This movie was incredible. From the original music and the passionate, love story to the incredible effects and the mind-blowing singing, this movie takes the skeleton of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s original, long-running, award-winning musical and brings it to life!
Emmy Rosum, Gerard Butler and Patrick Wilson are incredible as the leads (Christine, The Phantom and Raoul respectively), and their singing is unparalleled for a movie musical. The entire scope of this movie musical really shows the rising trend that began with Chicago (or at least the mainstream recognition began with Chicago, I’m sure I’m forgetting some movie musical that really opened the door) and just continues to rise.
Masquerade was incredible. I loved Gerard Butler’s mask (even though I really wanted the giant skeleton head from the stage) because it was so similar to what I expected as well as being just an incredible mask. Of course the simple mask is just so haunting and almost the very spirit of this movie that it looks incredible on just about anyone.
Just as a technical comment, the singing had to be mostly (if not entirely) dubbed in because nobody can run down a flight of stairs and hold perfect notes. I don’t care if you’re the President of the United-a-frickin’-a-States, you ain’t doin’ that.
I loved the maestro. He’s just so wonderfully French (read that as pompous) that you just have to smile at his charming ensemble piece. Simon Callow and Ciarán Hinds also contribute a couple of laughs as the new owners of the “haunted” opera house.
The cinematography was incredible and the CGI? Well worth every penny and every hour. I mean, just watching the chandelier fall was like being born again it was so incredible. I also liked the transitions between the black and white present and the vibrantly colored events of the past. Especially the opening postcard zoom.
The music was absolutely incredible. Not just the singing (don’t get me started on how incredible it was), but the orchestration was as fresh and lively as any live production I’ve ever seen. And electric guitar!
With the removal of intermission, the movie restructures events to create an incredibly cogent flow (with the chandelier nearly 3/4’s of the way through the movie) while maintaining the heart of it all. They also created a realistic back-story for the Phantom, making him a “freak” in a traveling circus.
Wonderful film for lovers of the original musical. Of course it only makes sense, since Andrew Lloyd Webber himself put up the entire $70 million for the production, so he was gonna make damn sure that they kept the thing up to code, as it were.