Les Miserables (I'm Miserable)

Disclaimer:  Years ago I saw "Les Mis", the broadway play on the stage at Tulsa's PAC and throughly enjoyed it!  I would recomend the stage play to anyone.  I have also seen many movie musicals from "Sound of Music" to "Paint Your Wagon" to "Chicago" to "Chorus Line".  I liked them all even Clint Eastwood's singing in Paint Your Wagon (It was a comedy).

That said I went to see "Les Miserables" today and make the following observations:

1. Jean Valjean was played by Wolverine against Inspector Javert, the Gladiator.  Could not shake that.

2. Having recently watched "Django", I noticed that the body count was the same, but in Les Mis it took along time to die (two songs and a prayer, like church).

3.  At almost three hours the title was appropriate.

4.  This version was like a staged play with wild special effects.  All that was missing was 3D.

5.  The movie (for me) would have been much better with dialogue.  Movies are not opera.  The     emotion gets lost in the muck, and rain, and giant scenes.

6. Singing every line of dialogue caused long stretches of monotone or light rapping.  "I dreamed a dream" suffers after recently hearing Susan Boyle's version.

I know many have FACEBOOKED about how life changing this was for them. I can only guess that this story was new to them.  That is Great. But for me give me the stage.

I give it **1/2 stars (proving that I am not trying to be a movie critic that likes it because people think I should. (Many critics did not like this version as well.)

2013 Movie #1