Os Miseráveis

O musical é o único género cinematográfico que não me interessa (a única exceção é Moulin Rouge!), pelo que a minha classificação é muito subjetiva. Sempre sofro através das passagens cantadas, é um mal necessário no meio do diálogo. Felizmente, eles constituem, na sua maioria, uma minoria das filmagens. Neste filme, no entanto, representam 99% dos cento e sessenta minutos de duração, e nem sempre com atores que soubessem cantar (Crowe). Para mim, uma experiência dolorosa, só sobrevivi devido ao design de produção perfeito e à cinematografia fantástica, o que torna o filme mais espacialmente tridimensional do que a maioria dos filmes 3D. (13/01/2013)

A world where there is no room left to search for mistakes or inaccuracies. Les Misérables by Tom Hooper is filled with emotions, captivating performances, and breathtaking production to the very edge. And when you spend the movie suffering with Fantine, hunting with Javert, or crying with Éponine, there is no defense against the enthusiasm that results. The stunning finale resonates almost unstoppably in every sense. (24/01/2013)

Honestly, it took a lot of effort to make it through the final hour, so tediously drawn out was the last "revolutionary" act. Yet the film didn't start off badly at all. For the first twenty minutes I was getting used to the singing and learning not to expect the spoken word, but I quite liked the next hour or so (especially Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter were great) and Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe were the perfect choice for acting and singing. But the ending(s)... I don't know the original musical, so I had no idea how long any song would be, and so with Javert's finale came the real hell (in my mind I was thinking: "Now! Come on! Now!" and it didn't, the next verse came) and the very end made the hell even hotter. Two and a half. (01/11/2014)

After the mixed responses to Hooper’s Les Misérables from both American and Czech critics, I was convinced I would hate it with all my heart and I went to the cinema basically as an obligation. But I did well because Les Misérables enchanted and emotionally disarmed me. At the beginning my resistance was still successful, but it took about three songs for me to dive into the story, and I really enjoyed the rest of the movie. Overall, I think this musical conception was a very interesting experience: there’s filth and realism, on one side, and a display of musical performances and singing on the other… a very interesting experience. For me it’s more interesting and bolder than the over-hyped The King's Speech, I can’t reproach Tom Hooper (and before the première I though Les Misérables was a cowardly safe bet.). 9/10 (15/01/2013)

Suffering. It is solid craftsmanship with excellent production design, where inexperienced viewers will say, “this was a truly valuable and artistic film after a long time”. The qualities are debatable, but not due to my dislike for the genre. Not even Russel Crowe and Hugh Jackman singing can save it, no matter how good they were in their roles. Throughout the film, I had the impression that if there was no singing, it would have been a considerably better experience. (27/01/2013)