User Reviews

I absolutely love the original stage musical of Les Mis, and as a result, I take a strong disliking to the music in this film. rather than the beautiful music heard in the stage version, this movie opts for a grittier and more realistic take on the singing, leading to very jarring and rather unpleasant music that desecrates the original.

The overwhelming power of live vocals: A heart-wrenching musical journey that left me in tears and lingering melodies.130105(5.0)I watched this in the theater in 130105, and the emotional impact far exceeded my expectations. Having seen many musicals, this was my first experience with one recorded live on set, and it felt incredibly raw and authentic. I found myself sobbing over the tragic lives of Fantine and Eponine, while young Cosette’s song resonated in my heart long after the credits rolled. An unforgettable, 5.0-star experience of pure, soul-stirring emotion.

As a fan of musicals, i have to say that Les Misérables is the kind of musical that just didn't work for me, it's one of those musical that, instead of saying, they sang the dialogue the whole entire film, and unfortunately, this choice hurts the character development, in my opinion, combined with its slow pacing and overlong runtime, both consequences of the musical approach, the experience becomes increasingly frustrating as it goes on. By the final act, i found myself checked out, i didn't care about the story or the characters anymore, i just wanted it to end, that's disappointing, especially coming from Tom Hooper, who directed the excellent The King's Speech, he clearly knows how to work with actors and visual storytelling. Some good cinematography, great solid performance from all the cast, and, in rare occasion, songs that i can follow the tune, the rest of it, like the title, especially towards the end, is quite miserable, big disappointment. It's worth remembering that Les Misérables originally written as a powerful novel, with no musical elements, and i genuinely believe it would have made a stronger impact as a dramatic epic, poetic, emotionally driven, and carried by its stellar cast, instead, the musical route just didn't work for me, a major disappointment.

Nice plot, shame about the musical part that is often inappropriate with the tone of the film and has a negative impact. The long duration risks boring in some parts of the film

Fun film. Great musical numbers and loved Anne Hathaway's monologue."One day more."

A rewatch that was a long time coming. Such a beautiful film that is beautiful and impactful.

The story is appropriately large, literary, and epic. The acting from Jackman, Crowe, and Hathaway is damn-near perfect. The rest are good enough. Yes, even Redmayne and Aaron Tveit, the most off-putting of the cast, get the job done. Les Misérables, despite the awkward sing-songy dialogue, ends up a powerful dramatic experience.

The Film, Les Misérables (Les Miz, colloquially), was an attempt at tackling Victor Hugo's masterpiece of French Romantic literature in a different method. Prior to this film, there were several attempts to adapt Victor Hugo's work to the big screen before, but Tom Hooper decided, in order to differentiate himself, would adapt instead the 1985 musical of Les Misérables with a star-studded cast, featuring the likes of Russel Crowe (Yes, from Gladiator), Hugh Jackman (Yes, Wolverine), and Anne Hathaway. It is important to note this now, as the mediocrity of many portions of the film can be explained by what Motivated the director in making this--that is to say, a chance to quickly produce a differentiated Les Miz film with big shiny Hollywood superstars so that he could make a name for himself. I seek not to attack this man, but I would have wanted him to have instead put in the time and respect to make the production worthy of the fame of the Book and beloved music, in that way, he, Tom Hooper, could have been celebrated for such an achievement instead of settling as he did. The film had a lot of spirit in it. For those who are not aware of the story of the novel, it covers the 1832 June revolution in France against the July Monarchy, told through the lens of several characters, in particular, the thief searching for redemption Jean Valjean as he avoids the clutches of the law obsessive Inspector Javert. The production was magnificent in many regards, and certain set pieces were done well. The performance of Anne Hathaway in the number "I Dreamed a Dream" has already received its awards, so I feel no obligation to praise it here. However, the movie is terribly lacking in the whole "musical" department, for reasons I fail to see as anything higher than settling for mediocrity. Hugh Jackman is not a terrible singer, we see in the film "The Greatest Showman" that he has the talent to perform in a musical, and Russel Crowe, from what I have seen in videos he has done such as "Russell Crowe and Jeff Leyton Confrontation from Les Misérable" can sing the songs very well, yet both performers fail in their execution for this movie particularly. These criticisms would be light if it were not for the fact that we have to listen to both of these actors give sub-mediocre performances in two-thirds of all the musical numbers. Some additions to the story and choices though, I believe, were absolutely needed, or, perfect fanservice for fans of the musical. The attention to these detail grants us the audience, which he (Tom Hooper) knows to be musical fans, so much catharsis. For instance, there is a scene where Russel Crowe's character dignifies one of the fallen revolutionaries in the latter act (I am not saying who it is for those who have not seen the film), which grants audiences a great deal of closure on that character that otherwise would have been lacking in the stage-play. Additionally, with Les Miz's entire moral being forgiveness and growing in Saint Hood, the idea that Hugh Jackman's Character, Jean Valjean, the thief whose whole journey in the play is becoming a saint, is put on this journey by the bishop character at the beginning of the film who is played by Colm Wilkinson (The man famous for playing Jean Valjean in the Stage-play). That casting is brilliant and gives a meta-improvement to the well-established themes of the story that only true fans would get and such a message that such an improvement gives makes the message of the story all the more Inspiring as one realizes that the plot contains closure told through the medium of movies, via its casting, in this one scene. Concluding, the story of Les Miz is such a Truth-filled masterpiece and study of the human person in its deep monologs of guilt and penance and heroic ballads on the pursuit of freedom, that I believe that no adaptation could truly destroy the magnificence of the work. However, I find it greatly disheartening as a fan of the musical and of the French romantic genre, that the director had such potential to use his actors and budget to create an epic out of this material, but instead settled for mediocrity. I love all of the people who worked in this production, but many of the creative choices were quite poor, and really brought down the adaptation. I would not recommend this movie to anyone who has never encountered the story of Les Mis, it is not totally unwatchable for someone familiar with the material.

