Les Misérables (2012)

Les Miserables, a massive start filled film, given so much mixed feedback from so many people. But is it really as bad as some say?

'It is time for us all to decide who we are. Do we fight for the right to a night at the opera now? Have you asked of yourself what's the price you might pay? Is this simply a game for a rich young boy to play? The colours of the world are changing day by day! Red, the blood of angry men! Black, the dark of ages past! Red, a world about to dawn! Black, the night that ends at last!'
For the sake of this film, I shall only briefly give my thoughts on the songs and story line, simply because it is a hugely successful stage show across the world. The story follows that of Jean Valjean, a French prisoner who is being released after 19 years. He vows to make a better life for himself then that of just a prisoner and, after several years, he does. One of his workers gets fired and the worker has to do everything she can to earn money to send to her child (Cosette). By chance he finds out about it and goes to look after her. The story really starts once Cosette (Now played by Amanda Seyfried) has grown up and the French revolution has started.

For those that don't already know, almost all of Les Misérables is sung. There are a few points when they just talk, but these moments are rare. The story line is very captivating and the songs, with the use of both lyrics and music score, are very moving. But this doesn't really change from the stage show. What I really wish to talk about here is the casting, locations, props and costumes and the directing of the whole film.

The look of the film, from the very first shot is beautiful. The animation and special effects look realistic, which only enhances the beauty. In the opening section of the film there are large sweepings shots of mountains, docks and a sea. It is all very captivating and achieves two things. One is showing off the animation (and budget) of this film, and the second is it lets us get a good look at some of the locations within the film, even if they are only there for a scene or two.

Most people, when watching this film, had a problem with the casting in this film. Yes, when you look at all the big names throughout the film it does feel like most people were cast because they are know. However, in my opinion, most of the actors and actresses were well chosen. I do feel though that Amanda Seyfried was wrongly cast. Maybe it's because I have watched Mama Mia too much, but I don't feel that she suited the character of Cosette. Russell Crowe was another odd choice. He looked the part, but at times his performance fell a little short of the standard set by the rest of the cast.

The casting made three really good choices, in my opinion. One was Hugh Jackman, who pulled of Jean Valjean wonderfully. I enjoyed his singing voice and he really played the character well. He looked the part and he portrayed the characters emotions really well. The other two great castings were Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen. They played the two greedy pub owners who were assigned to look after Cosette. These two characters were designed to be comedic and everything about them works perfectly. Just look at the picture below!


Out of all the casting that I enjoyed, these two were the best. Hans down. They look the part, sound the part and are just amazing. But then again, when isn't Helena Bonham Carter?

The costumes are amazing. Everything looks believable even the various slightly exaggerated costumes of Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen. They look how they should. Whether it be tattered old rags or a solider's uniform. It all looks good, and so do the props. They look like they have been pulled through time, even the barricade is done well. They actually throw chairs, tables and a piano out of windows to create this in the film and I am sure most of those pieces, if not all, were used to create the barricade.

With all that said and done, my biggest problem with the whole experience is the fact that there are too many big names. The thing I really enjoy about a film is seeing unknown actors starting their careers next to big names, and there was very little of this. The young Cosette is an unknown actress, but she only appears for what felt like 10 minutes. Although most of the cast play their roles well, those that do stick out stop it from being an all round amazing performance, and it really affects how special the film feels.

Overall I enjoyed this film. Most of the acting was top quality, as you would expect from this star filled cast. The singing was very good too, if not for some weaker moments from different people, but they all sang really well most of the time. Even if you are not a massive fan of this kind of film, it is definitely worth going to it just for Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen. The story line follows the stage show extremely closely, from what I remember, so big fans of the show shouldn't be too disappointed by it. I would definitely recommend it, but for all the great shots, amazing cast and costume, I feel that there is something special missing. That magic, for lack of a better word.

Rating; 8/10