Les Misérables is a musical drama staged in France dated back to the 19th century follows Jean Valjean's release from prison and his encounter with a factory's worker daughter.
... Jackman, who should get a Nobel Prize for the way he carries pretty much the whole undertaking on his shoulders, so protean and virile is his singing and acting throughout.
Committed fans of the musical are likely to have their affections reaffirmed. The less devout, however, may conclude that in this case more is less, and fidelity not always a virtue.
At the heart of the "Les Misérables" movie was a good idea that just didn't work out this time. The idea was that the actors should sing their songs live on camera.
We're all familiar with the experience of seeing movies that cram ideas and themes down our throats. Les Misérables may represent the first movie to do so while also cramming us down the throats of its actors.
Film Comment Magazine
November 05, 2013
Ultimately the film's choppy, camera-goes-anywhere approach works well in translating a play that was never all that interested in the movement of bodies anyway-only their martyrdom.
(Director Tom) Hooper...cribs from musicals ranging from Oliver! to Cabaret to Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He misses the energy of those films, and doesn't accomplish the immediacy of Les Miz's stage incarnation.
