About Les Mis unpopular opinions? First, I don´t hate the movie, I just think it´overrated, because I hate the musical arrangements - lot of subdued music while I like the sweeping versions - and I dislike some of the voices (Jackman) . Also, I have problems with 21st century film-making - if this would have been made in 1950´s film with Heart full in love in gorgeously Technicolored 19th century Paris and Romy Schneider as Cosette I would have enjoyed it more. Just my unpopular opinion! :)
And the great thing about opinions is that they’re opinions! :)
I can agree with you on the subdued music - especially the major cuts they made to the lyrics that really accentuate character, like some of Grantaire’s lines in “Drink With Me” or Javert’s lines at his suicide. (There are a lot more, but those two are really important to me.) I actually found myself quite happy with most all of the voices, Russel Crowe’s included, even though he’s not a very good singer. For me, the less-than-Broadway-caliber singing added to the rawness of their acting and the overall emotion of the film - I’m not sure I would have liked Hugh Jackman singing in any other context. (And I actually don’t like Helena Bonham-Carter as a singer very much at all, though she is a talented actress. I think Sweeney Todd causes people to overrate her singing.)
As for film-making, I just don’t know enough about the mechanics of it all to formulate an objective opinion on the style. Although, if you are partially referring to the large number of close-ups throughout the film, I can understand that criticism (I’ve heard it from a few people before). I liked seeing the emotion on their faces - it’s not something you normally get to see during a staged production unless you have really good seats - but I can definitely understand why the close-ups would be bothersome.
