Les Miserables (2012)Movie Reviews

  • Must Go! Based on 37,673 reviews
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  • Must Go!
    Written December 26, 2012

    Seen the play 3 times, movie is ...

    by sharonewing

    spectacular and drew me in every second, even though it is 2 1/2 hrs in length. Must go again, and again. This movie is beautiful as it portrays the lives of the characters. I wanted to see it again immediately... hubby said no, wait a few days.

    The acting, directing, cinematography, writing should all be selected for awards. Maybe the Best Movie Ever.

    • 7 out of 8 found this review helpful.
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  • Oh No!
    Written December 26, 2012

    Les Miserables

    by

    This just did not work. If you are a fan of this musical then you will not like this movie. The actors barely sing the songs. The best cinematography is in the trailer. The rest is not interesting. The natural camera movements and music video fast editing made me angry. This is an embarrassing mess.

    • 10 out of 14 found this review helpful.
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  • Must Go!
    Written December 25, 2012

    Great supplement to the musical

    by MrNobody

    First of all, I have to agree with the previous reviewer that this is more of a film version of the famous 1980s musical instead of the original novel by Victor Hugo.

    With that in mind, I'd say this film is a great supplement to the musical. My wife is a huge fan of musicals, so she actually brought me to see the musical at Kennedy Center last year when it was the last stop of its 2012 US tour. I loved it, but it was a pitty that we could not afford to sit at better seats. Sound was great, the singing was great, but I could not see the acting and the settings in details because it was too darn far away (we paid ~100 for one ticket still).

    This movie actually filled that unfortunate pity of my musical experience. With less than 10% of the musical ticket price, the movie gave me full details of the 1830s France, when and where all the characters were and the story took place. It offered me the additional visionary effects to complete my own imagination and vision.

    • 18 out of 30 found this review helpful.
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  • Go
    Written December 26, 2012

    Beautifully Done.

    by Harlembruh

    I loved the stage musical and it translated well to the stage. Anne Hathaway's "I Dreamed a Dream" was the highlight for me. Eddie Redmayne lives up to the promise we saw in him in "My Week with Marilyn." The kids were amazing. Hugh Jackman was unrecognizable at first, and powerful throughout. Russell Crowe is not a great singer, but he is a great actor, so he pulled it off. Kudos to the director for making the actors sing live.

    • 7 out of 8 found this review helpful.
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  • Go
    Written December 27, 2012

    Excellent Performances by all except....

    by NAM0862

    Les Miserables is a most poignant story. The demand for vocal acuity in this film is imperative for the viewer to remain engaged and feel the emotional valeur. The performances were great, unfortunately, I found Crowe's inability to sing to distract me from the story as well as detach myself from feeling any sympathy for this character. Jackman's vocals were only slightly better that of Crowe's, and if these two characters were casted by two men that have the ability to sing, I would have enjoyed the movie that much more.

    As for Hathaway, her performance brought tears to my eyes - she is absolutely lovely.
    In fact, all other characters sang wonderfully and with such passion - I was enthralled
    Aside from the poor singing by both Crowe and Jackman, the movie is wonderful and entertaining but I will not watch it again because of these two actors - I will instead read the book by Victor Hugo.

    • 8 out of 10 found this review helpful.
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  • Oh No!
    Written December 26, 2012

    Not disappointed

    by windx15

    Went to see Les Mis without great expectations. I was not disappointed. Way, way too long. I could not believe that was Hugh Jackman singing. Where did his voice go??? I did believe that was Russell Crowe singing, because he is not a singer!!!! He is an actor. Was it not possible to find a singer and an actor in one body?????? Ann Hathaway was fantastic. Too bad she was gone in the first 30 minutes. Yes, cinematography was beautiful. Yes it was an epic. Yes, if you loved the play, you will love the movie, all 2hours and 37 minutes of it. Sorry not to be on the Les Mis bandwagon. It's back to my old favorite Phantom of the Opera movie today to help me try to forget yesterday's disaster. SK

    • 17 out of 28 found this review helpful.
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  • Must Go!
    Written December 26, 2012

    One great movie

    by franklanderos

    This was a awesome movie I seen the play, but the movie goes much more into depth and brings yo.u tonight into the French Revolution. I loved this movie Ann does an amazing job excellent movie.

    • 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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  • Must Go!
    Written January 19, 2013

    Loved it

    by BarbaraFleming

    This movie isn't for the light-hearted, but is well done and wonderful IF you are ok with a 2.5 hour opera. I loved it that the primary actors seemed real when singing; the emotion was raw. It is a powerful story and the music inspiring. Well done.

    • 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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  • Must Go!
    Written January 1, 2013

    Les Miserables

    by charties

    The four people in our group attending were very impressed with the quality of the film - cast, scenery and music. The sound and voices were exceptional. Hugh Jackson was outstanding as were the two main children actors.

