An adaptation of the successful stage musical based on Victor Hugo's classic novel set in 19th-century France, in which a paroled prisoner named Jean Valjean seeks redemption.
We're all familiar with the experience of seeing movies that cram ideas and themes down our throats. Les Miserables may represent the first movie to do so while also cramming us down the throats of its actors.
– Dana Stevens,
Slate,
27 Dec 2012
rotten:
At the heart of the "Les Miserables" movie was a good idea that just didn't work out this time. The idea was that the actors should sing their songs live on camera.
– Mick LaSalle,
San Francisco Chronicle,
28 Dec 2012
fresh:
... Jackman, who should get a Nobel Prize for the way he carries pretty much the whole undertaking on his shoulders, so protean and virile is his singing and acting throughout.
– Glenn Kenny,
MSN Movies,
2 Jan 2013
rotten:
Fans of the original production, no doubt, will eat the movie up, and good luck to them. I screamed a scream as time went by.
– Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
4 Jan 2013
fresh:
Tom Hooper gets a bit carried away with swoopy shots, and the close-ups are unrelenting, but crucially he lets the filth and the squalor in.