I hated it. Tom Hooper butchered a great musical. It has a great cast, but that can't save it from atrocious direction. Hooper handcuffs his actors by shooting nearly the entire film in close up, and because they're singing live on set, most of the actors are too nervous to give the songs their proper energy. Russell Crowe is the best performer by a long shot because he's the most confident one on screen, even if he's not the strongest singer. The constant close ups struck me as really lazy.

Like I said in my Hobbit post, I'm pretty new to having opinions on movies, but this is one I've seen at the relevant time, so I might as well say things.

I haven't read the book, seen the stage musical, or any other adaptations (though I did watch a nostalgia chick video about it), so this was my first real experience with Les Mis.

First off, Anne Fucking Hathaway. Amazing. I've always had this weird bias against her for no particular reason, but she blew me away. Though, as Dorkman pointed out, that does mean the most compelling scene in the movie happens fairly early. Seriously though, if she doesn't make you cry, you have no soul.

The innkeepers really threw me at first. Once again agreeing with Dorkman that they didn't belong in this movie... From the introduction of HBC up until a few lines into "Master of the House" I was very nearly facepalming, but somewhere during that number they completely won me over by being more fun than they had any right to be.

I have a few other vague thoughts that are tough for me to really explain in text form, but I think my biggest issue with Les Mis was the "romance" between Cosette and Marius. They see each other across the street and simultaneously decide they need to spend the rest of their lives together? ...What? Cosette singing a song about how her life has completely changed... Because she saw a boy she thinks is cute? I... What?

I hate musicals.  Should I see this movie?

Let me clarify.  I hate the moment in musicals when the transition is made from speaking into song.  I can feel the gears shifting in the actors' heads and it drives me bonkers.  I'm intrigued by the fact that they recorded all the vocals on set for this flick, though, and it sure looks pretty.  I guess my question is about how the music is handled.  Is it more intimate than most musicals, or is it the usual dancing-in-the-streets nonsense?  Is it both?

- Branco