Les-Miserables-Young-Cosette-PosterHaving picked up an impressive eight nominations in yesterday’s Oscar nominations announcement, Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables is finally making its way to the UK this weekend, after opening in North America on Christmas Day.

As you can imagine from the number of nominations, the film has been earning tremendous levels of praise in the last few months – you can read our five-star review here – and naturally the anticipation for its arrival on our shores is running on high.

Whilst we’ve had longer to wait for it to arrive, we do have the added benefit of the film securing an IMAX release here in the UK, and now a new IMAX featurette has debuted ahead of its release this Friday.

“Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption—a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. Jackman plays ex-prisoner Jean Valjean, hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert (Crowe) after he breaks parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine’s (Hathaway) young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever.”

Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, and Amanda Seyfried lead the all-star cast, completed by Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, Samantha Barks, and Isabelle Allen.

Hooper is directing from a script by William Nicholson (Gladiator, Shadowlands), who adapts the original classic novel of the same name by Victor Hugo and the world-famous stage musical.

Hooper’s feature will be competing at the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor (Hugh Jackman), Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway), Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Original Song (Suddenly), Best Production Design, and Best Sound Mixing.

Les Misérables is currently in theatres across the US, and is released in the UK today, 11th January, in both regular and IMAX cinemas. Here’s the latest featurette, giving you more than enough reasons to go and see it sometime over the weekend, and in the weeks to come. I can’t wait. Enjoy.

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