Wreck-It Ralph

No, don't wreck it! If it gets any worse, it loses my recommendation!

Ralph and all his virtual companions (Courtesy of Disney)

Everybody wants to be included, even the digital villain from 80's arcade games. In Wreck-It Ralph, kids line up for 30 years to play Fix-It Felix, where Felix's magical hammer repairs all the damage Ralph causes in the game. When everyone leaves for the day, all the characters of every game in the arcade travel to Game Central Station, a sort of gathering place located in the power strip all the games are plugged into. 

Hmm...inanimate characters assumed to be controlled only by humans come to life when not seen. Why does that sound so familiar? Oh well, back to the modernized Toy Story rip-off. Ralph doesn't quite understand why Felix always gets medals for his efforts, but he himself is forced to reside in the dump and live alone in the digital world of Fix-It Felix. Ralph tries to mingle with his virtual residents, none of whom want anything to do with him. He is sarcastically told by one of the programs in the game that if he wins a medal, he can come stay with the rest of the programs.

Starved for inclusion, Ralph goes to a game similar to Halo, and maneuvers his way to a medal. Instead of making his way back to the Fix-It Felix game, he winds up in Sugar Rush, which is basically a racing game in Candyland. There, he meets a glitched avatar named Vanellope (Yes, Vanellope. Not Penelope. I don't get it either). Initially made out to be villainous, we begin to fee some sympathy for Vanellope's plight, and Ralph's involvement in trying to help Vanellope leads to the biggest twist in an animated movie I've ever seen. 

Aside from the twist and the visual beauty behind this movie, Wreck-It Ralph wasn't groundbreaking storytelling. I laughed, more than once, but the 1 hour and 40 minute runtime felt almost like 140 minutes. Much of the content seemed purposeless. There were too many characters, especially for a kids movie, and I wasn't able to get invested that well in their stories. While the second half effectively improved on the first, this movie is only barely recommendable. 

Let's take a look at Toy Story and Toy Story 2. Both of these movies were quick (under 90 minutes), hilarious and memorable, and told great stories. Then look at Toy Story 3 - still great, but definitely the worst of the three incredible movies. Why? It took too much time. When I go into a movie like Toy Story or Wreck-It Ralph, I only want to watch 100 minutes of content if they can be filled wisely and efficiently. If not, streamline it down to a pretty hour and 20 minutes. Toy Story did, and look how much it is still admired today. If the inevitable sequel to Wreck-It Ralph can follow the example of storytelling made by the original Pixar gem, I might have a more enthusiastic review for it than I do for this one.

So to sum up the race for Best Animated Feature - I've now seen three (Brave, ParaNorman, and this). Now that I've seen this, I'm a bit disheartened that it got a nod over Rise of the Guardians, but there's no going back now. Out of these three nominees, I still would give the win to ParaNorman, with Brave as a distant 2nd.

Rating: 3/5

ParaNorman

A younger demographic's Sixth Sense: ParaNorman Review

Kodi-Smitt Mcphee (The Road, Let Me In) plays Norman, and has a real talent in voiceover acting. (Courtesy of Washington Post)

"I see dead people" checks in at #44 on AFI's list of the Top 100 Movie Quotes, mainly because it represents a massive plot shift in The Sixth Sense, and is delivered with chilling insecurity from Haley Joel Osment in his Oscar-nominated role. In ParaNorman, Norman can see dead people, too, but unlike Cole Sear, he embraces his difference. His peers don't, leading to his social isolation and torment, mainly caused by his classmate Alvin, who resembles Francis from TV's "The Fairly OddParents" almost identically. 

Since no one believes Norman's claims, even Norman's family isn't proud to have him living in their home. The only person who seems to take a liking to Norman is his awkward, chubby companion Neil, who mixes all the best parts of Rowley from Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Chowder from Monster House, and when told by Norman that he prefers to be alone, responds with "Me too! Let's do it together." 

