Grand scale musicals are once again in the spotlight at the box office.

French revolution and romance musical Les Miserables was released on Boxing Day and fans, including myself, of the 1980 musical flocked to see the film adaptation starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway. Based upon the 19th century novel by Victor Hugo, the musical tells the epic redemption story of prisoner Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), jailed for stealing a loaf of bread in order to feed his starving family, a lot of fuss over a piece of wheat in my opinion. As the story begins, he is being released from prison after 19 years with an enthralling musical number that reeled me in right away.

The movie had just about anything a viewer like me could ask for; outrageous costumes, vivacious song and dance numbers, a tragic twist, and a cast that cannot be beat.  The support cast stole the show in my eyes and kept me wanting more. Led by Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit, Amanda Seyfried, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter, the supporting actors had me from balling my eyes out. With a tragic, touching scene every twenty minutes, Baron Cohen and Bonham Carter were successful in their roles as two cons, who are determined to scrounge a living any way they can.

I felt the storyline was immense, overwrought, melodramatic, and manipulative. But I had forgotten all that at the downfall of the film in that director Tom Hooper was not content to let the story speak for itself. He felt the need to gussy up the film with ostentatious direction: rapid-fire editing, soaring cameras, extreme close-ups, wide-angle lenses, and the ever-present shaky cam. He clearly intends for the camera work to draw in the audience, but instead it served as a distraction to me constantly calling attention to itself.

For someone who had not seen a stage show of Les Miserables but was keenly intrigued by the story, this film version captivated me and had me at the edge of my seat. I count myself among the musicals’ many admirers.