8. It's All About The Fans
Indeed, Tom Hooper has made sure that this film is all about the fans, and giving them as wholesome a replication, nay, an enhancement, of the stage show as much as possible. It's clear from the 157-minute run-time that Hooper has no intention to pander to those who have never seen the show, nor does he make any apologies for this which, given the show's massive fanbase, is probably a smart move. Going in as I did having never seen the show or read the novel, it was a completely blind experience, and as a result, a pretty daunting one, given how it bombards the viewer with such a large amount of music and incident. That said, even as a non-fan, it's an easy film to enjoy - even if it feels a tad over-long - and so the prevailing feeling is that those who hold the source material in great esteem are really going to have a great time with what is clearly a love letter to it right from Hooper's heart. Though there might be gripes with the little that Hooper has excised or some of the casting choices - well, one casting choice - it's difficult to imagine many having bad words to say about what is through and through an immensely diligent production the likes of what we haven't seen from a musical movie in years.