Les Miserables (1998)
84%RT Audience Score: 83%
Awards & Nominations: Won 3 Oscars
85 wins & 177 nominations total
This intelligent, handsomely crafted adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic novel condenses the story’s developments without blunting its emotional impact
Les Miserables is a movie that will make you feel all the emotions. It’s like a rollercoaster ride, but instead of loops and drops, you get heartbreak and triumph. Liam Neeson is a force to be reckoned with as Jean Valjean, and the rest of the cast is equally impressive. The story is condensed, but it still packs a punch. If you’re looking for a movie that will make you cry, laugh, and cheer, Les Miserables is the one for you. Just make sure you have some tissues handy.
Production Company(ies)
Universal International Pictures,,
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for suggestive and sexual material, violence and thematic elements
Year of Release
2012
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS Dolby Surround 7.1 Dolby Atmos
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 11m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 1, 1998 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 21, 2003
Genre(s)
History/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman, Claire Danes, Hans Matheson, Reine Brynolfsson, directed by Bille August, written by Rafael Yglesias, History, Drama, PG-13, box office performance, $13.9M, reviewed by Emanuel Levy, Susan Stark, Marc Savlov, Charles Taylor, Janet Maslin, James Berardinelli, Grant Watson, Tim Brayton, David Poland, Luisa F Ribeiro, Chuck O’Leary, produced by Sarah Radclyffe, James Gorman, Caroline Hewitt
Worldwide gross: $442,299,309
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $570,223,073
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 243
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 62,183,541
US/Canada gross: $148,809,770
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $191,849,190
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 374
US/Canada opening weekend: $27,281,735
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $35,172,279
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 370
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $61,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $78,642,690
Production budget ranking: 536
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $42,349,089
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $449,231,294
ROI to date (est.): 371%
ROI ranking: 365
Geoffrey Rush – Javert
Uma Thurman – Fantine
Claire Danes – Cosette
Hans Matheson – Marius
Reine Brynolfsson – Captain Beauvais
Director(s)
Bille August
Writer(s)
Rafael Yglesias
Producer(s)
Sarah Radclyffe, James Gorman, Caroline Hewitt
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 3 Oscars
85 wins & 177 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (44) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (33) | Rotten (11)
Without a doubt the most emotionally powerful and handsomely mounted production of the story yet.
March 26, 2009
Emanuel Levy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 3/4
Susan Stark
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
Condensing a massive tome like Les Misrables into a cohesive 129-minute film is a labor of love in any case, and August succeeds with remarkable, powerful results.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 4.5/5
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
The movie’s whole virtuous conception of Jean Valjean sticks in my craw. He’s haunted and hunted, but he reeks of a reasoned, noble superiority that’s a pretty sterile quality in the hero of an epic.
January 1, 2000
Charles Taylor
Salon.com
TOP CRITIC
With a first-rate cast and a venerable storytelling style, it fluently condenses Victor Hugo’s epic novel and retrieves some of its suspenseful momentum.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 4/4
Janet Maslin
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Towering over the entire film is Liam Neeson, the Irish actor who seems at home in any kind of picture, whether it transpires in contemporary America, World War II Germany, or centuries-ago Scotland.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 3/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
Rarely does the quality rise to feel particularly striking or transcendent, but to criticise that too much would be to punish the film for simply being really quite good instead of exceptional.
January 23, 2021 | Rating: 7/10
Grant Watson
Fiction Machine
Neeson’s is an outstanding, memorable Jean Valjean who does a mighty job of anchoring this film and keeping its drama earthy and humane.
January 27, 2013 | Rating: 6/10
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy
I feel like saying I hate this movie. I really don’t. I was just bored out of my mind by its lack of anything real.
December 6, 2012
David Poland
Movie City News
[An] attractive, solid rendering of this popular classic.
October 18, 2008 | Rating: 3/5
Luisa F. Ribeiro
Boxoffice Magazine
A beautiful testament to the strength of the human spirit. This version of Les Miserables is a triumph for everyone involved.
January 26, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/4
Chuck O’Leary
Fantastica Daily
The new version is a traditional telling of the story, and there is nothing wrong with tradition.
April 9, 2005 | Rating: B
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews…
Plot
Jean Valjean, known as Prisoner 24601, is released from prison and breaks parole to create a new life for himself while evading the grip of the persistent Inspector Javert. Set in post-revolutionary France, the story reaches resolution against the background of the June Rebellion.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Liam Neeson delivers an outstanding and memorable performance as Jean Valjean.
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