It's impossible.
There are a lot of absurd reviews going around about this film. Many say the way they filmed it is annoying, there are too many close-ups and the direction is terrible. Some even say that the actors are ruining the songs by singing it live, or that they should have had actual singers portray the characters.
Let's start with the last one, shall we. The movie is called Les Misérables. Now, I'm no frenchman, but I'm pretty sure that that is french for "The Miserable". That implies that there is a lot of emotion in this story (1,000 crying men can attest to that). Would we want Mariah Carey portraying Fantine? Would we want Billy Ray Cyrus portraying Jean Valjean? Or perhaps we want Adam lambert to portray Éponine (surprisingly, probably the best match here).
My point is, this isn't a music video. This is a musical film. We need REAL actors who can sing. Not real singers who have given us such great films as Glitter and Hannah Montana: The Movie. It is an emotional film that needed raw, emotional performances. And the cast has done exactly that.
As far as the close-up and the direction goes, Tom Hooper knows what he is doing. He won the Oscar for Best Direction in a Movie for The King's Speech in 2011. This isn't exactly his first rodeo. If any of the people calling him out have read even just one interview from him, they would know he had about five different angles from each take and tried each and everyone, and the cuts that brought the most emotion out (which is the directors job) were the ones he picked.
Anyway, that's my rant about cynical critics. There's been a lot this year.
If you have never seen the musical, go see the film first. It's cheaper, and easier to follow for when you see the stage play. And if you love it you should see the stage play because it's amazing. If you love the play, see the film. If you hate the play, don't see the film.
It's Les Misérables. Enough said.
My Grade: A
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