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Les Miserables Movie Review

Les Miserables is a 2012 musical film directed by Tom Hooper and starring Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe. It’s such an underrated delight.

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“To love another person is to see the face of God“

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We all know the famous story behind this respected novel so I won’t sum it up here too much. Basically a ruthless policeman hunts for decades a man who broke one small law. The story leads to the June Rebellion. This story was famous adapted before in 1935 for another Best Picture nominee and deservedly so as that movie is also hugely underrated and very cinematic.

But this one blew it out of the water in my book as it’s even more cinematic and grandiose. Let’s first talk about the story and characters. Unlike that film, this one obviously utilized its female characters much more and to great results as they are all memorable and rich.

Fantine is such a tragic figure and it’s difficult not to be heartbroken by her tragic life. Cosette is more memorable as a child and I love the father-daughter relationship between her and Jean. I liked Marius quite a bit and Eponine is also a solid character.

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They are all very well acted, but only Anne Hathaway of the aforementioned stands out, though Eddie Redmayne is very good in his very early role. Needless to say, Hathaway entirely deserved her Oscar win and it might be the most deserved win in the history of that award. That’s because her singing is fabulous here and simply stupendous whereas her acting has never been better in this very powerful role. She killed it in all the emotional moments with both her eyes and facial expressions. Nobody could see this coming, but she emerged as a real powerhouse after this film.

Helena Bonham Carter and Sasha Baron Cohen may seem as detours to some, but to me they are delightful as these very much needed comic reliefs in a hugely dark movie that needed them. They were perfectly cast for sure.

As for the main two, Russell Crowe is the weaker link, though he’s still amazing in his acting alone as he emotes so well. He’s great, but his singing definitely is the worst of the movie, but still not terrible in my opinion as many have harshly pinpointed.

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But Hugh Jackman sang his heart out and he truly has an amazing voice. He’s the best singer here along with Hathaway. His performance throughout is masterful, very nuanced, emotional and highly dramatic, but also sweet at times. He did it all and he would have rightfully won an Oscar if he hadn’t met the ultimate baiting monster in the form of Daniel Day-Lewis.

I found the overall story superbly crafted. It relies so heavily on characterization which is fantastic here so it’s successful in its entirety. The same goes for the emotional investment which is absolutely huge here as Fantine’s song is simply heartbreaking and the ending is also one of the standouts as a perfectly moving conclusion. The main chase is also stupendously achieved, and I loved the conflict in Javert’s character. The action/war sequences are great as well and the movie is beyond epic.

Some have accused Les Miserables of being bombastic which is definitely a valid criticism, but I personally loved it all the more for it as I love this approach at storytelling. I prefer it over subdued approach when it comes to epics and huge book adaptations. I miss these epic Hollywood pictures of yesteryear and this one provided that feeling of grandeur for me again. Thus, I am most grateful for it.

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This film is obviously an all-singing musical. Of course it’s not everyone’s cup of tea given that the entire dialogue is literally sung through and through, but I love that stuff so I ate this up. I felt that I was watching a full-on Broadway musical, but an extremely cinematic one which is just an amazing mix to be had.

Let’s state some of the highlights as I cannot comment upon each song in this huge musical with so many numbers, but thankfully many of the best were repeated a couple of times, but with changed lyrics, and that was a terrific choice that paid off for me.

Look Down is so damn powerful and classical in its feel that it instantly made that opening and the whole movie irresistible. It was the best way to open the film for sure. Valjean’s Soliloquy is by far one of the most character-rich, complex numbers here as it explains the character of Jean Valjean superbly.

Suddenly was Oscar-nominated and deservedly so as it’s such an emotional, wonderful number. And of course how can you not love Do You Hear the People Sing? This number is a perfect uplifter, and you couldn’t have a better rebellion song that’s really meant to inspire people to go on the streets for change.

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However, I Dreamed a Dream remains the heart and soul of this film. Hearing Fantine’s entire life story through this song was just heartbreaking. It is the essential moment for the character and a quintessential example of how to properly do characterization and emotion through a song in a musical. This iconic number is beautiful in lyrics and absolutely stunning in its entirety while it was stupendously sung by Hathaway and acted. It’s one of the best sequences in the history of cinema.

Les Miserables is a bit uneven movie as of course its first half is better than the second half, but that’s because nobody can follow the greatness that was that first half. It’s still a great, hugely underrated movie that is also technically accomplished with stunning costumes, amazing sets and great-looking France. The cinematography is fabulous as the takes, close-ups and shifts are epic and the entire film is majestic in scope and execution. Tom Hooper’s direction is suitably grand. It entirely deserved all of its Oscar nominations and it should have had more wins.

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Les Miserables remains one of the best musicals of all time and one of the most underrated films of this decade. It’s technically accomplished from beautiful sets and costumes to amazing cinematography and a thrillingly grandiose feel to it. It’s a very moving, frequently even heartbreaking film that benefits from terrific characterization and fabulous performances from its entire cast. Hugh Jackman is phenomenal and he would have won an Oscar had he not run into the ultimate baiter of them all. And Anne Hathaway here surprised everyone with the greatest performance of her career which won her an Oscar which just might be the most deserved win in the history of that category. There are many great numbers here from Suddenly to Look Down to Do You Hear the People Sing? However, I Have a Dream is not only the best song, but this entire sequence is so incredibly touching, so well-acted, so perfect and chilling in every way that it surely is one of the greatest scenes in the history of cinema.

My Rating – 5