    • 6 out of 7 found this review helpful.
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  • Must Go!
    Written December 28, 2012

    Loved it

    by yaminaisabel

    I've seen this production on stage and I listen to show tunes a lot. I definitely think the movie did it justice to the actual broadway show and the music was fantastic. I think it helps that the actors didn't prerecord the songs. The live singing gave room for more emotion.

    • 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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  • So-so
    Written December 26, 2012

    A Valiant Effort

    by ilovemusicals99

    I have to preface this review by saying I am a huge fan of this musical. It is my absolute favorite, and I have seen it countless times on tour, on Broadway and regionally-big theaters and small. The film reminded me of one of my favorite staged productions which was in a small theater in the round. Hard to imagine if you have not seen it, but being so close to the actors and in such an intimate setting provided a much more intense experience emotionally. The film succeeds on this level, with the right amount of agnst and emotion, particularly in Hathaway's big number, "I Dreamed A Dream", and Redmayne's "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables". Not a dry eye in the house. Where the film was less successful was in the rest of its casting. Big names sell movies, but did Les Miserables need this when millions upon millions world-wide have seen and love this show? Crowe was awful, Jackman strained, Seyfried-why? Also, where was the gorgeous score? It never seemed to get off the ground.

    • 10 out of 15 found this review helpful.
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  • Must Go!
    Written January 2, 2013

    Go if you enjoy musicals

    by mistialice

    Very moving, very intense, and very long. If you can't sit though 3 hours of music - a total of 49 songs, don't go. If you like musicals, history, period costumes, and beautiful sets, you should indulge yourself.

    • 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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  • Must Go!
    Written January 2, 2013

    LES MIS

    by lynnie131

    I loved the movie, I had no idea what it was about had never seen the play, loved it so much
    definately cried, laughed, smiled, thought the cast all did a fantastic job. I want to go back and see it again!

    • 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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  • Must Go!
    Written December 26, 2012

    Awesome!

    by dannypants

    Jackman and Hathaway are exquisite! Seyfried and Redmayne outstanding! The acting shining through the singing was so great that it almost (almost) doesn't seem weird that people are communicating through song rather than spoken word. You really FEEL Hathaway's despair. Crowe? His acting is great, but his singing is merely satisfactory. He'd be great in a rock musical (having been a rock star in Australia before acting), but his voice isn't strong enough for the nearly operatic notes that he sometimes strains to reach. I mean he wasn't BAD like Pierce Brosnan in Mama Mia. It was a solid vocal performance, just not stellar. Anyway, even with some of the very minor roles, the voices were strong enough to play leads! And the sets were spectacular! You're transported to 19th century France! Very gritty and murky. This is the best movie musical I've seen since Chicago. Between the closeups and the recorded live track you almost feel like you're there!

    • 6 out of 7 found this review helpful.
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  • So-so
    Written December 27, 2012

    Good But 1.camera work almost ruined it and 2. PG-15!

    by maritdw

    Fabulous, BUT... ~~~Music was surprisingly good -coming from a die hard Les Mis fan. Acting was excellent. Costumes were good. The staging was nice. Story was exceptional -change your life- kind of story, as usual. Characters were for the most part very believable.~~~
    The camera work was terrible. Almost ruined the movie! They shot it in a stylized format with very short depth of field - backgrounds blurry and directs your eyes where they want you to see. However, they missed. Short depth of field too short and with moving subjects? the closeups were out of focus about half of the time. Seriously! Why pay $10 for a movie when they don't have any of their face in focus? Not even one eye? VERY DISTRACTING! Also, they used wide angle lenses several times that distorted the faces too much. ~~~The vulgarity, and sex scene were too much. The violence was strong. Too much for a young teen.~~~Truer to the book than the musical - a little. good overall. See, but with caution.

    • 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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Les Miserables (2012) Movie Reviews + Ratings

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KHuwwwweeess Definitely needed that laugh after watching Les mis.... Immense film but so sad.... Anne Hathaway was brilliant! #lesmis #musical

20 hours ago.

cdouglass_707 Every once in a while a movie brings tears to my eyes, but I watched Les Mis and I must say I straight up weeped. Holy cow. #lesmiserables

2 days ago.

LizMilligan3 Just watched Les Miserables again I love that movie!!! #lesmis

2 days ago.

littlemonster4e Watching Les Mis again.. I don't care how many people thought the film adaptation was terrible. It's absolutely stunning. #lesmis #love

2 days ago.

kvnwheeler56 I just watched "Les Miserables", I'm not ashamed to admit there were tears, extraordinary piece of film making. #LesMiserables

2 days ago.

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Cast Interviews Exclusive Cast Interview Hugh Jackman on delivering the "most thrilling audition" director Tom Hooper has ever seen, plus Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Samantha Barks and Eddie Redmayne. Holiday Movie Guide Check out what other movies are opening during the holiday season! Awards Watch: Hugh Jackman Exclusive Interview More Films on Fandango's Awards Watch