I am so glad this musical/movie exists. It isn't for everyone, but I loved absolutely everything about it: music, acting, and story were all phenomenal.

Les Miserables doesn't seem so miserable, the cast, the script, and all that production design is wonderful enough to make people love it... or at least talk about it

I'm not usually especially keen on musicals but I did quite enjoy this, even though it consists almost entirely of songs. The songs I felt were quite rousing and it features an impressive cast, with Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen and Anne Hathaway, among others. I found myself wondering what the outcome may be for various characters and hoping for the best for them. I know some people have criticised the (lack of) singing ability of the main characters - its true that their not especially known for being trained professional singers, being primarily actors but I couldn't say, hand on heart, that their singing ability (or lack of) badly affected my enjoyment of the fim as such. Whether they mimed the songs or not I don't know but either way, I felt I believed what I saw and heard and I enjoyed it as a film to watch and hear, so thats all that really matters surely?. Also I felt it was quite an atmospheric watch - there were some good aerial (panoramic/landscape) shots, so the cinematography is quite good. Ok if your not a fan of musicals then this obviously won't be for you - you could argue its a bit too 'in your face' but I personally found myself quite enjoying it. Its a sad story but I wouldn't say its 100% negative in tone. I liked that it focussed on the morality/inner thoughts of those of a higher ranking in authority. I wasn't familiar with the story and I knew it was a long film, based on a long play/musical, so I wasn't sure if I'd manage to stick with it until the end, as I can get bored by especially long films and musicals but in this instance, I did watch it all and as I say, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It won't appeal to (be enjoyed by) everyone but for what it is, its a good film.

This unbearable adaptation of an unbearable musical travesties Hugo's great novel and assaults the ear with the musical stylings of Crowe and Jackman.

All this over a loaf of bread. After having watched it multiple times, I can say almost certainly that this is one of my favorite movie musicals. Sure, it has its flaws and not all the actors sing as well as others, but **** if I care! I can hear the people singing the song of angry men, goddamnit! Anne Hathaway steals the show, even with very little screentime. There's not much I can say about her rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" that hasn't been said already. I'm sure even those who don't like this movie agree that she's absolutely incredible. Everytime I watch it I find myself liking Russel Crowe as Javert more and more. I love making fun of his voice as much as anyone, but truth be told, he has an incredibly commanding presence in this film, even when he doesn't, if that makes sense. Really, everyone gives amazing performances. There's just something about this that really gets me. Maybe it's the story or the songs or my love for musicals. Whatever it is, it just really works for me. I know it's quite divisive, and I (kinda) get it; but when the beating of my heart echoes the beating of the drums, I can't help but let myself be enchanted by this movie.