The concept of ghosts walking the planet is similar to the way it's portrayed in M. Night's most respectable film - they roam the earth, stay near their loved ones, and only move on after they resolve their unfinished business. Norman is told by a fellow deceased-conversationist that because he's one of the few that can talk to the dead, he needs to stop an evil that is coming to his town. 300 years ago, a witch cursed the accusers who prompted her execution by making them rise after their own deaths. Norman learns that today's the big day, and zombies are coming unless he puts a halt to it. Neil, Alvin, Norman's older sister, and Neil's older brother also get roped into finding a solution to rid the town of its new undead inhabitants.

I was never a big fan of the bulky claymation found in ParaNorman, Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and the like. However, I was able to overlook that in this movie. The characters were impressive and the screenplay and witty and surprisingly sophisticated for a supposed children's film. Make no mistake, this is not a kiddie movie. There's plenty of suggestive dialogue and imagery, and the content and plot twists are not only mature, but oftentimes disturbing. 

What really made me appreciate and enjoy this movie was it's inclusion of comedic social commentary. Using your cell phone as a flashlight, hitting on a buff guy who turns out to be playing for the other team, the skinny-waist/huge-badonkadonk figure today's teenage girls strive to embody, and even those jaw-dropping gauges people have that make you want to scream "WHY DO YOU HAVE HUGE HOLES IN YOUR EARLOBES? THAT'S DISGUSTING!" are all included. 

The real demographic this movie was striving for was clearly not that of age 10 and below. There are too many adult plot devices, as well as scenes that probably would scare an everyday kindergartner half to death. This is a really strong PG, and was most likely a borderline PG-13, But with today's film rating standards, we're lucky this didn't get a G rating. In other words, don't dismiss this just because it's PG. If you're a teenager, you'll probably enjoy this much more than any elementary school student. If you're an adult, you'll probably enjoy the social satire. I know I did.

This movie is a nominee for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards this year. I must emphasize how sincerely disappointed I am Rise of the Guardians didn't get a nod. Of the five nominees in the category this year, I've only seen one other, Brave, but of these two, Brave's got nothing on ParaNorman, which right now has my vote. 

Rating: 4/5

Netflix Suggestions: Vol. 1

Five Netflix Streaming Suggestions 

 

(Both images courtesy of Wikipedia)

Got nothing to do tonight? All you need is a Netflix subscription and you’re set for the evening. While on the surface Netflix has a lot of, well, crap, it does have some very good selections for those who want to watch a quality movie.

Ghost is one of the most well made films of all time. It juggles drama, comedy, horror, romance and mystery into an Oscar-winning screenplay. Although it’s from 1990, it’s a movie that will make you laugh and make you feel. It’ll be 125 of the best minutes of your life.

Super 8 is also available for streaming. In short, I loved this movie. It’s full of nostalgia, brought to life by the incredible acting of the young cast lead by Joel Courtney, who won a Saturn Award for Best Younger Actor for his effort. It’s fairly recent, so most of you probably know the film is about a group of friends in the 70s whose town becomes host to a severely disruptive extraterrestrial guest. The ending really was a disappointment for me, but I still loved the movie enough to watch it three times.

Warrior is also a recent release. It’s about two brothers competing in an MMA competition for $5 million. I see it as today’s Rocky. The story contains sincere heart, coupled with great action sequences in the ring. Also, I was blown away by Nick Nolte’s performance as the boys’ father, a recovering alcoholic who tries his best to fix the bonds he carelessly broke. Give this one a watch and you will not be disappointed. Everything in this movie was outstanding, which is why it was one of my favorite movies from 2011.

Double Jeopardy is a lesser-known film from 1999. Like Ghost, it’s incredibly well made, balancing several genres to give the story the feel of being real. Libby Parsons is imprisoned for killing her husband – only she didn’t do it. When she finds out her husband is not only alive, but the one who framed her, she runs away from her parole officer (Tommy Lee Jones) to reclaim her son and her life. Although politically inaccurate, it’s easy to see past that because this movie is so, for lack of a better term, awesome.

Finally, The Poker House is on Netflix streaming for those into more dramatic, independent films. Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chloë Grace Moretz (before they both rose to fame), it’s the story of Agnes (Lawrence), who tries to be a good example for her two younger siblings. At the same time, she needs to keep her own head straight in her mother’s “poker house,” where acts of…questionable legality take place. It’s a coming-of-age tale that started off a bit weak, but not surprisingly, was saved by the outstanding acting talent of Jennifer Lawrence.

