User blog:XD1/Les Misérables: Review Roundup

Tom Hooper's adaptation of Les Misérables is almost here! After months of speculation, we can finally experience Hooper's vision and unique approach, but how good is the movie, according to the critics?

So far, the critics seem to be a bit on the fence about the movie, as it has a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 71% ("Fresh"), but a Metacritic score of only 55/100 ("Mixed or average reviews"). Here's what some of the critics have to say:

Time Out New York
Score: 80/100

Russell Crowe's pained vocal stylings (they sound more like barks) as relentless Inspector Javert can be forgiven after hearing Hugh Jackman's old-pro fluidity in the central role of Jean Valjean, hiding a criminal past.

Read more: http://www.timeout.com/us/film/les-miserables-1995

Total Film
Score: 80/100

Stirring and striking, Hooper's epic musical won't be wanting for awards and plaudits. Danny Cohen's cinematography is stunning and Hathaway's Oscar is guaranteed.

Read more: http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/les-miserables-2

San Jose Mercury News
Score: 3/4

It's hard to resist the movie's wrenching sense of intimacy.

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/movies-dvd/ci_22171067/review-les-miserables-short-subtlety-but-big-sentiment?source=rss

Boxoffice Magazine
Score: 70/100

For fans, this is exactly how the story of Jean Valjean's transformation from thief to saint should be delivered: smothered in bombast.

Read more: http://www.boxoffice.com/reviews/2012-12-les-miserables-2012

Variety
Score: 70/100

Yet for all its expected highs, the adaptation has been managed with more gusto than grace; at the end of the day, this impassioned epic too often topples beneath the weight of its own grandiosity.

Read more: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117948874/?refcatid=31

Associated Press
Score: 2.5/4

It is enormous and sprawling and not the slightest bit subtle. But at the same time it's hard not to admire the ambition that drives such an approach ...

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/182870511.html?refer=y

Entertainment Weekly
Score: C

This fake-opulent Les Miz made me long for guillotines ...

Read more: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20620444,00.html

Slant Magazine
Score: 25/100

One would be hard-pressed to describe this, despite the wealth of beauty on display, as anything but an ugly film, shot and cut ineptly.

Read more: http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/les-miserables/6731

Hollywood Reporter
Score: N/A

As the enduring success of this property has shown, there are large, emotionally susceptible segments of the population ready to swallow this sort of thing, but that doesn't mean it's good.

Read more: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie/les-miserables/review/398662

Wikian Reviews
Now it's time for Wikians to review Les Misérables. When you see it, post your thoughts in the comments or post your own blog! Let us know what you thought while experiencing this heart-wrenching story on the big screen! Did "Les Mis" meet all your expectations? Yes! No...