Phantom of the Opera (Blu-ray) (2004)

"...evokes the original show while working as a movie in its own right...lit by a radiant, vocally lustrous perf by teenaged Emmy Rossum.  Derek Elley, Variety
"If you're one of the hundred-million people who loved the musical, you'll love the movie even more.  Joel Siegel, Good Morning America
"...[a] gorgeous, splendidly cast film.  Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer
"...a rapturous spectacle...the movie, directed full throttle by Joel Schumacher, goes the show one better.  Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"The cast is good, the score is sublime, the visuals are sumptuous and it speeds along with a delirious romantic power...  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.

	Emmy Rossum
	Gerard Butler
	Minnie Driver
	Patrick Wilson
	Andrew Lloyd Webber - Original Music By
	Andrew Lloyd Webber - Screenplay
	Anthony Pratt - Production Designer
	Gaston Leroux - Based On Novel By
	Jeff Abberley - Executive Producer
	Joel Schumacher - Director
	Joel Schumacher - Screenplay
	John Mathieson - Cinematographer
	John Fenner - Art Director
	Julia Blackman - Executive Producer
	Paul Kirby - Art Director
	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

ReelViews 6 of 10
I have never been a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber's phenomenally popular stage musical version of The Phantom of the Opera, so it will probably come as no surprise that the film adaptation, which is faithful to its inspiration, left me feeling underwhelmed...appreciation of The Phantom of the Opera will hinge upon your opinion of Lloyd Webber's skills as a composer. The film, like the stage show, contains one great baroque theme and a lot of unmemorable drivel. If you are partial to Lloyd Webber's style, you will at least find The Phantom of the Opera palatable. If not, then this will be an endurance contest. This isn't really a film that needs reviewing. Going in, most viewers will know what to expect, and Schumacher's unchallenging style delivers without frills. For some, this will be a new way to enjoy a favorite musical. But for those like me, it's a mostly tedious way to kill 140 minutes. - James Berardinelli

Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
I love the look of the film. I admire the cellars and dungeons and the Styx-like sewer with its funereal gondola, and the sensational masked ball, and I was impressed by the rooftop scenes, with Paris as a backdrop in the snow. The scarlet of the Phantom's cape acts like a bloodstain against the monochrome cityscape and Christine's pale skin, and she rises to an occasion her rival lovers have not earned. She responds to more genuine tragedy than the film provides for her...This has been, I realize, a nutty review. I am recommending a movie that I do not seem to like very much. But part of the pleasure of moviegoing is pure spectacle -- of just sitting there and looking at great stuff and knowing it looks terrific. There wasn't much Schumacher could have done with the story or the music he was handed, but in the areas over which he held sway, he has triumphed. This is such a fabulous production that by recasting two of the three leads and adding some better songs it could have been, well, great. - Roger Ebert