They are singing all the time. Yes all the time and some of the actors even not so good. Why dont they sing only sometimes? I would endure this movie better.

It's...different from other movies, not even in a bad way. I just love that everyone sings whatever they are trying to say, I guess that's what musicals are there for. It doesn't quite reach the iconic levels of West Side Story, which is the only real comparison I can make with my limited knowledge about musicals, but it's definately worth at least one watch nonetheless in my humble opinion.

I really enjoyed this movie not even expecting that it was a musical.Some of the songs were pretty meh but i found 3 really good ones that i sometimes listen to on the **** story was ok and the actors did an amazing job but is normal since they are all good actors

Look, I love 30 Odd Foot of Grunt frontman Russel Crowe as much as anyone, but he's badly miscast by the truly terrible, gimmicky, and over rated director of the film. (Tom Hooper, of Danish Girl and Kings Speech Fame) Ann Hathaway is whatever, Eddie Redmayne is typically awful, and Amanda Seyfried's Cosette is a snooze, but the beautiful Samantha Banks absolutely shines in the role of Eponine! Hugh Jackman is also wonderful, elevating the material in every scene he's in. All in all, I would recommend seeing it at least one, and do think everyone involved, even including Tom Hooper, did the best job they could. Also, I will say that the film certainly feels expensive, if nothing else.

Pretty good musical with some great songs, Jackman and Crowe are good though some singers are very average.

Les Miserables is a very solid musical, but it sinks from a rhythm that will not please everyone and meaningless incongruities.

This film tells the story of Jean Valjean, a man condemned to hard labor for stealing food when he was hungry. After breaking parole, he will settle down with another name, but the goodness that he feels will compel him to take a child to look after, the daughter of a woman who couldn't help. Directed by Tom Hooper, the film has a screenplay written by William Nicholson and other helpers, based on the homonymous story of Victor Hugo. The cast is headed by Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and Sacha Baron Cohen, among other actors. The story of this film needs no introduction. This is one of the most famous novels of Victor Hugo, already adapted to the cinema, theater and also musical theater. In fact, most of the songs the film features are, in fact, taken from the stage musical. So, more than a film adaptation of a book, this is a film adaptation of a musical play. No criticisms to make about the script: he convincingly adapts the story, preserving the magic of music. The actors are huge monsters of talent with excellent voices. Jackman gave a pure soul to his character, contrasting with the vocal gravity of Russell Crowe, who gave body to Javert, a man obsessed with the punishment of criminals and disbelieving in their rehabilitation. They're strong characters, played by seasoned actors with a huge presence on scene. The action scenes between them are breathtaking. Anne Hathaway also deserves a special mention, not only by the physical effort she felt to become Fantine (she became extremely thin and almost bald for the role), but mainly by the quality of what she could do. Staying with one of the most dramatic characters in the film, she played some of the most tragic scenes, and singed their saddest song, "I Dreamed A Dream". Its impossible not to cry watching these scenes and listening to the wonderful way the actress managed to sing that song and give a soul, almost martyr, to her character. The scenarios are excellent and try to be faithful to the book and the story. The costumes too, and some of them deserve applause, portraying fairly the misery when the poorest lived. The visual effects fulfill their role discreetly but efficiently, and the soundtrack probably will be remembered by all who are watching this movie. Winner of three Oscars (Best Supporting Actress, Best Characterization, Best Editing and Sound Mixing), this is a film for the family and for everyone.

Everytime I see this film it sends shivers down my spine. This film features spectacular performances from everyone, with one classical story that shall be told down for generations to come.

News flash ... Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe CAN NOT sing but insisted on doing so the whole movie. Extremely painful to watch. Anne Hathaway was pretty good but there is no way she could save this turd.

One of the most majestic, heroic, poetic, awe-inspiring tales the world has ever told, delivered in probably the best cinematic version to date. While not as perfect as the actual musical, the performances in this film elevate is above previous versions I feel. Freedom beats free whenever these songs are sang, and this effort will live on in history for quite some time to come.

This is a late review but this Movie is one of my all time favorites and I went from not wanting to watch it at all to being blown away. The cast did an amazing job as well as the entire directing and production team.

