One of my favorite musicals of all time, I thought that this was a perfect adaptation of the beautiful stage play (people that don't like Russel Crowe as Javert can get f**ked). 

Set to the backdrop of France's little-known June rebellion of 1832, we start off with long-serving convict, Jean Valjean, and his recent release from prison. Per conditions of his parole, Valjean has to notify any potential employers that he is a convict (despite having been imprisoned initially for stealing food to feed his starving family, and subsequently for trying to escape). This makes it near impossible to find work, so he winds up a poor beggar on the street.

A compassionate priest from a nearby church grants him sanctuary, a hot meal, and a place to clean up. Despite the kindness given to him, Valjean still winds up stealing the church's precious silver, where he is brought before the priest after he is captured. Instead of turning him in, the priest covers for the convict and claims that the silver was given to him, and advises Valjean to use the money he'll receive to better himself. Shocked by the man's kindness, Valjean laments at the mercy he received and vows before God to reinvent himself and become a good man.

And thus begins a beautiful tale of redemption. In the span of 20 years, Valjean becomes the wealthy owner of a textile plant and keeps many employed during rough economic times and plague. He takes the daughter of one of his employees, who was wrongly fired by his own foreman without his knowledge and forced into prostitution, and raises her as his own. All the while, Javert, formerly a prison guard who had it out for Valjean, has now become an inspector and relentlessly pursues the former convict  after he discovers his identity. Javert is a wonderful foil to the redemption-seeking Valjean, he's a man who is obsessed with worldly justice and views every sin and law broken as a punishable offense. 

The film of course leads to Valjean's adopted daughter, Cosette, and her involvement with one of the leaders of a growing rebellion of republicans who are rising up against the French monarchy over income inequality in the streets of Paris. The rebels create makeshift barricades and attempt to hold the streets from the superiorly armed French army, where the hopelessly hold out in a battle of attrition. Valjean ends up saving Marius, the rebel leader whom his daughter has fallen in love with, and even spares the life of Javert, who had infiltrated the rebellion as a spy and was caught. Torn between his lawful and moral duty, Javert ends up  offing himself. 

The epilogue, which takes place during the wedding of Cosette and Marius, ends with a redeemed Valjean dying, where he is taken to heaven by Cosette's departed mother.

All in all, this is a wonderful film that doesn't shy away from the deep religious overtones that inspired it. The characters are fleshed out and complex, depicting Human morality as anything but black and white. As a conservative, I see myself in Javert a lot, where I hold the law and the adherence to it as essential to a functional society. However, as a Christian, I am reminded that like myself, an imperfect sinner, that others too are capable of redemption. 

The film doesn't have any forced diversity, France is pretty much depicted as mainly white apart from some prisoners or dock workers, which isn't unrealistic unlike the remake's casting of Javert (they made him, an inspector, black! Unheard of for 1832). Not a whiff of LGBT, misandry, or anti-god themes. Even Borat himself is in this movie and he's fairly entertaining as the one comic relief character. I would highly reccomend this movie to Christian film gooers and musical lovers alike. The songs have SOUL.