Les Miserables no wonder it’s a classic

Les Miserables (Les Mis for short) is a musical adored worldwide, once and still beloved by millions of stunned fans for the incredible storytelling and hard-hitting plotlines.

In 2012 it was turned into a blockbuster film, a practice which often fails to reach the excellence of the original. Les Mis, however, broke the mould, and became a piece of cinematic and dramatic virtuosity.

The movie is remarkably similar to the musical, which dates back to 1985. We follow Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), who, after 19 years as a prisoner, is freed by Javert (Russell Crowe), the officer in charge of the prison workforce. Valjean promptly breaks parole but later uses money from stolen silver to reinvent himself as a mayor and factory owner. Javert vows to bring Valjean back to prison. Eight years later, Valjean becomes the guardian of a child named Cosette after her mother (Anne Hathaway’s) death, but Javert’s relentless pursuit means that peace will be a long time coming.

I know what you’re thinking – that is so boring. Yeah, that’s what I thought too, but, after watching, I’ve discovered that this was very much the intention. Not to be boring – no film wants to be boring – but to be slow and gradual, to take time to portray the film’s ideas in a way that mirrors how they would really transpire.

The film allows us to take in the stories of the characters and to feel them as if we were experiencing them ourselves – and we really do. The film is steeped in emotion, and if you don’t feel something throughout the two-and-a-half-hour runtime of Les Mis, I’m afraid you may need to consider yourself an emotional lost cause.

Assisting in making this film the masterpiece it has become is the acting.

Performances from Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried and Anne Hathaway headline the ensemble cast, and the likes of Samantha Banks, Eddie Redmayne, Helena Bonham-Carter, Sacha Baron-Cohen and Aaron Tveit all add to the brilliance of the line-up. I really don’t want to pick apart their performances, and luckily – I don’t have to.

The acting is absolutely incredible across the board, and every single actor portrays their characters as if they were experiencing the happenings themselves – something which totally engrosses the audience in the world that’s laid out for us.

I’d be remiss to discuss Les Mis without highlighting the award-winning soundtrack. The songs throughout don’t just support the story, but add to it. Characters tell their stories through the means of song, and while this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s hard to deny just how hard-hitting and poignant some of the musical numbers are.

Overall, Les Miserables is a game-changing adaptation of the beloved musical, and something that everyone should experience at least once.

• Les Miserables is streaming now on Netflix.