Les Misérables (2012)

This Les Misérables is the long belated film version of the long running 1980 Broadway musical based on the 1862 novel by Victor Hugo. Growing up in the 1980's you just absorbed some of this music from cultural osmosis, it could hardly be avoided. I never read the novel and had only the vaguest grasp of the story until I saw the 1998 film version with Liam Neeson in about 2003. I was blown away by that thing, very powerful, I had not realized previously that it was all an extended metaphor about grace and mercy and the Christian concept of atonement. Still I had not returned to this story until just last week and this music version brought it all back, and I'd forgotten a lot of it, what an amazing story and impressive movie. I hadn't expected the extent of the scale of the piece, its surprisingly effects heavy and I wonder if this much money has ever been spent on a Hollywood musical. The one real flaw of the thing is that while Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe are matched as actors, they are not matched as singers, I wish they'd brought in someone with stronger pipes to play Javert. Anne Hathaway made me cry and I'd like to see more of Samantha Barks. A 158 minute investment, but worth it. ****