I saw "Phantom of the Opera" the Weds before Christmas for a matinée so I was expecting the theater to be uncrowded but I was surprised to see SO few people there for the opening day. I enjoyed this version of the Phantom very much (and I AM NOT a big fan of Andrew Lloyd Weber as I think most of his musicals sound alike).
However, some aspects were disappointing and/or confusing for me. 1) I agree with an earlier comment about the Phantom's make up. The masks keep changing shape and, in theory at least, his disfigurement should have appeared under a couple of the designs (since the forehead and chin was showing).
2) The explanation given for the Phantom's "bad mood" was so unbelievable! It did not appear in the stage version and was a departure from the explanation given in the original book. I guess someone figured that giving this character childhood trauma would make his actions more palatable for a contemporary film audience. 3) The continuous switching from the era of the auction shown in the beginning to the past drama. I was given just way too much information about Christine's fate.
The acting was good across the board. Gerard Butler was a very romantic and dashing Phantom (I always liked the Phantom character more than that milk sop Raoul). I think that for a big screen adaptation, Michael Crawford might have been inappropriate. Emmy Rossum was a pleasant surprise. She was age appropriate for the character and her singing was impeccable. Minnie Driver was just plain fun. She gave Carlotta a kick in the pants. All in all, I liked this film...I simply wish that Schumacher would have left out some of his embellishments.
However, some aspects were disappointing and/or confusing for me. 1) I agree with an earlier comment about the Phantom's make up. The masks keep changing shape and, in theory at least, his disfigurement should have appeared under a couple of the designs (since the forehead and chin was showing).
2) The explanation given for the Phantom's "bad mood" was so unbelievable! It did not appear in the stage version and was a departure from the explanation given in the original book. I guess someone figured that giving this character childhood trauma would make his actions more palatable for a contemporary film audience. 3) The continuous switching from the era of the auction shown in the beginning to the past drama. I was given just way too much information about Christine's fate.
The acting was good across the board. Gerard Butler was a very romantic and dashing Phantom (I always liked the Phantom character more than that milk sop Raoul). I think that for a big screen adaptation, Michael Crawford might have been inappropriate. Emmy Rossum was a pleasant surprise. She was age appropriate for the character and her singing was impeccable. Minnie Driver was just plain fun. She gave Carlotta a kick in the pants. All in all, I liked this film...I simply wish that Schumacher would have left out some of his embellishments.