matz1036

Let's start off by saying that I am a little bit of a Les Mis purist. I fell in love with the stage show overnight and was involved with a community theater production this year. Therefore I am VERY familiar with the exact order that songs are sung. So early on I was a bit confused when they changed a few lyrics, added a few scenes, changed the order of songs, and omitted one song almost entirely. These changes are forgivable and understandable considering this is a movie and not the actual stage show, but for those of you out there that expect it to be a direct adaptation, be ready for a few curve balls. There are a few things that they add to the movie that come from the book that they usually omit in the stage show, so that was a nice addition for people who like the book as well.

When it comes to actor performances, I will start off by saying that all the hype spoken about Anne Hathaway's performance is spot on. She is truly the best part of the movie, hands down! Hugh Jackman is also pretty good, though he doesn't ever sing falsetto, which takes away some of the beauty of the moment in one of his songs. Samantha Barks is really good as Eponine, though she was slightly better suited for the role in the 25th Anniversary concert version.

Russell Crowe, while a surprisingly decent singer, just doesn't fit as Javert. He lacks a lot of the depth and emotion that I have seen in other Javerts and his singing is too "clean". He is ultimately better than I expected, but still sticks out as a weak link in this movie. I'm curious if Paul Bettany could have done better. Also, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as the Thernardiers are also "not quite right". They are not as comical and over the top as they needed to be. Then again, maybe that's the purist in me speaking.

Overall, this movie is a really good adaptation of the stage show. They add a few good things, place Fantine's signature song in a more logical place, and convey a lot more subtleties and raw emotion that the stage show can not convey. However, it's not a "perfect" adaptation.

I suspect someone who hasn't seen the stage show would like it a bit more than myself.

I am going to give a brief explanation of my religious background and religious status so you see where I am coming from. Bear with me, this is just to explain my position. If you think I am nuts or childish, this review isn't for you.

I was raised United Methodist. After a stint in high school being evangelical, I went to college and opened my heart to a more liberal world view. I now believe in a God or higher power, I believe Genesis was a metaphor for evolution, I believe that Jesus was a great spiritual philosopher (though may not have been divine) and that organized religion can cloud people's perception of what it truly means to be moral and spiritual.

Now that you understand my stance, I say this about Religulous. It was very entertaining, though clearly has an agenda. It's no secret that Bill Maher is critical of religion but this seems like a recruitment film for atheism. Bill has found the oddest of the oddballs in the religious world, and certainly not just Christianity (though he favors going after them) I enjoyed the humor that dotted the movie, whenever it got too preachy, he threw in a joke here or there to lighten things up. I also feel that while Bill is making a point against religion, he usually is a good sport to those he interviews and they usually seem to laugh with him. There are glimmers through out of how some religious people are more rational, ironically two people at the heart of one major religion.

I feel overall, it's good this film was made. Bill shows how some people let religion get out of hand or go astray and corrupt it. But the last few minutes are pure shock value, which I feel was a terrible bookend choice. I'm sure atheists would agree with him, but I am not so black-and-white. I am glad to have Bill Maher in the world, he is creating an opposition voice to the established religions, which reminds me of some other figure in history that spoke against the ruling religion...