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Rating:  -
This production definitely does justice to Weber's creation - Well worth the cost for any Phantom phan!!!! Keep it in my CD player constantly!
Rating:  -
The product came late, and it was defective. Unable to play it on my DVD, I tried it on the computer, where it did fine. If the problem is my DVD player, it would stand to reason that other DVDs would not play in it. This was not the case. However, I am willing to give the seller the benefit of the doubt on this--and I am beginning to actually prefer VHS to DVD--VHS is more likely to be error-free, and DVD--even brand-new--is getting to be a roll of the dice. What bugged me most, though, was the non-response from the seller when I asked for suggestions. I did not ask for my money back, only for suggestions, but no response whatsoever. Again, I'll give the benefit of the doubt, and assume the seller didn't receive my email. But, whatever--you may be sure I will order no products from SpookyKid in future. Thanks for the opportunity to express my opinion. Normally, my Amazon sellers are A-plus.
Rating:  -
Visually beautiful, but exercise your mute button finger in preparation for the Phantom's songs. The choice of Gerard Butler's incredibly grating voice for the title role is perplexing.
Rating:  -
Let me kick off this review by saying I am a die-hard phan. I've read the book, seen the stage production, and memorized the libretto. When I heard this movie was being made, I was excited, and kept up with all the production news.
As it happens, I was terribly disappointed with this movie. For a lot of reasons. First of all, the performers left a lot to be desired. Gerry Butler can not sing. He can make noises that sound similar to pitched grunting and growling, but the man simply cannot sing. Each song he performed was painful to listen to. Honestly, I have listened to the "Music of the Night" scene once, and only once. MotN is my favorite song and he completely killed it, so anytime I watch the movie I skip past that scene. Surely there must be SOMEONE who could have given a better performance. As for Emmy Rossum, she is good for being sixteen years old, but she simply does not have the skills or experience for the part of Christine. Her voice is pleasant, but she has real difficulty hitting high notes and constantly scoops up to them. That would be fine if this was a jazz production, but she is supposed to be singing opera. But what really did her in was her horrible acting. The graveyard scene in particular was horrific. You're standing on your father's grave -- you want to shed a tear or two perhaps? As for the rest of the cast, I would have to say they are mediocre at best. I can understand that some roles do not allow for a life-altering performance, but none of them really made much of an impression on me. Except for Patrick Wilson (Raoul). He has a beautiful voice and sings with expression as well as excellent vocal technique. He is, perhaps, the only member of the cast that makes the musical performance bearable.
In addition, there were so many alterations to the show that changed it for the worse. Andre and Firmin are apparently a couple of pedophiles, which is made clear when they walk into the opera house staring at the young ballerinas like pieces of meat. Lines that are meant to be sung are spoken. (Who wants to listen to people rhyme when they speak?) The entire "Don Juan" rehearsal scene was left out. The scenes in the second act were jumbled around. Piangi has what appears to be a midget side kick that mirrors his every move. "New" scenes were added but do nothing for the plot. And for me, the final nail in the coffin was the graveyard scene. Not only was Rossum's performance of "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" pathetic, but "Wandering Child" was made into a poorly sung duet instead of the climactic trio it was meant to be.
I won't even get into the "disfiguration" of the phantom. Honestly, Tom Cruise's character in "Vanilla Sky" looked more frightening than Schumacher's phantom.
However, there are some good things about this movie. The music mostly stays true to the original score, which is nice. Some lyrics are changed, but what can you do? The cinematography and special effects are quite entertaining, mostly. And again, Patrick Wilson's performance was beautiful.
All in all, it's better than nothing, right?
Rating: -
Low key and with lesser-known performers but pretty true to the stage show -- a good take!
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