Submitted by Brid (Feb 09, 2005) 
Okay, okay, I know that "Phantom of the Opera" is not fantasy or science fiction - but it DOES have that element of the dark and mystical due to its gothic-genre origins.
Second. I KNOW the harsh reviews it's been given by die-hard original-stage-version fans who can't stand the voices and film-critics who can't stand the overdone theatrical, gaudy neo-classical/baroque-style scenography. But, hey - GIVE IT A CHANCE.
This is a brilliant movie in it's own right. There are times when I'd say the original Sarah Brightman & Michael Crawford version was better (like in the song "Phantom of the Opera"), but there are DEFINITELY times when Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum just transcend their predecessors ("Point of No Return" - positively smouldering). The acting is good, the singing very good (more so if you listen and forget the other versions); Gerard Butler gives a dynamic performance as the Phantom - the obsessive, passionate and desperately lonely "beast". His voice is deeper than Crawford's; he looks better on screen and personally, I like the raw sensuality of his singing. Rossum is appropiately innocent, but her and Wilson (the dashing Vicomte de Chagny)just drip with sentimentality... Too much.
I gave it four stars because there are slips and Hollywood-esque exaggerations of setting and music-meddling (be prepared for constant theme-variations). But it is worth seeing. I can't wait till it comes out on DVD...
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Phantom of the Opera