This extended first look at Les Miserables shows the grand scale of the musical adaptation

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

LES MISERABLES is a depressing story. I mean, it is about a dude who goes to jail for stealing bread, a prostitute who dies and leaves her child parentless, and revolutionary war. All topics that are perfectly suited for a Christmas Day release.

From Universal Pictures: Helmed by The King’s Speech’s Academy Award®-winning director, Tom Hooper, the film features an all-star cast that includes Hugh Jackman, Oscar® winner Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit, Samantha Barks, with Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen. In December 2012, the world’s longest-running musical brings its power to the big screen in Tom Hooper’s sweeping and spectacular interpretation of Victor Hugo’s epic tale. With international superstars and beloved songs—including “I Dreamed a Dream,” “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More” and “On My Own”—Les Misérables, the show of shows, is now reborn as the cinematic musical experience of a lifetime.

I was not impressed by Tom Hooper’s direction on THE KING’S SPEECH, but he does look to be doing a much better job here. In past years, we have had some major studio musicals released that lacked a director who could balance the cinematic skills along with the nature of a stage musical (PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, CHICAGO, MAMA MIA). But LES MISERABLES looks like a good movie that happens to be a musical, not a musical that is now a movie.

Are you excited for LES MISERABLES?