The Jellicle Kat I watched the original London production way back '86 (I was 8 years old back then) and I watched it again... thrice... at Broadway. Then here comes the film version...Objectively, I know this movie has A LOT of problems, but I still enjoy watching it. This movie is a huge guilty pleasure for me and now that I'm older I can definitely see the flaws:The changing of lyrics to dialogue is a huge problem. If they wanted more dialogue (why?) then write NEW dialogue, not the odd rhyming couplets (didn't Rent do this around the same time as well? Dreamgirls is usually almost though sung and they changed that for the movie too- and shouldn't have but at least they gave them new dialogue not spoken lyrics).The Phantom's "deformity" is an unforgivable offense. It's ridiculous for another reason entirely, as well - his mask is obviously much smaller than his patch of bad skin, so they shouldn't have hidden anything. And you can see that his eye looks perfectly fine through the hole before he's unmasked. Unless he somehow had the world's fastest allergic reaction to Christine herself when she pulled his mask off, and that's what made him slightly less conventionally attractive, this doesn't make any sense. His makeup job and general demeanor make it seem like he's attempting a Prince Zuko cosplay, but couldn't be bothered making the burn-scarred, inflamed, uneven and big enough to cover a significant portion of his face - i.e. actually noticeable... Tom Hiddleston looked more Phantom-like at the end of Crimson Peak, for Pete's sake! Why didn't they just do the same makeup as the stage show? It's supposed to just be a cinematic version. What's the point of altering it?The movie version of Masquerade sucked. No colors other than black, white, and grey. The Phantom showing up in a very uninspired costume of the "Red Death" is almost a relief, and the song was sung way too quickly. LET ME ENJOY THE SONG!There's no sword fight in the musical so that really confuses me about the movieThe execution of 'The Point of No Return' is my biggest issue about the movie. I just assumed the Phantom taking Piangi's place was done with the rule of Shakespeare - if you're wearing a hat you are considered "in disguise. The "sexiness" of it all can't make up for the absence of tension (she knows it's the Phantom right away) or consistency (she should be afraid). Butler wasn't right for his role. Emmy wasn't right for her role. The director wasn't right (could have been worse... could have been directed by Michael Bay). It was all messed up. It was a very big disappointment because I am such a big Phantom fan. Anyway, The POTO film version is more watchable than "Dracula 2000".

pcpl1 Great songs. However a lot of lip sync. A lot of goofs. The story in this film is so disconnected from the novel by Gaston Leroux. The phantom is described as being sad even if sadistic. The scene with the mirrors is far from as brilliant as in the novel. Mr. Buttler has no breathing technique and is not as good as most singers that sang Music of the night on stage! I'll give this movie a 6 out of 10.

Kris Blur 10/10...or wait, 1000/1000 and more, I just can't have enough of this film. The performance, the music, the costumes, the atmosphere, everything is just perfect, I thought that no other film could share the same place with "The Lord of the Rings", but for me, both "The Phantom of the Opera" and "The Lord of the Rings" are sharing the first place. My words are even too pale to express how this film affected me in such a positive and emotional way. In this crazy 21st century, I could finally feel real emotions coming from this film, the way both of these gentlemen treated Christine is incredible, it makes me wish for those old times to return. Superb performance, and Sir Gerard Butler truly showed incredible emotion in singing and acting, it made me feel with the character so much. No better Phantom than Gerard Butler, you Sir have truly made this one shine. Kudos to the whole crew, this is the film of my life in every way. Thank you, thank you...THANK YOU!

Leofwine_draca There have been many versions of the Phantom story over the years, some great, some not so good. This one is slightly different in that it's a film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, rather than being just another remake or version of the Gaston Leroux novel. I enjoy watching musicals from time to time and I have to say I liked this one. Obviously the quality of the songs is what makes a good musical and they're all absolutely fine here, with some wonderful breathtaking moments dotted throughout the lengthy production.Joel Schumacher can be a hit and miss director, but he seems to have come on more strongly in the past decade, counting PHONE BOOTH and 8MM among his successes. This is one of his better films, a fine adaptation that makes good use of the genuine vocal talent of the leading actors and actresses. Emmy Rossum is astonishing as Christine, and she's ably matched by Gerard Butler as the Phantom; this is Butler in a star-making role, and very good he does too. Some overbearing supporting actresses flesh out the cast – Minnie Driver, Jennifer Ellison – while Simon Callow and Ciaran Hinds have a fine comedy double act although they just kind of disappear towards the end of the movie.The film is shot through with Gothic sensibility and makes repeated use of beautiful visuals. The scene in the snowy graveyard is a highlight and of course the catacomb climax is another strong element. Complaints were made that the costumes were toned down for the movie but I can understand this; the camera's close up to the action rather than sitting away like an audience and bright red hats and skull masks would have become a distraction unlike in the theatre. In all, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is a solid musical and a film I enjoyed.