Review - Les Misérables (2012)

          Hey guys, Chuck here. Les Misérables, which was originally a novel by the legendary Victor Hugo, has been adapted to screen and stage in various ways, with the stage musical version by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schömberg being the most notable. In 2012, director Tom Hooper, fresh off his Oscar win with 2010's The King's Speech, brought the musical version of Les Misérables to life on the big screen. The film sports a star-studded cast, which includes High Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks, Aaron Tveit, Daniel Huttlestone, Fra Fee, Killian Donnelly, Hannah Waddingham, Kate Fleetwood, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, and Colm Wilkinson. 

          The movie opens in 1815 France, where we see a group of prisoners pulling a damaged ship into a dry dock for repairs. One such prisoner, Jean Valjean, is released in parole by a guard named Javert. Unfortunately, because he's viewed as a dangerous man, Valjean is doomed to be on parole for the rest of his life, and because of his status, no one is willing to give him a chance. However, a kindhearted Bishop is willing to give Valjean a warm meal and a bed for the night. However, Valjean takes advantage of this kindness and attempts to rip off the Bishop's silver. The next morning, when the authorities return Valjean with the silver, the Bishop covers for Valjean, claiming the silver was given to him. Satisfied, the authorities release Valjean, and the Bishop tells him to use this kindness to turn his life around. After a bit of an existential crisis, Valjean rips up his parole paperwork, discards his past, and decides to start a new life: one of an honest man. 

        Eight years later, and it's 1823. Valjean has become the Mayor of the town of Montreuil, where he also owns a local factory. Unfortunately, one of the women employed at the factory, Fantine, is dismissed over causing a ruckus. Why? Apparently, the others discovered a letter for her from an Innkeeper named Thénardier and his wife, who are caretakers for Fantine's daughter, Cosette. Fantine, at an all-time low point, winds up selling her hair and few teeth, and eventually goes into prostitution, all to make money for Cosette. And, of course, we get the iconic "I Dreamed a Dream" scene at this point in the movie, and it's incredible. Honestly, I don't think there's anything I can add that hasn't already been said. Anne Hathaway absolutely delivered an emotional and heartbreaking moment in this movie. 

        Anyway, Javert, now an inspector, nearly arrests Fantine for attacking a man, but Valjean steps in and takes her to a local hospital instead. Javert, initially suspicious of Valjean, learns the next day that the authorities apparently caught Valjean. Knowing that they have an imposter, Valjean goes before the court and reveals himself to be the real Jean Valjean. Valjean then visits Fantine in the hospital, and promises to take care of Cosette as his own child as Fantine dies. Javert, having learned the truth, attempts to apprehend Valjean, but the latter escapes and heads to the village where the Thénardiers' inn is located. Valjean negotiates terms and pricing for him to leave the village with Cosette, and the two depart. Unfortunately, on the way to Paris, Javert nearly catches Valjean and Cosette, but they are given shelter by a man Valjean saved from being crushed by a cart earlier. We then see Javert on a rooftop, singing about the stars. 

       Nine year later, and it's the year 1832. Valjean, who has raised Cosette into a beautiful young woman, is a philanthropist helping the poor of Paris. General Lemarque, the only government official sympathetic to the plights of the poor, ends up dying, and so a revolutionary group of teenagers known as the Friends of the ABC being to plot against the monarchy. A young man named Marius Pontmercy, meanwhile, falls in love at first sight with Cosette, and he asks his close friend Éponine, daughter of the Thénardiers, to set up a meeting. This complicates things, as Éponine herself is in love with Marius. Whoops. 

      Anyway, plans are in motion. The Friends of the ABC, which includes Marius and his friends Enjolras, Gavroche, Courfeyrac, Comberferre, and so forth will use the funeral of General Lemarque to rally the people of Paris to stand up for their freedom, Javert and the authorities will attempt to quell their efforts, with Javert joining their ranks in disguise, and Valjean and Cosette will leave to England. However, Cosette leaves behind a letter declaring her love for Marius. Éponine, meanwhile, dresses as a boy to join Marius in the fight. 

