Almost a month
after showing everywhere else in the world and having to deal with Agimat and
Enteng Kabisote, Les Miserables is finally showing here in The Philippines.
More than the also currently showing Life of Pi or maybe even The Hobbit, Les
Mis was THE holiday film that most Filipinos really couldn’t wait to see.
Having to hear and read all the reviews online about the film while having to
endure through the annual farce that is the Metro Manila Film Festival just
made the wait that much harder. So when it finally did open yesterday,
anticipation was at a fever pitch.
Opening night tickets were going fast and some groups even bought out an
entire cinema for a block screening. Giulz and I were fortunate enough to get
tickets yesterday and finally see what the buzz was all about.
Do I even need
to provide a background on the film? I think most people have already read the
novel, or took it up in High School; or have some sort of idea of what to
expect based on the musical from which the film is based. While I am familiar
with the central plot of the story, I have not seen the musical in any of its
forms. This actually worked for me because as I watched the movie, I did not
feel the need to compare the actors to their Broadway or West End counterparts.
I will not be able to make any comments about the film in comparison to the musical
and if I either enjoyed it or hated it, it would be based on the film’s own
merits. Unfortunately though, I left the theater somewhat disappointed with the
film.