 If you’re not in the mood for a movie, start streaming "Breaking Bad" or "The Walking Dead." If you haven’t started watching these shows – get on it.

Zero Dark Thirty

SPOILER ALERT! Osama Gets Killed: Zero Dark Thirty Review

One of the greatest actresses of this time is able to help make Zero Dark Thirty recommendable (Courtesy of Forbes)

Zero Dark Thirty begins with a blank screen. Hectic 911 phone calls are heard during the haywire of September 11th, 2001, culminating in a caller in the World Trade Center telling the woman on the other end “I’m gonna die, aren’t I? I’m gonna die. I’m gonna die…” This is a dark but artistically impressive start to Zero Dark Thirty, which began with ferocity and urgency but ultimately failed to deliver to its seemingly powerful potential. 

Maya (the outstanding Jessica Chastain, last year's breakout star from The Help and The Tree of Life) is a CIA agent assigned to uncovering al-Qadea news while working in Pakistan's U.S. Embassy. Initially, she shakily observes another agent, Dan, as he tortures a connection to Osama bin Laden by waterboarding him, depriving him of sleep, and locking him in a box half his height. After a few long years, Dan decides to abandon his role in the bin Laden project, but Maya doesn't. Dan's desire to relocate his services to D.C. prompts her to say that she can't catch bin Laden from D.C. She gradually shifts from passive to aggressive in her decade-long drive to see Osama dead.

Maya slaves for the next several years over a computer screen trying to locate bin Laden's courier, holding onto the conjecture that if she locates the courier, she locates the man who caused 9/11. When she finds his possible location, others refuse to believe her and shoot down her speculations, despite her certainty. Her confidence and assertiveness lead to approval for the successful raid that rids the world of Osama bin Laden. 

The raid scene, where the soldiers enter the compound where bin Laden is believed to be hiding, was disappointing. The idea to withhold musical score during this scene was smart, but my hope was that the stress the soldiers felt were felt tenfold by the audience. That would've been great filmmaking, but this was scene wasn't great filmmaking. Argo and The Impossible were way more intense, but this should've (and easily could've) outdone both of them. Like the entire movie, the raid scene was overlong and lacked structure.

The most worthwhile aspect of Zero Dark Thirty is yet another amazing performance from Chastain, who was robbed of an Oscar last year by her Help co-star, Octavia Spencer. At first, her subtle presence failed to captivate me. However, her escalation of Maya's character from a timid novice to a powerhouse heroine is impressive. Sadly, it's not quite enough to get her an Oscar this year in my eyes, with Naomi Watts and Jennifer Lawrence having given more worthy performances. But yes, I was impressed by Chastain, and doubt I will ever be unimpressed by her sheer talent for the screen.

Once Dan is out of the story, the movie loses a bit of its focus, and remains mostly uneventful for a good amount of time. It jumps from following different al-Qaeda leads to daily activities of Maya and her colleagues until Maya discovers bin Laden's possible residence, with a few explosions and casualties along the way. At this point, the focus returns, and there is some excitement and a tense atmosphere over the pending assassination of Osama.

The movie's ending was rushed and abrupt. It ends about 5 minutes after bin Laden's body is penetrated with bullets. What screenwriter Mark Boal should have done is sacrificed some of the less important scenes in the middle for an aftermath sequence, which could've made the movie more worthwhile. Instead, Maya's fulfillment didn't come across the same way to the audience, like it should have. The movie is mainly driven by its concept, and could've been much more eventful and recommendable. I still recommend it, but if you take as long to see this movie as it took for the United States government to kill bin Laden, I'd forgive you. 

After the movie, I asked my friend Luke if he liked it. He said yes. When I asked why, he said “I don't know. I just hate bin Laden.” I do too, Luke. That’s why I was hoping for this movie to be more of a showcase of triumph of American justice over terrorism and a tribute to those whose lives were lost on 9/11 and those who ended this evil man’s life. But it wasn’t. 

