Now for the review. The Phantom of the Opera (2004) is a film adaptation of the famous Broadway show that still is Broadway's oldest living play. Directed by Joel Shumacher, who is known best for what he did to the Batman character with Batman and Robin (that is a review for another time.) and this was a project he did after that movie. Now audiences enjoyed the movie, but it was hated by critics. Where do I stand on this spectrum? Eh, somewhere in the middle. I think it didn't do enough to really adapt into a film and it had too much music in areas where dialogue or even just silence could have made the scene better, but the places where the music works it works really well. Another problem lies with some of the choreographed scene have jumps in between them and you can't even enjoy all the effort the actors and dancers did. The best part of it was the casting however. Gerald Butler really caught me off guard with his performance as the Phantom. Everyone else did a well enough job and fulfilled the role as well. The portrayal is probably the weakest part of the movie. At times I either felt chemistry between characters and sometimes I didn't. It confused my emotions almost as much as a Tyler Perry movie does. Final thoughts? I would label it a guilty pleasure. Personally I don't like Operas, but I found myself enjoy some parts and hating others. If you liked all of it or hated all of it, that is fine. If you want to see it yourself I won't stop you, but if you want a recommendation from me, it wouldn't be this one.
