I Disagree with Film Critic Hulk
While Film Critic Hulk's argument generally seems quite well reasoned, I find it a little difficult to stomach someone attempting to lecture me on the theory behind the form of anything in ALL CAPS, and at such length. Also, he makes the unforgivable (in my opinion) mistake of representing his opinion as fact. He states the film falls flat, not that he believes it falls flat. No one, apparently, thought to mention this to the legions of people who rated Les Mis so highly on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.
At the end of the day in film, just like any other art form, theory is merely a tool. It doesn't really matter. Emotional response is what actually matters. Banging on about theory in situations like this just makes you look like someone standing on the deck of the Titanic, harping on to anyone who'll listen about how the ship is unsinkable.
I quite like the visual presentation of the film, as did almost everyone else I spoke to about it. When I brought the matter of how it was shot, and how this flies in the face of film theory, they usually laughed and replied: "So?"
Also: yes. I'm back. I hope.