The Phantom of the Opera

During this Fall/Halloween season I wanted to watch something that channeled some of those themes, so I picked 2004’s Phantom of the Opera, a musical drama based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 play of the same name. This is the story of a man with a disfigured face, who falls in love with a chorus dancer, whom he turns into a Prima Donna through bullying the cast and producers. Everything soon turns for the worst, however, when she falls in love with someone else.

The musical was set primarily in the late 1800s with impressive costume design and sets as the backdrop to really help you feel connected to that era. The plot was a bit slow moving but interesting with a good twist at the end.

The cast was star studded with Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson and Minnie Driver in the lead roles. Rossum’s singing and acting were great and Minnie brought the comedy with her eccentric character. Over the years Gerard Butler has evolved into a physical, high action star in roles from the likes of 300 and the Olympus Has Fallen franchise, so it was interesting going back in the archives to see him in a musical. For me, he dropped the ball in the singing department but did a descent acting job.

Not much could be done about the soundtrack as it was taken from the original score. The majority of the numbers were corny and I did not particularly enjoy many of them but, there were a couple that squeaked in there that I liked.

After seeing movie musicals like Sweeny Todd, Les Misérables or even Chicago, this one didn’t quite meet the bar for me. With that being said, I’d still say it was worth checking out once.