Let me preface this review by saying that I am a total neophyte to any previous rendition of "The Phantom of the Opera." I had never seen the famous stage show on which this film is based, nor had I even seen any of the alternate film versions or knew much of anything about the story going into this. My wife is one of the many who loved the Andrew Lloyd Webber theatrical production (and the one who convinced me to see the film with her) and so I’ll rely on her opinion later to give you a fan’s perspective.
For me, I found The Phantom of the Opera to be rather grueling to get through. There were three very nice cinematic moments which I enjoyed—the initial raising of the chandelier and transition back in time; the way in which the lowering of Minnie Driver’s dress was shot; and the last few shots of the film (which I won’t spoil)—but other than those, I was, quite frankly, bored. The Phantom was really a fascinating character, and the only one I actually came to care about, so it frustrated me to no end then that every time the Phantom showed up and things finally started to pick up, the film would cut and move on to something else for another twenty minutes.
My wife said that she was able to enjoy the film once she was able to get Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman out of her head. Without the familiarization with the stage performers, I had no trouble easily accepting Emmy Rossum as Christine and Gerard Butler as the Phantom. Both, I thought, did an excellent job.
Sombrero Grande is not a fan of musicals, but a few years ago my wife had convinced me to see Moulin Rouge! which I immediately loved and now include in my list of Top 10 Favorite Movies. So, going into The Phantom of the Opera, I was hoping for—though not expecting—something akin to that experience. After all, both films do possess some similarities, beginning with a track into a black and white environment which turns to color as the years roll back, centering around one particular stage venue, being melodramatic love stories, etc. But the wonderful energy, eye candy and humor of Moulin Rouge! has, sadly, very little in common with this film. I found the music and energy of The Phantom of the Opera to be achingly slow and maniacally plodding. There are three songs I can say I enjoyed (“The Phantom of the Opera,” “Music of the Night,” and “Masquerade”) but for the most part I was rolling my eyes at the fact that these characters are seemingly incapable of speaking mundane lines but have to sing them repeatedly. Two characters, Firmin and Andre, complain in one song that there are “too many notes.” I agree. I’d have preferred if they’d saved the songs for special moments, not whenever someone gets a letter or wonders where Christine is.
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