Rating: 3.5/5

AJ's Top 10 of 2012

This is the first year that I've taken my role as a film critic seriously, so even though the list of titles I've seen has expanded, I still have yet to see a few movies, including, but not limited to, the following: Hitchcock, Anna Karenina, Flight, Life of Pi, and Wreck-It Ralph. That being said, here is the list of the  10 best movies I saw this year (+1 Honorable Mention).

Sorry for the wait on this list. I wanted to hold off until I saw Zero Dark Thirty after predicting it would be in my Top 10. It wasn't.

Honorable Mention: The Woman in Black

(Courtesy of RedBox.com)

Maybe it's unconventional as a Top 10 film, but I couldn't make a best-of list for this year without giving some recognition to The Woman in Black. It's the most frightening ghost tale since The Shining - and the scariest movie I have ever seen.

#10: Arbitrage

(Courtesy of IMDb)

Richard Gere's performance as a financial scumbag who accidentally kills his mistress in a car accident is repulsive, yet spot-on. The movie is a tense, modern thriller about money, morals, legal quarrels and deception. 

#9: Prometheus

(Courtesy of Wikipedia)

Overdose of ambiguity aside, Prometheus is an incredibly well-acted sic-fi spectacle that returns us to Ridley Scott's Alien universe, with brutality and award-worthy technical construction. 

#8: Skyfall

(Courtesy of comingsoon.net)

Awesome action, assisted by the all-star cast headed by Daniel Craig and Judi Dench, make Skyfall one of the best Bonds of recent years. It's a shame that Javier Bardem wasn't used to his full extent. 

Watch me review Skyfall with my friends Charlie and Ines [here] (from 10:18-13:45)

#7: Argo

(Courtesy of IMDb)

Ben Affleck's direction, Arkin's and Cranston's performances, and William Goldenberg's tense film editing help to make Argo a success. The 40-minute climax at the airport will be talked about for years.

#6: Lincoln

(Courtesy of IMDb)

After a rather boring first act, Daniel Day-Lewis leads Lincoln into the waters of success, both in its historical storytelling and as a film. 

#5: Looper

(Courtesy of Flixster)

With comedies, dramas, actions, and now sci-fis in his filmography, Joseph Gordon-Levitt widens his acting credibility in the most original movie of the year. 

#4: Django Unchained

(Courtesy of Wikipedia)

Gotta love Tarantino. His classic employment of witty and uncanny dialogue through perfectly casted actors is present here in Django Unchained, alongside all the blood, guns, and profanity. 

#3: The Impossible

(Courtesy of IMDb)

The Impossible is gripping, emotional, and moving. It's one of the most powerful movies I've ever seen, with awe-inspiring turns from Tom Holland and Naomi Watts.

#2: The Hunger Games

(Courtesy of hungergamesdwtc.net)

Everyone who knows me knows I can't shut up about this movie once it comes up in conversation. Call me a fanboy, and you're probably right. I'll admit this isn't the most well put together movie, but where it lacks in being well-made, it succeeds in being the most entertaining movie of the year. And I honestly see it as a crime Jennifer Lawrence hasn't been getting any awards talk for her excellent, career-defining role as Katniss Everdeen. 

#1: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

(Courtesy of IMDb)

Heartfelt. Dramatic. Hilarious. Emotional. Awkward. Comedic. Moving. Infinite. But hey, that's high school. And it's the best film of the year. 

Reviews for all of these films, with the exceptions of The Hunger Games, Skyfall, Arbitrage, and The Woman in Black, are all available in my archives. 

House at the End of the Street

House at the End of the Street Review (Though now that I think of it, there's really no mention to it being the house at the end of the street.)

Strange noises in the woods. How original. (Courtesy of Wired.com)

The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook, and House at the End of the Street: one of these 2012 Jennifer Lawrence films is not like the others. Hint - two are high quality films. Although HATES (as advertised in the film's Twitter campaign) has some originality in its story and twists, the screenplay is subpar, the suspense is minimal, and the carnage is almost non-existent. 

