Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera
The venerable Broadway musical from Andrew Lloyd Webber comes to the big screen for the first time. Previous film versions of the Phantom emphasize the horrors of the opera ghost but Webber's focuses on the love triangle between the Phantom (Gerard Butler), the new star Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum) and Raoul (Patrick Wilson). After the Opera Populaire gets new management, the Phantom seizes this opportunity to place his singing pupil Christine in the lead by making conditions for the established star Carlotta (Minnie Driver) less than pleasant. Once she gets her chance, Christine shines and it appears a new relationship may be developing between Christine and the Phantom until Raoul, her childhood friend takes her and become engaged. The Phantom becomes filled with jealousy and it soon becomes a fight for Charlotte's hand while the opera ghost wields his power over the theatre by forcing the group to perform an opera he wrote.

For anyone who hasn't watched the musical on Broadway or when it travels the country, this film by Joel Schumacher is a suitable substitute. The problem is the risk-free style of Schumacher's work. With the exception of a couple of exterior shots, you could have filmed this in the Broadway theatre where it is performed and none would have been the wiser. I was also a little disappointed in the choice of Butler as the Phantom. Even without the mask, he still looks okay; nothing horrific about him. His voice though lacks the deep authority the opera ghost should bring. The real star of the show is Rossum, whose look is beautiful with a singing voice that should live on through the ages. Once you get past the singing, it's a really simple love story that doesn't resonate onto the big screen the way it does on stage. But the pounding notes of Webber's score as well as the beauty of Rossum is enough to get through it. 2.5 stars