Okay...so I'm trying to give myself some time to let it all sink in as I left the theater with a
lot of thoughts floating around in my brain.
Firstly, the performances are without fault. They are truly all exceptional, except for maybe Crowe, who I thought was still pretty good. It's really nice to see Jackman carry a meaty role and film like this on his shoulders, and he does so effortlessly. His "Soliloquy" was beautifully performed. Redmayne also impressed me, especially his "Empty Chairs..." which was a highlight. Trumping everyone though, is Hathaway. Everyone else has praised her enough, so in hopes of trying not to just repeat the general consensus, I will say that for someone who is in the film for all of twenty five minutes, I couldn't stop thinking about her for the remainder of the movie.
Now, here's where my thoughts get a little messy. Tom Hooper shouldn't have directed this film, period. To me, he didn't know how to film any of the musical numbers, or the battle sequences. Some of the singing is a bit jarring, which I can't help but blame on Hooper not really knowing how to approach the musicality of the piece. The close-ups didn't bother me as much as the constant shaky-cam, at least for the first hour or so. At some points, it was unnerving. And this is from someone who has enjoyed quite a handful of "found footage" films that use that technique for their entirety. Secondly, the "bigness" of the film is wasted on scenes that don't need it, which leads to a lot of overblown melodramatics and soapiness, leading a lot of the film to be bombastic. Save that grandiosity for the climactic musical numbers and the battle sequences! Thirdly, the editing is just a travesty. There are sequences that are so confusingly edited (ie: the section of "Lovely Ladies" with Fantine's haircut, teeth pulling, etc.) Parts of the film look as though they were edited by Edward Scissorhands. The beginning of "At The End of The Day," "Master of the House," and "One Day More" stand out in my mind as being way too choppy when it came to editing. My eyes barely adjusted to one frame before it was replaced with another.
I really thought the film came alive for extended periods of time when Hathaway was on screen and then for the segment of the movie starting with "In My Life..." and beginning again after the battle scenes. There is no denying the power of the film's final ten minutes, though. The finale is gorgeously mounted and rendered...it definitely got me choked up.
But let's be fair...I couldn't help but wonder how I would feel about the movie if I wasn't so familiar with the musical. I can't figure out if I would have liked it less, or more. I am probably being a little hard on it. But while my thoughts are all over the place, I do have to say that this ensemble is so wonderful that it made me really sad someone better fit for this piece didn't direct it. I don't think Hooper is an untalented director by any means, but I could almost feel his uneasy hand radiating throughout large stretches of the movie.
The film looks lovely (in terms of art direction, costumes, makeup, special effects, etc) sounds great, and is performed with sincerity and clear devotion, particularly by Jackman, Hathaway, Redmayne, Barks, and (I was surprised I felt this way) Seyfried. The live singing absolutely adds to the experience (I almost couldn't imagine this piece being performed to a prerecorded track, as I was watching it).
I really do think the performances elevate the film and make it worth seeing, but I wish it was executed with a more steady and sure approach. While still disappointed, overall I appreciated and enjoyed it for what it was One thing's for sure, you can definitely not call this film unambitious. That being said it's not the best film of the year and it's not a
great movie musical. It's probably not even one of the top ten films of the year. At least those are my personal opinions.
I know there's a lot going on in this post, so I apologize for any contradictions it may include. Regardless of everything, it is very heartening to know that audiences are turning out to see a two hour and forty minute sung-through movie musical.
Updated On: 12/26/12 at 08:37 PM