Lawrence plays Elissa Cassidy, a Chicago native who relocates with her single mother Sarah (Elisabeth Shue, of The Karate Kid (1984) and Piranha 3-D). Sarah, who had rather questionable morals in high school, worries Elissa will end up the same way. The audience sees, however, that Elissa is an otherwise down-to-earth teenager, straying away from drunks at a party and looking for the good in others. She has a dark side, though, such as rerouting her home phone to her cell to convince her mother that she's home when she really isn't. But hey, all teenagers have a dark side, don't they?

Ryan Jacobsen (Max Thieriot) doesn't, or so Elissa believes. It's only a few hours after Elissa moves into her cozy new woodsy home that her neighbors inform her about the horrors that took place in Ryan's home. Four years prior, his brain-damaged sister Carrie-Ann murdered their parents, then took off and drowned in a nearby well...but her body was never found! Cue the not-so-erie erie music. 

Since that day, Ryan has lived in his home by himself, with rumors of Carrie-Ann living in the forest having surfaced. On a rainy night, Ryan offers Elissa a ride home. He's polite, but reserved. He sort of has the Edward Cullen persona, though Thieriot fails completely at trying to convey it (Sorry Max). After dropping off Elissa, Ryan goes down to his basement, turns over a rug, opens a latch leading to a floor below, goes down a staircase, follows a long hallway, and goes into the room where Carrie-Ann resides, sedated and stowed away from the world, escaping every so often in an attempt to seemingly repeat her crime. 

The concept of this story is interesting enough, but the screenplay is filled with unoriginal and predictable dialogue. Once the conflict escalates, a surprisingly interesting twist occurs. It owes some credit to Psycho for the rather similar twist, so once I drew a connection between the two, I wasn't as impressed. That doesn't mean that I wasn't impressed, though. I have to say that I was, but not with the movie as a whole.

The suspense wasn't suspenseful, and there wasn't a high body count to keep the gore-lovers entertained. I'm not sure if I would classify this movie as a horror, thriller, suspense, drama or mystery. Pick any one of these genres, and it fails, with the slight exception of mystery. I'm not saying it succeeded at being a mystery. It just didn't fail.

Maybe it's just Jennifer Lawrence's screen presence, but overall the movie wasn't a waste of time for me. I wouldn't recommend it, and I'm nowhere near in a rush to re-watch it, but I wasn't totally disappointed. This is a movie worthy of a rental, but only if you're a fan of the horror genre. There are plenty of solid shocks and scares out there that trump House at the End of the Street.

Rating: 2/5

The Impossible

So much for a relaxing Christmas vacation...: The Impossible Review

Mom, can we go home now? (Courtesy of Collider)

The most recent feature to move me as much as The Impossible did was Changeling, which is also based on a true story of a mother's love in times of tragedy. The Impossible recounts the actual events surrounding a family vacationing in Thailand during the 2004 Holiday season. The day after Christmas, the most devastating tsunami of recent years collides into the resort where the family is staying. After being separated, the film covers their story of searching for each other with hopes of reuniting and returning home together as a family. 

Let me begin by saying this film is like no other. Sure there are plenty of disaster movies, many based on true events. This movie gives us a brisk 15 minutes of background, character introduction, and exposition. Then, the wave hits, launching the most gripping scene of the year as Maria (Naomi Watts) and her son Lucas (Tom Holland) struggle to overcome the force of the flood that is successfully pulling them apart. The scene was even more intense that the extended climax in Argo, and that's not said lightly. After the two grab hold of each other, the rest of the movie is post-disaster, and I can't say much more than that without giving a great deal away.

I don't think it would be appropriate to call this a survival movie, because after we see which of the main characters have survived, they get to safety rather quickly (although one has sustained potentially fatal wounds). Ever ask yourself during a movie disaster, "How do they clean up this mess? Did anybody die? Wouldn't the hospitals be a zoo right now?" This movie has all the answers.

The movie isn't dialogue driven. It certainly has a sufficient amount, but the story is told through visuals, and predominantly, through the actors. Naomi Watts portrays Maria with such intricacy and lovingness, balancing fortitude and compassion, expressing her pain and suffering flawlessly. I've already declared a potential win for either Jennifer Lawrence or Noomi Rapace, but the Oscar for Best Actress could be won by a much-deserved Watts this year. 