Шедевр. Очень эмоциональный фильм, который может тронуть до слёз. Все актёры играют потрясающе, очень красивые голоса в песнях. Декорации, костюмы, эффекты - всё на высоте! Для людей, которые любят мюзиклы-это кино обязательно к просмотру.

As far as musicals go, this one is definitely the most ambitious. 'Les Miserables', based off the novel by Victor Hugo in 1862, it has also been adapted into stage musicals, and there have been feature-length film adaptations in the past. But, this time, director Tom Hooper ('The King's Speech') decides to adapt the musical with virtually more than 95% of the film's dialogue being executed in song. In 1815, a man named Jean Valjean (a powerful Hugh Jackman) is prisoner, but is free on parole after being held for nineteen years because he stole a loaf of bread. He struggles to find work, and struggles to get back on his feet. After eight years, Jean becomes a factory owner, he is shocked when he sees Javert (Russell Crowe), his former prison guard, enter the factory, and he seems to recognize Jean, but no further questions are asked. In Jean's factory, we meet a woman named Fantine (Anne Hathaway), who is dismissed by her co-workers when they discover that she has been sending her earnings to her illegitimate daughter named Cosette (Isabelle Allen). Later on, Jean decides to look after Fantine after she decides to go into prostitution since her unemployment, and also goes out of his way to find her daughter after Fantine's health slowly deteriorates. However, the cunning Javert is on Jean's tracks every step of the way... but he manages to escape from him any way he can. The film is beautifully crafted and expertly acted... the main cast give fantastic performances in terms of both acting and singing. Although, having said that, Russell Crowe's singing is a little stiff, and at times, sounds like a dying canine. But, he remains committed and sticks to the material that he has been given. Jackman and Hathaway steal the show with their scenes, and they are fantastic singers... the plot maybe drawn out from time to time, as the run-time - which is 2 hours and 38 minutes - can feel slow, especially towards the second half. But you will be caught up in the drama, as the filmmaking is so immense and keeps you locked in. This is not a film for people who don't like musicals, as the entire duration of the film is singing, but if you like musicals, and an emotionally tugging story with superb acting... this is the one for you.

A beautiful movie with beautiful singing. I would say the only problem is that every now and then they sing a little to quietly. The cinematography which many are attacking i personally thought was pretty great. That opening scene was beautiful. Some of the shots were awesome. The set elements are beautiful. The acting is amazing. once again the only problem is they sing a little quiet every now and then but even that if you turn it up a little bit it is not that bad.

Though not a fan of musicals, this film made me a fan of THIS musical. Tom Hooper follows The King's Speech with another personal, yet epic peek into the lives of those living in the shadow of the failed French Revolution. Not a role is miscast - yes, even that of Baron Cohen's Thernardier. Hooper takes the additional chance by allowing screen actors sing with their own voices, giving this film an accessible feel that other, more highly operatic musicals lack. Yes, Les Mis The Movie lags in the Second Act, but that's not Hooper's or Schonberg or Boublil's fault, it's just the limitations of Victor Hugo's epic story. Les Mis The Movie is Blu Ray worthy and worthy of the top shelf of your collection.

Brilliant. Anne Hathaway honestly steals the show here, but Amanda Seyfried, Hugh Jackman, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Banks, Isabelle Allen, Russell Crowe, and Daniel Huttlestone, make it competitive. Beautifully put together, Les Miserables obviously has phenomenal music with phenomenal performances of its songs, but this beautiful and touching portrayal and musical really comes to life in the staging. Featuring fantastic stage design, costume design, and makeup, Les Miserables oozes beauty and 1800s France. Additionally, the cinematography is fantastic and truly soaks up this beauty to the max. From beginning to end, Les Miserables is a whirlwind of an experience that sweeps you up in its magic and never lets go until well after it ends.

Eddie Redmayne was a complete shock with how magnificent he is. He is really fun to watch. And he is also really good looking and was really fun to look up and listen to. Eddie Redmayne is super duper hot.

A true humanist "chef d'oeuvre" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At last, a movie I have struck since days. With Les Miserables, I have finally encountered faith, freedom, truth, and hope and that's what also this movie encountered as well.

