Isaac's Film Reviews

A sprawling spectacle with intermittent stumbles Full, spoiler-free review by Isaac Handelman No matter your opinion on the film as a whole, it’s easy to get caught up in the sheer spectacle of Les Miserables . Spanning almost two decades and multiple cities and sporting a branching narrative that tells the tales of numerous protagonists, the film’s scope is admirable. Les Mis makes makes a few missteps while accomplishing the daunting task laid out before it, but it’s ultimately a memorable, one-of-a-kind cinematic experience. For those who don’t already know, Les Mis is set in post-revolutionary France, and the anchor of the tale is Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), who, prior to the film’s opening, served a nineteen-year prison sentence as punishment for stealing a loaf of bread for his sister’s starving child. Not long into the proceedings, Valjean is released and put on a strict parole, which he promptly breaks in favor of living out his life under a pseudonym while under consta