And hello, Tom Holland! Where have you been? The former West End portrayer of Billy Elliot plays Lucas, the eldest son of the family. Holland wowed me with his first film performance. He takes a boy from a privileged family on vacation in paradise and turns him into an emergent hero. Lucas rises to the occasion by watching out for his mother and making smart, life-saving decisions. He even helps to reunite displaced family members. Holland seems to make Lucas's attitude shift all more valued to the viewer.

Just before the closing scene, which ends on a positive note, there's a subtle homage to those who weren't so lucky that day, with survivors crying in front of a wall with a list of names. It's a very moving scene which can be easily missed, so look for it towards the end of the movie. It's not a happy sight, but it adds to the realism and maintains truth in an otherwise uplifting ending.

This movie requires thick-skin for viewing. While watching, I remembered the film was PG-13, and was horrified, especially when I saw a girl in the theater that couldn't have been more than six. This movie really should've been R, and easily could have been. After the initial wave hit, I don't think I went more than seven minutes at a time without cringing. It also was emotionally over-breaing. The movie almost moved me to tears of joy, and would've been only the second movie to do so (don't ask me the first, I'm too embarrassed to tell). 

Not only was The Impossible one of the best movies I've seen this year, it's one of the most powerful films I've had the privilege of seeing as a moviegoer. Heartfelt performances, gripping content and intelligent cinematography help embed this unique story of post-disaster onto your mind, making the viewing experience impossible to easily forget.

Rating: 5/5

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Quvenzhané Wallis and Dwight Henry give star-making debut performances in Beasts of the Southern Wild (Courtesy of Slate)

I'm from a suburban town in Massachusetts, so to see areas like those in Beasts of the Southern Wild are in the same country as I am is a bit of a shocker. Last year's film festival sensation takes place in an underdeveloped Louisiana bayou that gets devastated by a storm. Seen through the eyes of six-year-old Hushpuppy and her father, Wink, the film follows their story of survival and their inspirational bond. 

The storm that comes floods the bayou, and leaves less than a dozen survivors. The community bands together to find food and build shelter. What they have no interest in is a rescue from mainland shelter workers. After their arrival following a mandatory evacuation, Hushpuppy sees the shelter as a fish tank with no water. The workers force Hushpuppy into neat apparel and neaten up her trademark mess of a hairdo. She looked beautiful in her new clothes, but different - out of her element. Hushpuppy wasn't meant to be a a proper schoolgirl. The doctors at the complex also try to perform a life-saving surgery on Wink, who wants no part of it. The survivors eventually escape from the facility back to their home, where the severity of Wink's sickness becomes clear.

Growing up in an unprivileged area made Hushpuppy a resourceful and outgoing youngster, but throughout the movie, we are reminded she is a little girl like any other. She still calls out to her mother every night hoping the two will meet for the first time since her birth. Wink is a harsh father to Hushpuppy. He yells at her, makes her stay in a different home, is verbally uninviting, and almost always has a bottle of liquor in hand. 

The fatherly side of Wink emerges in the face of the tragedy, though. He shows concern for Hushpuppy's fear of the storm the night it comes by shooting into the sky to scare the thunder away. He teaches Hushpuppy to catch a fish barehanded and how to "beast" a crab and eat it sans utensils. It's implied Wink wished Hushpuppy were a boy, calling her the future king of the bayou and making her show off her muscles, asking her "Who's the man?"in the process. Nonetheless, the flood and its aftermath awaken Wink's paternal instincts, developing him from a stereotypical single father in the backwoods of America to Beasts of the Southern Wild's tragic hero.

The movie is subtle, yet successful. It tells a concise and magical story in an hour and a half, and actually accomplishes a lot of storytelling in a rather short running time. Wallis is just a pleasure to watch, and Dwight Henry is yet another representative of the amazing supporting performances 2012's films had to offer. The onscreen chemistry between these two performers in so touching. What makes it even more touching is that both of these actors made their film debuts in Beasts, and were able to show professionalism remarkably. The musical score was also amazing. It was adventurous, curious, and conveyed the appropriate mood for the scenes.