While not for everyone les miserables is sure to delight musical theater fans. The story has barley any dialogue and is mostly singing but that is how it was made from the begging. I love reading all the one star reviews. One review said and I quote "I went int this movie with have never seeing the play or knowing the source material and all I can see is this movie is the worst I have seen" Of course it's the worst because you had no idea what to expect. ughh some people. Anyway the whole cast is fantastic and my favorite part is the confrontation. The sword play and intense singing are just the perfect match. The one problem I had with this is that there are a couple points in the plot that don't exactly weave together well. With that being said the story about the human spirit should for sure empower us movie goers. Les miserables is everything I could want as a fan of the musical. Perfect in almost every way if your a fan of the musical that is

I don't typically like musicals so I have a bit of a bias, but the film is mostly well shot, and the singing is pretty solid overall. Some good comedic moments but I still can't fully engage with a story on screen when they're all singing. I appreciate the artistry here, but it just isn't for me sadly. 6.5/10

The film "Les Misérables", a modern screen version of the historical novel by Victor Hugo, is worthily ranked among good films in my personal collection. After watching the trailer to this film I was full filled of expectations and went to the cinema. And the film didn't disappoint me. It's a great work. It is complete from the first minute to the last one. Nevertheless the film lasts about two hours and a half, it doesn't seem to be overextended. I was watching it in one breath, like enchanted. For me everything was perfect in this film. But I am going to say about everything step by step. First, it is significant to mark the work of the director. Bright and colorful scenes of Paris in 19 century are worthy of praise. The environment is truly conveyed. Close-ups are amazing. They show the genuine emotions. Second, it is the acting technique. The actors did their best. They lived their characters' lives on the screen. They have proved that the star-studded cast is not only famous names but consummate professionals! Third, the film shows startling originality. It was a bold experience to make a musical but it was a success. The lack of dialogues does not prevent viewers from understanding the deep message of the film. Music and songs are very powerful and catchy so that you can't get them out of your head. They grab your attention, maintain your interest and keep you in suspense till the very end. Live singing is so sincere. It makes everything more realistic. You feel actors' emotions and try to go through all peripeteias together with them. To sum up, "Les Misérables" left a lasting impression. But I have to confess the film is not for mass audience. However in my opinion it's only one more advantage of this film.

There isn't anything 'original' with "Les Miserables"; if I was the director and I read the book, I could probably make a movie pretty similar like this one. However, the acting from the multifaceted cast and the songs are very strong as it was, for me, what really made the movie special in its own right. Overall a good enough movie to watch with your family.

I really did not expect to enjoy this movie but well, it turned out I did! I don't really understand how people dislike Russell Crowe's performance but I thought it was great (then again, I don't know much about singing). All the songs were memorable, especially One Day More. I recommend for anyone who likes musicals or not!

The stage show is far, far superior. That goes without saying. I don’t ever want to hear Russell Crowe sing again......Instead of making a filmic version of the theatre production, it’s like they’ve tried to convey what a theatre production would be if it was a film. So everything is sort of pantomime. Nothing is real looking, it’s all staged and theatrically lit which doesn’t work as a feature film.......They have used big names to fill out most of the cast, many of whom just don’t do a good enough job. That said I was completely enamoured by the original cast so I’m utterly biased..........Redeeming factors: easyish to follow. Attractive people singing good songs to a fairly decent standard. Amid all the silly things it’s a great story. Full review available at the ponderflix site on wordpress.

Les Miserables is quite different from the theater musical, but in my opinion the film is a masterpiece on it's own. Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and Anne Hathaway performed masterfully and their onscreen musical performances blew me away. Recording the actor's signing on-set rather than in a studio must have been a great risk for director Tom Hooper, but the end result was an emotion-filled work of art. I do not agree with the critics who say the film's musical performances were overly dramatic, such as Hathaway's version of "I Dream a Dream". The original musical was less dramatic, so I can see why some critics may feel that way when comparing the two, but the dramatics felt right on film. Also, Russell Crowe's vocal performances received a lot of criticism, but I though the roughness of his voice was fitting for his character. Maybe he doesn't have the vocal range of a theater musical performer, but in this film his performance felt authentic. Overall, Les Miserables is a wonderful film and if you haven't seen it, you should. It's easily on my top 5 films list.

