The Phantom movie franchise takes a musical turn

I've been a big fan of the music from the stage production of Phantom of the Opera for a long time (yes, I know that makes me a Philistine to some of you), but I have never actually seen the musical. However, on my trip home last week, I was able to catch the movie version and see a little bit of what I've been missing. There have been lots of horror movies and other adaptations of the Phantom story, but this is the first one that is based on the musical. It's a lavish production with a wonderful Christine (played by 16-year old Emmy Rossum) that is only let down by the two male leads. Same music as the play for a fifth of the cost!

Most people know the basic story, so I won't go into great detail. Christine Daae is a novice singer at the Paris Opera House, taken in by Madame Giry (Miranda Richardson) when her father died. She has been tutored in singing by someone she identifies as the "Angel of Music" who is really the Phantom (Gerard Butler), a horribly (ok, not that horribly, at least in the film) disfigured man who lives in the catacombs underneath the Opera House. The Phantom has fallen in love with her, however, and is willing to kill in order to both win her heart and advance her career. Mayhem ensues (but doesn't it always?), especially when the Opera House is taken over by new owners who don't quite understand the rules of the Phantom's game. When Christine falls in love with a childhood friend, Raoul (Patrick Wilson), the Phantom gets even crazier.

The production values in the movie are almost breathtaking, with beautiful architecture and creepy water-filled catacombs. The Phantom's underground lair is almost haunting with its small mock-up of the Opera House, and hidden alcove with his Christine mannequin in it. Sweeping staircases abound, especially showcased in the "Masquerade" sequence. The choreography is also great, especially during "Masquerade" and the final set piece, "Point of No Return." For those who think Joel Schumacher and then think Batman & Robin, this movie will definitely remove that horrible image. I thought almost everything about the production was wonderful. Ok, Christine passes the same grave markers a few times during the cemetery scene, but the rest is almost perfect.

Which brings us to the cast. Emmy Rossum is quite the discovery and she has a magnificent voice, able to handle all the various songs with ease. She's beautiful (and she's 16, so watch out!) and can hold her own with her castmates. Gerard Butler, as the Phantom, isn't quite as good. Most of the songs he handles ably, but occasionally (mostly when he tries to be intense), he almost shouts the words rather than singing them, and his performance falls off the rails. However, his turn with Christine during the "Point of No Return" is very good.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Patrick Wilson, the third major cast member. I found his Raoul vapid and Wilson was trying too hard. I didn't like his voice that much, and I really couldn't fathom what Christine saw in him (unless it was his long hair). I don't think he has a solo in the movie, so he's always paired off with somebody, and he never comes out on top. During the final sequence, when Christine has to choose, both he and Butler were going a bit too far, making me wish Christine had a third choice: let them have each other instead of her. But oh well.

The rest of the cast is more minor, but all of them do a fabulous job with what they are given. I've always loved Miranda Richardson (even more so when I remember how she played Queen Elizabeth in Black Adder, and then see her in a serious role) and she is great here too. Simon Callow and Ciarin Hinds are funny as the two new theater owners, playing just this side of over the top (ok, just *that* side, but they were still good). And Minnie Driver, though she did not sing her role (she was dubbed) is pretty good as Carlotta, too, though the accent got a bit much after a while. I could also have done without the gratuitous rear end shot, but since I can't identify the actor, he gets a pass.

There were a few problems with this movie, besides some of the cast. Most of them were minor, almost nitpicks, but they did bring my opinion down a little bit. First, if the Phantom is the guy who drives Christine to the cemetery, how did he get to the crypt ahead of her? I know she was busy singing, but I would think she would have noticed him passing her. Second, and this may have been caused by me watching this movie and my niece's Cinderella play in quick succession, what is the deal with musical characters falling in love at the drop of a hat? Cinderella is *really* bad for this, because at least in Phantom the two characters are childhood friends. But they meet for the first time in many years, and within a day or two, they are soulmates? Still, that's a problem from the play (and perhaps even the book), so I won't harp on it too much, except it seems to always happen in musicals. Finally, the constant interruptions by Raoul in the "present day" (the movie begins in the 1920s, while the story itself takes place in the 1880s) got tiresome after a while, and really didn't move the story along. The beginning was good, and the ending was very fitting, but there could have been a few less in the middle of the movie.

All in all, I really enjoyed Phantom of the Opera. If you like the music, you could get the CD and imagine the play. Or you can watch this movie for a fraction of the cost of the show and get to see it acted out in a pretty good way. It's certainly worth a look.