Les Mis is, per the motto, the longest-running musical in Broadway history. For such a phenomenon to occur, there have to be at least 2 demographics: the mga manliligaw and the haters. Making a film adaptation of such a musical, you are met with equal reactions. The lovers, waiting in anticipation, and the haters, groaning about how far society has blown up a travesty. Since I'm neither, never before having seen the ipakita or read the book, I went to the film with an open mind- expecting to see a good movie with music I knew. And that's what I got. There are many advantages to film. One is able to much madami evocatively see what is going on than they would in the theater. There's no intermission, which sadly means no bathroom break- )if you must go, get RunPee on your smartphone, They're the professionals) In film, the historical background is summarized periodically sa pamamagitan ng just a sentence or two onscreen. It is my contention that theater actors, film actors, and even the gifted few who tumawid the line between the two, though they are trained differently, when trained well, they are no less skilled. So the pagganap is good. Now we come to the deal-breaker for most super fans: the singers. They obviously did their homework when they chose Amanda Seyfreid to play Cosette, because she did Mamma Mia. Anne Hathaway, since I've loved her since she was Princess Mia, pleasantly surprised me. I Dreamed a Dream is a heart-wrenching ballad, so I think if sung with enough pathos, most people are sold on it. Hugh Jackman cleverly sung-spoke most of his lines, which, as he is the hunted Jean Valjean, works well. Then there is Javert, who is admittedly less-than-stellar. But honestly, a story of such magnitude which has lasted madami than 2 centuries, is expected sa pamamagitan ng film execs to make bank at box offices. The most surefire way to do that is to enlist an all-star cast. In Javert, they've done that. For me, when I heard Eponine, any of Javert's shortcomings were thrown out the window. She gives a stunning vocal and pagganap portrayal as the pag-ibig struck Eponine.
The innkeepers, as usual, provide a nice comic relief. When all is sinabi and done, as much as that's a cliche, what really matters is the reaction people get out of it. If you went to a theater where a production of Les Mis had just finished, you'd see people red-eyed, crying, and fulfilled. If down the kalye you happened to go to the movie theater where the closing credits were rolling, you would see much of the same, You can take the masterpiece it is and pick it apart, analyzing it cynically, as I often do. You can take my word for it. The story's still told. The message's still conveyed. The dream lives on. See it for yourself.