Les Miz - How A Huge Hit Became A So-So Movie

As musicals go Les Miserables has been nothing less than an international sensation.

The London production of the show, as of late 2012, has run continuously since October 1985. The Broadway production opened in 1987 and ran until May 2003, closing after 6,680 performances. The show has toured all over the world and a new 25th anniversary production is currently touring the US.

In fact, it's safe to say that Les Miserables is being performed somewhere in the world at every minute of every day, 365 days of the year.

Now the movie has arrived with a blockbuster cast and sung-through performances that are real, live and in-the-moment. It's a huge production starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter.

The story is based on Victor Hugo's epic novel.

In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean (Jackman), who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert (Crowe) after he breaks parole, agrees to care for factory worker Fantine's (Hathaway) daughter, Cosette. The fateful decision changes their lives forever. All of this is set amidst the French revolution.

In truth, Les Miserables is a very grim story. But for all its grimness the stage musical succeeded because battle scenes, poverty, oppression, blood, filth and hopelessness do not translate well onto the stage, especially on such a grand scale. And talented musicians and singers made the music soar on stage.

On the screen Les Miserables is dark, dark dark -- both literally and figuratively. And every bit of grime, every bead of sweat, all the blood in the streets and all the excrement in the sewers is magnified a thousand times over. It ain't a pretty sight.

It's hard to make Anne Hathaway or Hugh Jackman look so bad that you almost want to avert your eyes but this movie eventually succeeds in making that happen. Jackman winds up old and all beat up. Hathaway is a mere stick figure of the great star we know and love. Russell Crowe is so relentlessly sinister, obsessive and ultimately dysfunctional that he makes us long for his performance in A Beautiful Mind. And while Jackman is in fine voice and Hathaway is a surprisingly good singer (despite her tiny voice) Crowe can't sing worth a damn.

The rest of the cast is good but this whole thing is a long, dingy, joyless outing. So many years pass, some much struggles ensue, so much injustice abounds and so many people die that it's all sort of overwhelming. And that's a shame because Hugo's story is one of grand, heroic themes: humanity's thirst for freedom, the triumph of love over loss, crime and punishment, the value of redemption and hope borne of faith, spirit and youth. On stage, one or two vivid characters could embody these longings and/or sentiments and you could get caught up in it. But the movie lacks that intimacy, that vital link.

But lets not forget that dreams are forever reawaken by the young. Which brings us to Eddie Redmayne  (pictured, with Seyfried) who more than anyone else in this film embodies the youthful promise of a new day. His performance is nothing less than astounding. And his character gives us that glimmer of hope we so desperately long for as we wade through this tale. Redmayne is such a wonderfully promising new talent that (along with Jackman and Hathaway) he almost redeems the film. Almost.

Should you go see Les Miserables? That's your choice. Just be forewarned: This is no jolly outing.