Fronted by an impressive cast that includes the likes of Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and Anne Hathaway, Tom Hooper's big screen interpretation of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables is as mesmerizing as the story it tells.
Backed by impressive sets that help to distinguish the nineteenth century French setting, the film flows evenly through its many sequences while using music to tell its central message. Lyrics replace spoken dialogue during the entire 158-minute feature, and the underlying score helps to carry the story along during its character building moments.
While Jackman has a bit of Broadway background, I was most impressed with the work of Anne Hathaway as Fantine, a factory worker whose daughter, Cosette, becomes the central player in this decades-spanning story. Hathaway's performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" is the single best moment in the film, and her short stint makes her effect on you all the more noticeable. Her voice was easily the most impressive in the cast as well, a feat which should not be taken lightly when considering her co-stars.
I will admit that the story is a bit complex (and did I mention long) and the grand finale had its fair share of problems (including a long and tiresome fade that left me holding up a white flag with nearly fifteen minutes left before the final curtain call), but at the heart of the matter, Les Misérables is miraculously entertaining. Sure, it was made with the fans' best interest at heart, but any other approach would have doomed the big screen adaptation.
More than likely, those who are baffled at the appeal of a musical and those who simply don't get this epic story will find the film a bit over-the-top, melodramatic, and tiresome. But that really is fine. Those who adore the world's longest running musical will find Tom Hooper's take on the classic story a deserving tribute to the world's longest running musical production.
