Winter Views...

Les Miserables - 3 stars ***

Last night I went to see Les Mis with Tasha, Hannah and Emily. I didn't know the storyline at all, and probably wouldn't have ended up seeing it at the cinema, but it was suggested as reason for us all to get together so I thought I'd go along.

The film is 2 1/2 hours long, so understandably this summary is very much abbreviated! The story takes place during the French Revolution and focuses around a man called Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) who is given parole after serving 19 years as a slave for stealing a loaf of bread. Wishing to escape, he goes on the run and manages to successfully carve a new life for himself as the mayor of a local town. At the same time, a young girl called Fantene (Anne Hathaway) is sacked from her job in the town when it is discovered she has a child, and Valjean (the owner of the factory) does nothing to prevent it. Forced into prostitution, Valjean finds her a few weeks later close to death (and with no hair, which the actress actually cut off for the role!), and as she dies he vows to take care of her child as repayment for the injustice he has caused.

He rescues the child, Cosette, from the couple that are currently looking after her, a pair of dodgy innkeepers played by Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen. However, a police inspector called Javert that used to be in charge of Valjean when he was a slave has reappeared and suspects his true identity, so the pair have to run away to prevent being caught and punished. As well as this, there is a love triangle between Cosette, Eponine (the innkeepers' daughter) and Marius, a rich young man who has cast aside his wealthy background in favour of helping his friends with the war effort.

To say that this is a musical performed by normal actors, I was impressed at the singing talent of the majority of the cast. Amanda Seyfried as Cosette was rather annoying for me as she is incredibly high pitched and warbly, but she was the single weak link in my opinion. Samantha Barks as Eponine really stood out, and she had a gorgeous couple of solos that really made the film. The duo of Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen provided some comedic relief that was well needed, even if their roles were a little typecast - it is what they do best after all.

I wouldn't be too fussed about seeing this again at the cinema, but when it comes out on DVD I would re-watch it, as it is entertaining, and has some emotionally charged scenes that really resonate. I appreciated the overall picture, and the talent that was clearly in abundance (not to mention the presence of Eddie Redmayne, who will always perk up a film for me!), but at times I find all filmed musicals a little cringey to watch, especially one such as this where literally every line is sung, so I'll keep it on three stars.