Les Miserables Hits All The Right Notes
True to the original Broadway story, Les Miserables will have fans singing out loud in their seats. If you’ve never seen the original you are in for a real treat, but if you know every song like many fans do, you may find yourself wishing you had the theater to yourself. According to KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Raven Devanney, “it stays so true to the play it is unbelievable,” however, the one change is “they made the movie easier to understand and follow.”
Les Miserables is about a very dark time in history and not recommended for young children. Rated PG-13, Raven recommends it for everyone over age 13 “because of the dark period it is set in and the violence and cruelty that occurs.” Go see Les Miserables in theaters now, but beware, someone in the seat next to you just may burst into song!
Les Miserable
Reviewed by Raven Devanney
Click here to see Raven’s full video review!
The epic musical, Les Miserables (Les Mis), tells the story of a man named Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) set during the dawn of the French Revolution. After serving 19 years as a slave, because he stole a loaf of bread, he breaks parole and spends years reinventing himself as a new man. Jean is being hunted by officer Javert played by Russell Crowe, who swears he will not rest until Jean is behind bars. While running from Javert, Jean Valjean finds himself caring for a factory worker’s young daughter, Cosette. The young child changes his life forever.
Les Miserables is honestly one of the greatest films I have ever seen. This film is almost three hours long, and I still wanted it to go on longer. A very well known Broadway musical and it stays so true to the play it is unbelievable. Not a single word is off. The one thing that changes for the better though, is they made the movie easier to understand and follow. I have been a huge fan of Les Mis for a long time and I know almost every single song by heart. I was trying so hard not to start singing along with the film, the musical score was amazing. The whole film is better than I could have ever hoped for and seeing this tale up on the big screen was phenomenal!
The visuals and special effects are truly breathtaking. Set in France at the beginning of the French Revolution, when life for the poor was awful and life for the rich was grand. They capture the hard times of the streets perfectly by using dark colors and wonderful lighting contrasts. I love seeing the world of Les Mis on a grand scale and it is exactly as I imagined it. I love this entire movie so much that when it was over I immediately wanted to see it again. I’m definitely going to see it again when it comes out in theaters. I have so many scenes that I love so much, but my favorites are the Lovely Ladies and the Master of the House. I like the Lovely Ladies scene because that’s where Fantine, Cosette’s mother, turns to the streets as a home after losing her job at the factory. It is a wonderful musical number and Anne Hathaway’s performance is amazing! It is so historically accurate showing how people would do anything to make a quick penny from selling their teeth, to chopping off their hair, it was hard for everyone. I also love the Master of the House scene because it is so hilarious. It has Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as the innkeeper and his wife. They con people into staying the night at their inn, then trick them into never leaving. They are so crafty and hilarious and they rob everyone blind. This scene is so clever and hilarious. Sacha and Helena make an amazing duo.
I love all of the characters equally, but I’ll only pick a few to talk about. Jean Valjean is a truly amazing character and Hugh Jackman brings him to life so well. Hugh’s talents are really shown off during this film and I am very impressed by him. Fantine, played by the remarkable Anne Hathaway, is a very memorable character. Anne is perfect as Fantine and this is, in my opinion, her best role. The last character that I really enjoyed is Eponine played by Samantha Barks. Eponine sings all of my favorite Les Mis songs and her incredible duo of A Little Fall of Rain with Eddie Redmayne. A little fun fact is that Samantha Marks played Eponine in the Broadway version of Les Mis.
I give Les Miserables 5 out of 5 stars because it is truly the most amazing film I’ve seen in a long time and it far surpasses my expectations. This film is definitely for ages 13 and up because of the dark period it is set in and the violence and cruelty that occurs. Raven Devanney, age 15, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.
