♪ I dreamed a dream that this won’t suck ♪
Witness: The trailer to the 2012 movie verion of the musical Les Miserables:
I must say, this looks right, and sounds pretty good, thankfully. The cast is theoretically very good, and the fact that director Tom Hooper, I’ve read, insisted that the whole thing be done with live vocals rather than lip synching to studio tracks is encouraging.
However, it’s the film adaptation of one of the most popular and beloved muscials of the last 30 years. It was my first Broadway show, and probably still my favorite (and not just because all the cute artsy girls in high school walked around wearing the t-shirt all the damned time). Who cares if it only has like four melodies across the entire show? It’s iconic, and rightfully so.
Which is why I’m so relieved that it doesn’t seem horrid. What we hear of Hathaway’s vocals are quite good, even if I’d personally prefer she go with the more defiant, pissed off at the world interpretation of “I Dreamed A Dream” rather than the sorrowful, piteous one (both are valid choices). I can’t wait to see Jackman chew up some gorgeously shot scenery.
So, these 90 seconds or so have, for the moment, set my mind at ease, at least a little bit. I really hope this ends up being as good as I want it to be. Too many of us have waited too long for it to suck (or get run over by The Hobbit, since I think they’re opening the same weekend).
