Sunday, January 20, 2013

Movie Review: Les Misérables

If Les Misérables was filmed like a typical musical, I probably would have no interest in it - I admit, the live singing (and maybe the hype) intrigued me. Sure, they could've cast better singers who were vocally up to the task, but the vocal imperfections were justified by the magnificent acting performances from the cast. Anne Hathaway in particular was sensational in all her scenes and the way she turned I Dreamed A Dream into a sincere cry of pain was impressive and emotional. Plus, Eddie Redmayne's Empty Chair at Empty Tables was equally spectacular. The lack of camera movement and the endless close ups were a bit distracting, but that's mostly a nitpick. Under the wrong direction, Les Misérables could have been a disaster, but Tom Hooper did fine and the average film crowd will not even notice the flaws of his work. 8.5
Posted by DAM at 1:55 AM
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4 comments:

Valentina said...

Loved the book... Sure to love the movie... Hugh jackman n russel Crowe in one movie!!!! Beat that!!M

January 20, 2013 at 12:18 PM
destinyscayin said...

I have to agree with the excessive close-ups. Also, while I find Russell Crowe to be a good actor I couldn't get past the bad (ok -- barely adequate) singing. It's a musical, hence I expect good singing and I think it should be a priority when they did the casting esp for a part that's as huge as Javert. It would've been a whole lot better if they went with broadway actors to be on the film (ex RENT).. yea I know, we don't live in an ideal world. You could see the ease with actors that have broadway experience, Hugh Jackman (Jean Valjean), Samantha Barks (Eponine) Aaron Tveit (Eljoras) and Colm Wilkinson.

January 21, 2013 at 12:09 PM
DAM said...

destinyscayin: Actually, I didn't mind Russell Crowe's flawed singing. It gives his performance a raw vibe to it and he did pull of the acting, which worked for me. Personally, I think amazing vocals are required on Broadway to make sure everyone in the audience can hear the words. Movie actors, on the other hand, is all about nuance. But that's just me. :)

January 21, 2013 at 6:05 PM
Anonymous said...

Anne will get her Oscar, no doubt.

I agree, Eddie Redmayne's Empty Chair at Empty Tables was spectacular, as well as Samantha Barks On My Own.

January 23, 2013 at 10:12 PM

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