Review of The Phantom of the Opera (2004) by Doite — 08 Nov 2020

This movie gets maligned a lot by fans of the theatre because of the voices.

Gerard Butler in particular. I think the issue here is that the audience didn't know how to take the movie. Was it a faithful adaption? Was it a reinterpretation? Was it a cash grab?

My view on it is that it's a reimagining. The story is faithful to the play, but the characters take on different qualities to alter characterization.

Gerard's voice in this is at times, harsh and unpleasant. At times dark and appealing. At times it's sweet. Highly inconsistent. And I feel that did add something to the character of the Phantom, whose mind has become twisted after a cruelly led life of ostracization, abuse, and loneliness. Emmy's voice is very young and light. It's meant to portray the angelic quality of the character. Something innocent, sweet and naive. It's not a theatre musical. It's a movie retelling. And the alterations make far more sense when you think about it as a movie.

Personally, I loved the movie. It's something I don't feel the need to go back and see again, as I'm not someone who likes the stereotypical love interest, love triangles, or Mary Sues (which is carried over from the play). But it was an enjoyable watch that is often misunderstood.