Movie Review: Les Miserables **Spoilers Included**

by B Condon 2:43 PM

There's no escaping this movie. Even after four days since having seen it, I still can't escape the images of  Eponine dying in Marius's arms,  The jaw-dropping build and performance of Hugh Jackman's performance of Valjean's Soliloquy, and especially no one can escape Anne Hathaway's all-encompassing performance of "I Dreamed a Dream." Susan Boyle, you can go sit back down.

I had been enthusiastic for this movie since I found out it was being made; wondering if the one image I remember vividly from Hugo's masterpiece would make it's appearance of Valjean carrying Marius through the sewers and Hooper did me proud. Hell, Hooper made Hugo proud, as was my one sentence review after seeing it. Outside of the musicality of it all; the cinematography was top-notch, the camera work was as a musical should do in the bravery of putting the camera close to the face -- showing how actors can encompass themselves within a character.

Crowe couldn't live up to it entirely, although he had some good musical *moments* (when Valjean sets him free) and plenty of great acting towards the end. Placing his badge on Gavroche's dead body was the most perfect touch before Javert gave us before a very stiff and unemotional Soliloquy. Jackman lived up to it in a way of evolving the voice and really being unafraid of the close-up camera ("Who Am I?" "Valjean's Soliloquy") and even daring to raise an octave to his singing as Valjean ages. Which is brilliant in concept, yet it was hard on the ears; yet the staging of it was brilliant using the song as a prayer and not a creeperish hymn as it is placed in the musical.

The real stars in this movie of Hugo's "Every-man." are clear and shining: the tragic Eponine (Samantha Barks), Marius Pontmercy (Eddie Redmayne), Enjolras (Aaron Tveit), Gavroche (Daniel Huttlestone), The Friends of the ABC and of course, the incomparable Anne Hathaway. I was surprised myself to be so involved with Enjolras, knowing him being played by  Ramin Karimloo. Tveit is the true star of this movie, next to Hathaway and Barks. But the main character that stands out beyond everyone is indeed Anne Hathaway, who's unflinching "I Dreamed a Dream" will make you lose all hope in humanity as a victim of the greedy Thenadiers (Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen, who certainly didn't disappoint either!)

Despite the occasional pop-inspired runs coming out of Seyfried (my birthday 24-hour homegirl), Redmayne and Crowe, I really have no issue with the movie at all as it is except dying that I couldn't hear Cohen do "Dog eat Dog" and "Do You Hear the People sing" couldn't last longer.

A lot of viewers who are not familiar with the beginning should know in advance that Valjean is such a flight risk to Javert is because he had tried to escape numerous times, but that is solely Hooper's fault in not including those lyrics and also for the sparseness of Act 1. Act 1 in the movie does seem to be more sparse than on stage but it balances it all out come the multitude of stories towards the end. And... the "Oh Santa" bit during Master of the House is STUPID but funny. But then the accurate "Oh Pierre Noel" just doesn't have the same fluidity. In the long run, and rather cheesy, I have to sum the movie up as "Do You Hear the People Weep?" Yep. I went there. This is a movie that will get under your skin and stay there.

Best Scenes:
"Valjean's Soliloquy," "On My Own," "Do You Hear the People Sing," "I Dreamed a Dream," "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," "Master of the House (Reprise)," "Who Am I?," "Drink With Me," "Suddenly," "ABC/Red and Black."

(While watching I did have the great fortune of my arm going numb due to holding hands the whole time. Just thought everyone should know.)