Absolutely the worst movie.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Blistering performances.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I have avoided Les Mis over the years, under the impression that it held nothing which would appeal to me. I noticed that this 25th anniversary concert presentation was being broadcast live from the O2 to our local cinema and, knowing that my wife was a big fan, I booked tickets. I got into trouble for various reasons: a) why are you wasting money on that, b) you know I like the show, not a concert performance, c) I get a headache at the cinema.... boy, these women can give you a hard time, can't they? I was blown away. With the exception of Nick Jonas' thin, weedy, nasal Marius, I thought all the performers were first rate. But I have to single out Samantha Barks' heart-breaking Eponine, Matt Lucas' assured, hilarious, and wholly unexpected Thenardier, and Alfie Boe's astonishing Valjean. The ovation at the end of Bring Him Home has been cut down for the DVD: it went on so long during the live performance that he finally had to break character to smile and acknowledge it. I am pleased to say that I have now seen him on stage as Valjean, and it is every bit as hair-raising live in the show.This is a remarkable record of a remarkable event.

Fantastic performances by all! It goes without saying that Boe is outstanding. His melodic tones stand strong throughout the entire production.As a long time Les Mis fan, I was a little wary to watch Nick Jonas perform the role of Marius. I know little about Jonas as a musician, but I was blown away by his powerful performance! His rendition of "Empty Chairs At Empty Tables" brought tears to my eyes! This kid should stick to Broadway instead of pop music.The rest of the cast was expectedly great and I even loved the lyrical changes! And the best part - the original cast appears at the end! This concert completely astounded and amazed me.

Les Misérables has been around for a long time, pleasing audiences around the world - its songs are recorded by an vast array of singers and its impact on audiences is justifiably powerful. Though this filming of the concert production of the musical as performed at London's O2 Arena in January 2010 is hailed as the 25th anniversary of the musical, it is too frequently forgotten that the show, based on the Victor Hugo novel, was originally written by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boubil with Herbert Kretzmer and Jean-Marc Natel and produced in Paris, France in 1980 (it closed after 3 months). This English Adaptation is by Trevor Nunn and John Caird (with additional material by James Fenton) was brought to England and the world through the efforts of Cameron Mitchell in 1985. The concert version is performed with orchestra and chorus in the top of the platforms in O2 Arena and the characters in the musical are in costume standing before microphones at the edge of the performing structure. The light crew performs spectacular effects with the enormous facilities at this 23,000 seat arena. Some action is projected on screens above the performers (the lifting of the cart by Valjean, the barricade, etc) and at other times the screens offer the audience huge close-up view of the performers. It works well under the direction of Nick Morris. The celebration of the birthday of the show is accompanied by prolonged appearances by past members of casts of the show, a light show, and much confetti and self congratulation speeches. As for the production itself it is populate by a generally strong cast. Alfie Boe, a 37 year old British tenor who studied opera but now sings the big demanding musicals, is a very fine Jean Valjean. Norm Lewis, and American actor/baritone is one of the strongest Jauverts on record: he is a talent to watch. Lea Salonga brings years of experience to her interpretation of Fantine, Samantha Banks is a very strong Eponine, the Iranian-born Canadian musical theater singing actor Ramin Karimloo makes a striking impression in the role of Enjolras (he has been playing the role of Phantom in the 'Phantom of the Opera' in England for years), but the performance of Katie Hall as Cosette sounds strained, the Monsieur Thénardier of Matt Lucas is completely unfocused (Jenny Galloway fares better as Madame Thénardier), and it is obvious the producers elected to play to the young audience by miscasting pop star Nick Jonas as Marius: he tries very hard but is out of his league here. In all this is an entertaining memento of a birthday celebration - heavy on audience screaming and special party effects - and rewards the creators of this lasting fine musical with due respect. Grady Harp

Santa very kindly brought the DVD round and it is spectacular. This is much longer than the tenth anniversary concert (TAC), with much more of the secondary action being included. As a result, this performance is much fuller and more rounded. The production values are superb, and easily surpass TAC. This is nearer the actual show itself. I especially enjoyed the use of the over stage camera angles. As to the performances themselves I am one of those who think that Colm Wilkinson is Valjean and Philip Quast is Javert. Alfie Boe and Norm Lewis came very close to changing my mind. Boe is terrific but his voice, while technically superb, just lacks that little bit of raw power that CW has and he lacks the physical presence. Valjean is supposed to be a big man and when he tells Javert that he is the stronger man by far Boe doesn't look it. Lewis brings a commanding aspect to the role. It's a bit unfair to compare Matt Lucas with Alun Armstrong since Lucas gets a lot more to do in this role and does it very well, alternating from the cuddly comic to the downright malevolent. Perhaps I can't stop seeing Brian Lane or Mr Southouse but Alun doesn't come across as evil. The rest of the cast are uniformly excellent, especially Enjolras. Except one! I have never heard of Nick Jonas and I have no idea how he got the part but he is the one weak link in whole performance. His voice and presence are weak and unsubstantial, and he looks as though he has to go and have shaving lessons after the show. I actually felt really sorry for him when Michael Ball comes out and shows him how do it properly. The appearance of the original cast at the end is a wonderful touch and CW shows that he can still do Bring Him Home wonderfully. The only other criticism is that the DVD is just that, a DVD in a case. A booklet or sleeve notes would have been nice! All in all a wonderful performance which just makes you wish you had been there.Jane in Australia: Dog eats Dog is in there but Little People has been cut. No great loss as far as I am concerned since it doesn't have any effect on the main story