Saw Les Miserables yesterday. I'm a huge fan of the stage production, seen it a few times. I had very mixed feelings about the cast and the videos I watched in the lead up to its realise gave me the impression I'd be disappointed with this film adaptation.
First the cast. I was never going to like Russell Crowe, I can't stand him, and Hugh Jackman would have had to work hard to win me over. Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, and Samantha Barks were all great. Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter were near perfect. But the stand out performances for me were Aaron Tveit as Enjolras, Daniel Huttlestone as Gavroche, and (anyone who knows me won't find this surprising) Anne Hathaway. She was absolutely amazing.
The costuming, sets, make-up, and general look of the film were impressive, but something just didn't sit right with me. I think it was because I watched all those damn behind the scenes clips with people going on about how this was such an epic work that I was expecting more. Maybe if I'd gone in blind I would have been awed.
Finally, the music. I hated most of it. There were a few songs that were spot on, but a lot of the time it seemed like notes that should have been held longer were cut abruptly short (there is a word for this, but I can't think of it right now). Most of the songs were rearranged and shortened, and a few were left out entirely. I did appreciate that a small portion of 'Little People' made it into the film though, because it's often left out of stage productions. I suppose I should mention that I grew up listening to one specific recording of the soundtrack so anything that's not exactly like that sounds off to me. Maybe that makes my opinion somewhat worthless.
Overall, I will no doubt watch it again, and I did enjoy it. I just would have enjoyed it more if I didn't have such an attachment to it being performed a certain way, which isn't the fault of the film makers, is it?