Beasts of the Southern Wild is humbling, touching and original. The character development, score, and highly impressive and uplifting performances by its two leads make it worth a watch. Much like Winter's Bone, it features a courageous youngster, portrayed by an actress in her breakout role, in a story of survival in an undeveloped part of America. However, I argue that this is better than Winter's Bone, and congratulate Wallis, Henry, and writer-director Benh Zeitlin on their impressive feature film debuts.

Rating: 4.5/5

Les Misérables

Is It Over Yet? 

Anne Hathaway is one of the few positive takeaways from Les Mis (Courtesy of Time Entertainment)

"Why do you build me up just to let me down?"- a question I would ask Tom Hooper, director of Les Misérables (Les Mis for short). Never before have I seen such empty hype for a movie since the first Twilight film, a movie so uninspiring I didn't even bother seeing the next four installments, which I heard were equally as bleak. Awe-inspiring performances and beautiful artistic displays were the only attributes to Les Mis, an otherwise boring, uneventful display of another empty promise from the world of cinema.

The story takes place in France over three different time periods. In the first, prisoner Jean Valjean (pronounced John Valjohn, with a soft J, and played by Hugh Jackman) abandons his identity as an ex-con by ripping up his parole papers and beginning a new identity. This prompts Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe) to search for his former prisoner to force him to serve the remainder of his sentence.

Eight years later, Valjean is mayor of a town where a poor woman named Fantine (Anne Hathaway) works to feed her daughter, Cosette. Upon the revelation that Fantine is an unwed mother, she is dismissed from her job. Valjean encounters her and promises to care for Cosette. He finds the young girl, abandons his position as mayor, and begins yet another life. 

Nine years later, Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) meets Marius (Eddie Redmayne), a young French Revolutionist. Most of this third part is centered around a battle between the townsfolk, armed with rifles and barricaded by broken furniture, and virtually the entire French Army. Marius resolves to survive the battle to be reunited with his newfound love, Cosette. I won't ruin the ending of this film, but I will say it was very graceful. The finale was the best scene in the movie, but was nowhere near good enough to reconcile for the two-and-a-half hour mess that was Les Mis. 

I must give credit where credit is due. Aside from Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter (both of whom make me cringe when they show up on a screen), Les Mis was a spectacle of acting at its best. Anne Hathaway gave the most moving performance of her career in less than an hour of screen time. Amanda Seyfried is continuously growing out of the Karen Smith persona from Mean Girls, and I cannot wait to see how successful she will be in the continuing future. Film newcomers Isabelle Allen and Daniel Huttlestone gave perhaps two of the most uplifting performances I saw this year, as the adorable and confident younger Cosette and a street-smart lovable street urchin, respectively. Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and Eddie Redmayne also give solid performances, though Jackman didn't wow me as much as I hoped he would have.

Over a course of 150 minutes, the movie charged on, leaving me indifferent and uninterested by introducing countless new characters without giving many their due developments. If I didn't want to write an informed review, I would've walked out of the theater, a first for me. Whereas recent releases like Argo and Lincoln were able to improve on their first part with a rousing second, Les Mis couldn't duplicate this necessary action.

Furthermore, the movie was basically a two-and-a-half hour music video. I mean, is it necessary to sing everything? And when I say everything, I mean everything. If I said 2% of the dialogue was spoken, not sung, I may be giving too much recognition to the spoken word. The voices weren't terrible (Seyfried's is rather good), but they got really old really fast. 

The art in this movie is astonishing. If the script and direction were as impressive as the set pieces and costume design, we might've had a five star movie on our hands. But sadly, Hooper wasn't able to direct this successful musical hit onto the screen very effectively. Award-worthy performances and production design weren't enough to save the massive disappointment that is Les Misérables. The rating I'm giving this movie is generous, and am only giving it this score to reward the talented cast members for their efforts. However, I'd be lying if I say I recommend this movie.

Rating: 2.5/5