Perhaps part of the reason the almost non-stop singing bothered me is the fact that, in the sound mix, the music mostly dominates the lyrics. There were whole songs where, as they were concluding, I realized I hadn't heard or understood a word that was sung. These songs might as well have been sung in Italian for all the good they did me as I'd have to think to myself afterwards, "Okay, she's mourning," or "Okay, they're having a masquerade."

While I can't say I enjoyed The Phantom of the Opera, I can say that the character of the Phantom intrigued me enough that I want to see other versions of the story. He was such a tragic villain, who will, maybe, see a more developed treatment in another venue I've yet to discover.

My wife told me that she liked the film but didn't love it. It's one to rent, not one to buy, she says. As to advice she'd give to other fans of the play who plan on seeing it: don't expect the passion and the experience that the play delivers. You'll appreciate hearing the music again and the much easier access to the story (even with skyrocketing movie ticket prices, they're still a long ways off from the cost of theater tickets). It's especially interesting to see all the close-ups that give the characters more depth and add to the emotion, intricacies that are hard to portray on stage. Because of these close-ups, many of the characters receive more development. For example, Meg isn't merely Christine's sidekick in the movie, but her own unique character. On the flip side, the movie may move too close in certain areas and remove some of the magic of the story. While it is indeed interesting to know the background of each character and what happens to them after "the strange affair of the Phantom of the Opera," offering up so much information removes the viewer from participating, as there is no longer the need for imagination to fill in the blanks. And by showing us that Christine went through a trick sliding mirror, and that the Phantom disappears at the Masquerade through a trap door, draws the Phantom as not a mysterious Opera Ghost, but more of a magician who's tricks are explained a few minutes after he performs them.

Overall, my wife asserts a fan should not expect to be as swept away by this movie as he/she might be by the stage show. However, if you enjoy the music, the lyrics, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's version of the story, you'll enjoy this.

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