Phantom of the Opera

I've never been fortunate enough to see Phantom of the Opera on stage, but I did get enjoy the next best thing, the movie. While there have been numerous "movie" versions of this classic tale, this is the first time it has been produced as a big-scale movie musical. Phantom is directed by Joel Schumacher (Lost Boys, and the dismal Batman sequels) and stars Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum.

This version is set in France in the late 1800's, which I believe is true to the original musical and follows the story of a fading "diva" opera singer. The opera house is "haunted" by the Phantom, who wants the diva opera singer out and wants "his" singer in, the young Christine. An old friend of Christine’s shows. She and the old friend start to fall in love, which infuriates the Phantom, who also has feelings for Christine. These feelings for Christine set the stage for the rest of the film.

The sets and costumes for this movie are beautiful and that alone is reason to see the movie, but to top it off the acting and singing are also superb. Emmy Rossum was only seventeen when she filmed this movie, but you would never know it by her performance and signing, she was spectacular.

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie; I thought it was well made and well-performed. I'm going to give it a 9.5 out of 10. If you've seen the stage performance, I don't think you'll be disappointed. If you haven't seen the stage performance I still think you'll be pleased. So, enjoy!