e Miserable es un musical que sin dudas logra resaltar con su gran ambientación de la época en que se desarrolla esta película, pero, tristemente, en muy pocas veces llega a dar un entretenimiento factible. Esta película se libera de una manera satisfactoria en cuanto a muchas cosas del apartado técnico, como, por decir, el vestuario, que se enfoca bien en la época del film, o también se puede resaltar su banda sonora, pero en algo que falla en un punto un tanto declinado en este largometraje es en no transmitir en buen nivel un entretenimiento factible al público o entablar una relación sufrible con el espectador., aunque sí logra entablar una relación sentimental con el mismo, y eso hace que la historia se pueda sentir en un tono más indagable y fluyente, dándole así un mejor ambiente, volviéndose más ilustrada, prepotente y audaz.

Even if it overstays its welcome, Tom Hooper's epic adaptation of the Hugo classic is remarkably well performed and finely staged with jaw-dropping sets and brilliant imagery.

"Les Miserables" 10 Scale Rating: 8.5 (Excellent) ... The Good: I was dubious about the cast, but that quickly faded. Great job all around as Jackman, Hathaway, and yes ... even Crowe ... did amazing jobs. The film seems to stay true to the source material as scenes that are typically left out of film versions were left in. Despite it's long run time (which was a drawback), I'm glad those were left in. They were important scenes. The Bad: It runs long and feels it sometimes. While I'm glad they left important scenes in, they could have done without others to shorten the film. Far, FAR too many closeups as you'd sit for several minutes just watching someone's face as they sang. That aspect felt a little lazy.

This is quite an incredible movie. Having never seen the play nor read the book (yet!), I thought this was a great film. It had great acting, beautiful songs, and a bittersweet plot. I really had no problem with the length because the movie had me so engrossed and entertained, and I was lost in the music. It's an absolutely amazing film.

The bold, harsh emotion of the musical is certainly still present. Les Miserables suffers from one too many miscasts and a godawful performance from Russell Crowe as Javert. Nevertheless, Anne Hathaway gives the finest performance of her career to date--closely matched by an impeccable Samantha Barks.

When I first saw previews of Les Miserables, and realized that it was a musical, I had no desire whatsoever to see it. On a whim, I watched the movie with no positive intentions, and I can say that by the end my mind was blown. The story line, actors, scenery: everything was beautiful. As a former skeptic, my "judging a book by a cover" was proved entirely wrong. The music and acting goes straight for the heart and will leave you in tears with the heart wrenching ending. The only way I can describe this movie without babbling all day would be to call it pure genius. Its an absolutely stunning film.

An absolutely wonderful movie! Very powerful, very touching and all-around extremely enjoyable! The songs are also very memorable and awesome! One of my favourite 2012 movies.

Having unintentionally dodged this story for so long, the first I see of it is this adaption, which I know is a great shame. It mostly feels like a homage to those who know this story well, and I know they rave about it. I'm sure the story is brilliant on stage. However, for those who have no real knowledge of the piece, the characters are thrown at you pouring their hearts out and it's strangely hard to get emotionally invested until towards the end. I can't deny that I didn't enjoy it though.

Overall reaction: WOW. I was absolutely blown away. I cried and I laughed-basically showed more emotion then in real life. A must see. Anne Hathaway has a beautiful voice and gave such a heart-grabbing performance. Eddie and Amanda had such an amazing chemistry, I thought is was real and not acting. Watch it. It won Oscars for a reason. Bad side: Russel Crowe couldn't sing to save his life, but he did a splendid job acting and portraying a man at war with himself.

Em certos pontos foi um bom filme, porém a direção incompressível detona um pouco filme, mais há pontos positivos, como sua fabulosa direção de arte e seus personagens e sua trilha sonora.

Through the stand-point of someone who despises most musicals in general. This one is actually my favorite! I got really into the style this movie tried to achieve and even the musical numbers given by this fantastic cast. While a little slow to get into in the beginning, it still picks itself up throughout the film and beyond. The best part of the movie for sure is Hugh Jackman's portrayal of Jean Valjean. He really reels in the best of all the songs with his incredible acting and even singing. Overall, truly the best musical I've seen in motion picture history! And that's saying something. I give it an A-!