Every year there are only a few number of musicals that are released. In 2004, The Phantom Of The Opera is the musical that seems to have received the most attention. Most people already know the story behind this musical and have seen one of the versions in the past. This 2004 version is directed by Joel Schumacher and features Gerard Butler as The Phantom, Emmy Rossum as Christine, Patrick Wilson as Raoul.
Gerard Butler who is not known for his signing is a mediocre singer in The Phantom of the Opera. Patrick Wilson who plays the other love interest to Christine is nothing far from average either. The true singer in this film is really the only experienced one, not to mention the youngest one, Emmy Rossum. Her singing is beautiful and can only guarantee her more musical roles in the future.
One things for certain, the visuals in Phantom Of The Opera are very pleasurable to the eyes. The sets are designed quite beautifully and the direction by Joel Schumacher is at times, outstanding. This film is a bit dark and evil, but not as much as it should have been and instead it surprisingly takes itself more as a comedy. Schumacher is known for his offbeat comedy.
The music in Phantom Of The Opera is always pleasing. Along with great visuals, there is great sounding music. However, with that said, some of the singers in this film lack the talent that is needed for an opera type voice. Like I said, Emmy Rossum is the exception and her experience as an opera singer is shown in this film, she sounds beautiful and fits solidly with Schumachers production team.
If one wants to compare this film with something as superb as Moulin Rouge, well, there simply is no comparison. The Phantom of the Opera is a film with a different style of music than regular musicals and its a story that lacks dialogue. The dialogue is at times the opera that is currently going on. There are some good singers in this film that are pleasurable to the ears, but then there are also just plain average ones.
While a musical like 2002's Chicago is a Broadway musical in which they sing and dance, The Phantom of the Opera has none of the latter. If the anger is not standing still, he or she is walking around or caressing the other person near them. This film has signs of romance, but it quickly is ruined when The Phantom is out for a killing. He does it all while they least suspect it.
Joel Schumacher took a project that has quite a firm history and does an enjoyable film with flaws. His version of The Phantom of the Opera is a film that will have musical fans happy, but this film will likely anger die-hard opera music fans. Either way, this film is lackluster when it comes to the background of its character and when you are making a musical that should be the top priority.
The Phantom Of The Opera is far from a masterpiece and its flaws are recognizable, but it has plenty of positive attributes as well. The songs will be memorable for time to come and while the overall film is not a knockout punch, it is a musical that could be enjoyed if the flaws are ignored. Somewhere in this film there is a great film, but unfortunately it is the lack of background of The Phantom and story that keep it from being just an above average film.
