I'll be honest- Anne is breathtaking. I had a love-hate relationship with the cinematography. Someone said Amanda Seyfried is 'trilly', and I agree. She doesn't have a lot of diaphragm, but I've never considered Cosette to be a particularly strong character anyway, so it doesn't bother me. Russel Crowe basically sings through cotton the whole time, which is upsetting because when you hear the parts where he's really on, you get mad knowing there's the potential. The Thenardiers weren't as bad as I'd heard, but they weren't quite 'big' enough for me, except for the last scene they're in. When I saw it on tour, my Thenardiers had enough energy to fill a room..I wanted Master of the House to be this big scene, and it wasn't. Did I mention how great Anne was? They also mix some songs around and don't include some lines, and I would go to lip-sync a line that wasn't there and would get mad. The last 10-15 minutes I was crying so hard I had tears coming out of my nose.
Granted, what I love most about it is the score. The moment those opening notes rang out I clutched my heart and died with joy..Also, Colm Wilkinson is the priest and every note he sang caressed my soul like warm chocolate.