Phantom of the Opera (2-Disc Special Widescreen Edition) (2004)

"Sumptuous pic version, which evokes the original show while working as a movie in its own right, is lit by a radiant, vocally lustrous perf by teenaged Emmy Rossum.  Derek Elley, Variety
"The cast is good, the score is sublime, the visuals are sumptuous and it speeds along with a delirious romantic power that, if you let it, can sweep you away.  William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Editor's Note Those who thought that smoke machines and cobwebbed candelabras were the stuff of Halloween parties and dance clubs need to think again. In Joel Schumacher's film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway musical THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, these moody set devices--and countless others--make every scene an atmospheric vision of souped-up 19th-century Gothic bliss. Christine Daee (a luminescent Emmy Rossum) is a tortured young star who is haunted by the voice of the phantom (Gerard Butler--who also played the lead in DRACULA 2000), a musician who hides in the shadows to hide a facial disfigurement, yet sings to her obsessively. Dwelling in the dark, damp chambers beneath the Paris opera house, the phantom lords over the cast and management with artistic autocracy--he writes the shows, casts them, and threatens all who disobey his plans with dramatically violent outbursts. But when his young student Christine falls for the rich and dapper Raoul (Patrick Wilson), the phantom descends into madness. Webber's memorable songs are performed with aplomb by Rossum, whose background includes singing with the Metropolitan Opera, and Wilson and Butler provide ample accompaniment. One of the treats of the proceedings is Minnie Driver's deeply exaggerated portrayal of the jealous diva, giving this PHANTOM a very appropriate dose of comic relief.

	Ciaran Hinds
	Emmy Rossum
	Gerard Butler
	Jennifer Ellison
	Minnie Driver
	Miranda Richardson
	Murray Melvin
	Patrick Wilson
	Simon Callow
	Victor McGuire
	Andrew Lloyd Webber - Producer
	Andrew Lloyd Webber - Original Music By
	Andrew Lloyd Webber - Screenplay
	Gaston Leroux - Based On Novel By
	Joel Schumacher - Director
	Joel Schumacher - Screenplay
	John Mathieson - Cinematographer
	Terry Rawlings - Editor

Rolling Stone
"[PHANTOM] is a rapturous spectacle. And the movie, directed full throttle by Joel Schumacher, goes the show one better....It smolders." 12/30/2004 p.171

USA Today
"The look is dazzling....Scotsman Gerard Butler does a fine job as the charismatic, ghostly character who hides away in the opera house because of his disfigurement." 12/22/2004 p.1D

Movieline's Hollywood Life
"[T]he lavish production captivates the senses, and the musical and emotional crescendos are overpowering." 12/01/2004 p.103

Widescreen Review
"The beloved musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe sees a lush screen adaptation starring Emmy Rossum as Christine....Costume textures and fine details are amazingly rendered..." 06/01/2006 p.61

James Berardinelli's ReelViews 5 of 10
Ultimately, however, appreciation of The Phantom of the Opera will hinge upon your opinion of

Rolling Stone 8 of 10
Fearing date-movie hell, most guys will panic at the idea of a Gothic love story set in an 1870 Pari - Peter Travers

Chicago Sun-Times 7 of 10
...I am recommending a movie that I do not seem to like very much. But part of the pleasure of movie - Roger Ebert