       At first, things go fairly well, as the Friends of the ABC draw enough support from the people of Paris, and are able to assemble a barricade outside of the tavern that they frequently hang out in. Javert volunteers to spy on the soldiers, but comes back with false Intel of no plans to attack that night. However, Gavroche sees through the lies, and Javert is captured. Soldiers arrive, and shots are fired back and forth. Éponine takes a bullet for Marius, and he drives the enemy force back by threatening to blow up the barricade and everyone on it. Marius and Éponine share a tender moment, and then she dies in his arms. Marius then sends Gavroche with a letter for Cosette, which is handed to Valjean, who goes to the barricade to keep Marius safe. After preventing a sneak attack from the rooftops, Valjean is given custody of Javert and lets him go free. 

       Unfortunately, the next morning doesn't go so well, as too many Parisians still are too fearful to stand against the monarchy, and thus the Friends of the ABC are at the only barricade left standing. Enjolras initially offers anyone who wishes to walk away, but Gavroche rallies the boys to make their stand, and dies doing so. The boys fight as best as they can, but they all meet a grim fate. Everyone, that is, except for Marius, who was saved by Valjean, and taken through the sewers to safety. Thénardier shows Valjean the exit, but Javert is waiting for him. Valjean walls away from Javert with Marius on his back, and Javert has an existential crisis, questioning the kind of man Valjean is. With no real answer in sight, Javert drops himself off a bridge into the river below, in a scene that could have been more dignified were it not for a silly sound effect added when Javert hits the surface below. 

        The next morning, a still recovering Marius visits the tavern, where he grieves the loss of his friends, and laments the fact that he lives and his friends all died, standing for a cause they all believed in. Marius and Cosette, now reunited, make their plans to marry. In a room alone, Marius thanks Valjean for everything, and Valjean tells the young man his life story: stealing bread to save his nephew, spending nineteen years in prison, and breaking his parole to lead a new life. Valjean then departs, leaving Cosette somewhat confused and sad. But, the wedding takes place, and the reception is crashed by the Thénardiers, who reveal some information to Marius: Valjean saved his life the day his friends all died, amd he's currently in a nearby convent. Marius takes Cosette to her father, and the Thénardiers are tossed back into the streets. 

       At the convent, a dying Valjean sees the spirit of Fantine there to comfort him until the end. Cosette and Marius soon arrive to spend Valjean's final moments with him. He hands them a letter detailing his life story, and peacefully passed away. Valjean's spirit is guided by both Fantine and the Bishop, until he finds himself joining the likes of Éponine, Enjolras, Gavroche, and the Friends of the ABC at a massive barricade in the afterlife. 

       So, there are a number of things that I admire about Les Misérables. First, the scale. While certain parts are scaled down when compared to its stage counterpart, the sets are still massive and absolutely incredible. Second, the music. Tom Hooper did something with Les Misérables which, while certainly common for the stage, wasn't particularly common for musical film. Hooper had all of the singing in the movie be live on set. That's right, the actors had no playback tracks at all in this movie. Now, the intent was for the actors to attempt different emotions while singing, which would have been difficult under playback, but is much easier when done live. And, a good amount of the singing in the movie was excellent. I already mentioned Anne Hathaway, but others like Hugh Jackman, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, David Huttlestone, and Aaron Tveit were fantastic as well. My personal favorite, ultimately, was Samantha Barks as Éponine. But, there have been tons of jokes around Russell Crowe's singing in the movie, as his style was more akin to rock and folk music as opposed to theater music. So, it clearly stood out as not being the best. 

        The performances outside of just singing, however, were pretty damn good across the board. And, I have to admit that the handful of battle scenes in the movie were really well done, with the cinematography by Danny Cohen being a real highlight for me. Now, do I think that Les Misérables is a fantastic movie across the board? Not really. Like I said, there are a few glaring issues, predominantly with Russell Crowe's singing and performance, but I still think it's pretty good, and definitely worth the Oscar win it got for Anne Hathaway. It's just unfortunate that the elements that somewhat worked in the favor of Les Misérables ended up working against Tom Hooper's 2019 musical film Cats, but enough about that. I'm going to give Les Misérables a rating of 4.85/5. 

       Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time with my review of The Greatest Showman.