I had seen many variations of the Phantom of the Opera before seeing this film. Some were parodies, other's were episodes for TV shows based on the idea of the Phantom of the Opera. Out of all those, I had no idea there was a musical. But then when I got the chance to watch it, I took it. And I was pleasantly surprised. Phantom of the Opera is based on the stage musical by Andrew Loyd Webber, which is based on the 1909 novel of the same name. This film adaptation attempts to portray the story as a musical and it works very well for this film. First of all, there is obviously the music. It just blew me away, especially the first time you hear Christine, the main female character, sing. Even if you may not like one song, there's bound to be another that you'll absolutely love, my personal favorites being the main theme, Think of Me, Masquerade, and Past the Point of No Return. Secondly, there are the sets and the stunning costumes. The the set for the opera itself is a spectacle to see, as the vivid architecture and colors jump out at you. The costumes especially lend to the feel of the entire film and the time period. My personal favorite costume is actually the Phantom's costume when he first appears. It gives this feeling of mystery and class to the character. The acting is pretty good too. The acting by Emmy Rossum (Christine) and Gerad Butler (The Phantom) is undoubtedly the best in the entire film. The rest of the characters are well acted too, except for Raoul (played by Patrick Wilson). I honestly did not like the acting for Raoul's character, but I honestly don't know why. It might have something to do the bad writing. Seeing as this was written by Joel Schumacher, a director and writer who is known for directing average to good movies, yet writing some really bad dialogue. And this film does suffer from that. The writing isn't that good honestly. That's all that has to be said. However, overall, Phantom of the Opera is still a blast to watch and to listen to. I don't know how it compares to the original stage adaptation or even the novel, so it could be bad when compared to those. However, if you put aside some of the negatives, it is still a great film overall.

I've never actually seen a stage production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's famed THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (I've never read the Gaston Leroux novel on which it's based or seen earlier film adaptations, for that matter), but many years ago "The Music Of The Night" caught my ear, and I've been a fan of the score ever since. The story itself - that of a brilliant but tormented misfit toiling away in the bowels of a Paris opera house writing music for his unrequited love - always struck a cord with me, and Webber's often over-the-top song writing is well-suited for the material. So it was with considerable interest that I heard news of a big-screen adaptation making its way to the cinema. Even having director Joel Schumacher at the helm (the man who almost single-handedly buried the BATMAN film franchise for almost a decade) wasn't too worrisome for me; I mean, at least this guy has a visual flair that would lend itself well to the melodrama inherent in both the story and Webber's music. And make no mistake: PHANTOM looks great. Sumptuous art direction, lush cinematography and beautiful costumes abound. For the most part, it even sounds pretty good. Relative newcomer Emmy Rossum is winning as Christine (the object of the Phantom's dangerous affections), Patrick Wilson (recently seen in the superb television miniseries ANGELS IN AMERICA) is in fine voice as her suitor Raoul, and Minnie Driver provides welcome comic relief as the tempestuous diva Carlotta. The movie's Achilles' heel? Gerard Butler as the Phantom. Why Schumacher chose to cast such a flat-out terrible singer in the titular role is quite beyond me. Lord knows, the character spends most of the film behind a mask, so it's not like it required a recognizable actor in the role (and no offence to Butler, but his isn't exactly a household name). Any reasonably talented actor with musical theatre experience could have pulled it off, but instead we're distracted by a toothless Phantom who can barely hold a note, making his scenes with Christine fall flat when they should be soaring on the strength of Webber's score. I suppose I'll have to make the effort the see THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA on the stage someday because this film version, although not without its pleasures, only left me longing for the real thing.