Although I think the movie is very good, I must say I admired it more than I liked it. There are many things about it that are great, but it didn't grab me quite as much as I hoped it would, and certainly not as much as it did some of the sobbing and sniffing people sitting all around me in the theater.
Some of said great things: the fantastic actors, the live singing (which I found very effective - sans Russell Crowe), the impressive sets and costumes, and the extremely catchy songs.
As for why it didn't work even better for me? I think maybe it's that it seems a bit overstuffed. The original novel is one hell of a sprawling tale, and it's all a bit much for just one movie if you don't set a clear focus. There's a bit of a redemption story here, a bit of a love story there, and a bit of revolution for good measure. Focusing on just one of these might have made the movie more effective for me. I mean, it's clear that this is mostly Jean Valjean's story, but the movie seems to lose sight of him quite often to get a few more love songs and fight scenes in there.
But still, I think it's well worth seeing and I'll probably have about five different songs from it stuck in my head for the next week or two.
Some of said great things: the fantastic actors, the live singing (which I found very effective - sans Russell Crowe), the impressive sets and costumes, and the extremely catchy songs.
As for why it didn't work even better for me? I think maybe it's that it seems a bit overstuffed. The original novel is one hell of a sprawling tale, and it's all a bit much for just one movie if you don't set a clear focus. There's a bit of a redemption story here, a bit of a love story there, and a bit of revolution for good measure. Focusing on just one of these might have made the movie more effective for me. I mean, it's clear that this is mostly Jean Valjean's story, but the movie seems to lose sight of him quite often to get a few more love songs and fight scenes in there.
But still, I think it's well worth seeing and I'll probably have about five different songs from it stuck in my head for the next week or two.