fantine that was off-putting when the audience preferred to take in the actor with a

view of their environment, I perfectly understood that Hooper just wanted to emphasize the

actors facial features and feelings to convey the desired emotion. Nonetheless youve got to

admit, Anne Hathaways version was the best so far and most heart-felt.

Then comes the love trio of Marius (Eddie Redmayne), Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) and

Eponine (Samantha Barks). Well basically, its the love story of Marius and Cosette, but comes

as usual, a third wheel who eventually tries to get the guy, but fails. However that was not the

case, Eponine garnered most of the empathy (including mine) of the viewers who understood

that it wasnt erroneous to fall in love and hope that someday, you could be together. On My

Own was just at hand to lay it on thick of the sadness already in the story and could well be

removed. But then, Les Mis wouldnt be Les Mis without it.

On another note, the Thenardirs (Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter)

performance didnt seem quite as ecstatic as that performed on theatres and went for the

7/28/2019 Les Misrables 2012 film review

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seductive turn, which shouldve been improved since the characters were supposed to lighten

the mood up a bit and take a break from all that drama. But the duo still gave that playful and

nasty aura that people love so much.

Things were heating up when we reached the peak and it was hard to keep up with,since the storylines pace was going in a blur and the scenes getting more complex. Spoken

dialogues wouldve sufficed some acts better and Hoopers vision about singing all the narrative

parts did the first half of the film great but that tactic didnt work too well for the rest of the

movie. In the end it was greatly, greatly made up with the unexpected turn of events on the

remarkable ending. The contented faces of those who sacrificed their life for something they

really believed in, made me cry a lot more for 10 minutes and make me reminisce an

astonishing movie for the rest of my life. Hoopers Les Mis may not be perfect in some terms,

but it was well executed and definitely opened up a new world for musicals. It had its own

impressive moments and parts that only this version can ever give to viewers.