Les Misérables (2012) - 9 stars out of 10

Les Misérables (2012) - 9 stars out of 10
Oscar Week

"Les Mis" is the epic film adaptation of the famous musical that we have all been waiting for.  The film would have benefited from an Intermission as its operatic setting created an inevitable 160 minutes of continual singing, but the performances are nothing short of incredible.  Claude-Michel Schönberg's music is done justice by this talented ensemble cast.  Russell Crowe really turned some heads with his unexpected performance as Javert.  Who knew that this guy could sing?  And yet, he commanded every scene with his booming baritone voice and energetic stage presence.  Hugh Jackman has received universal critical acclaim for his portrayal as Jean Valjean and, while his acting was wonderful, it was very apparent at points that he was not always a tenor.  There were some shining moments when he popped out an impressive full voiced high note, but his softer passages in the upper range were less than stellar and his vibrato really bothered me.  Anne Hathaway, on the other hand, was stunning.  She may only have 15 minutes of screen time but those are the best minutes of the entire movie.  She wrapped up the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress with her tear-jerking rendition of "I Dreamed A Dream," expressing the anguish of Fantine through her tears.  I get chills just thinking about it.  I didn't feel as if Sacha Baron Cohen really belonged in this film but he was great as the innkeeper and played perfectly off of Helena Bonham Carter.  Amanda Seyfried had some nice moments as Cosette, but also had some not nice moments.  The best surprises for me were Isabelle Allen as Young Cosette (and looks EXACTLY like the illustration from the original Victor Hugo novel) and Daniel Huttlestone as Gavroche - I don't know how these young kids can have such amazingly clear singing voices.  Also, Samantha Barks really impressed me as Éponine, nailing the second-most emotional moment of the film singing "On My Own."  For as wonderful as it was to take in these performances, the true joy is the fact that these were all recorded live on-set (instead of ahead of time and lip-synching later).  I love that the director chose this method to give the on-screen emotions a certain authenticity.  The sets are great, the costumes are great, the setting is great, but the thing that makes "Les Misérables" memorable is its storytelling through seemingly unrelated characters who are brought together by their circumstances, and the amazing vocal performances that bring these characters to life.