Review of The Phantom of the Opera (2004) by Heather D — 19 Dec 2014

I had to review this movie because I feel like it gets such a bum rap. There's no justice to this. Look at the disparity between the critics and the user reviews. I'm reading the critic reviews which mostly complain about the source material. Yes, the source material is dated and some of the musical arrangements haven't aged well. Yes, it's Webber so it's going to be rather kitschy.

If you intend to take the source material into account, the least you can do is take a glance at how it's been performed before. It's nice to see Rossum making fresh acting choices, not the same overdone mannerisms and reactions of Sarah Brightman as other predecessors have done. The new staging was nicely done and really added to the depth, particularly during the "Past the point of no return" scene. You could actually see a deep connection and undercurrent of emotion in the way Rossum and Butler played off each other. Yes, Butler's singing leaves something to be desired (mostly vibrato) but it's an extremely solid and beautifully done adaptation with some fresh aspects. Not liking the genre doesn't give you an excuse to rate like an ignorant prat.