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Rating: 3.5 out of 5
I had the pleasure of traveling to London during the summer of 2023. It was a trip I had been dreaming of for many years. Before my trip, I talked with one of my good friends. She stated that I had to watch a play at London’s West End since I was going to London. She recommended a few and said I should see The Phantom of the Opera. I heard about the musical but never really paid much attention to it. I booked a ticket for a Thursday showing. First, it was His Majesty’s Theatre, and it was a fun experience for the show and very different from what I had ever experienced.
The show was freakin amazing! There were some technical difficulties at the beginning with the chandelier. I had no idea why people were whispering and laughing. When the show got underway, I sat and watched the old man in the wheelchair roll out and the singing. When that first music dropped, I was completely invested. The show was entertaining, even if I got lost a few times. When I returned to the States, the first music played in my brain, and I had to research it. First, the musical opened in London’s West End in 1986 and on Broadway in New York in 1988. The musical was the longest-running show in Broadway history, and it is currently the second longest-running West End musical, where Les Misérables has the crown, and the third longest-running West End show overall, after The Mousetrap.
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The musical is based on the 1910 French novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux. The story starts in 1919 during a public auction in an abandoned opera house’s vault. Among the attendees are the elderly Count Raoul de Chagny (Wilson) and Madame Giry (Richardson), the retired ballet instructor of the theatre. The pair get into a bidding war for a papier-mâché music box shaped like a barrel organ with the figure of a cymbal-playing monkey attached to it. Raoul wins the bid, and the next item presented is a repaired chandelier that relates to “the events of the Phantom of the Opera.” As the chandelier is hoisted up to the roof, the story moves back to 1970 and tells the story of Christine (Rossum), a young and talented singer with major potential to become a worldwide superstar. During the rehearsal of the opera Hannibal, headed by Carlotta Giudicelli (Driver), Theatre manager Monsieur Lefèvre tells the cast that he is retiring and transferring ownership to Richard Firmin and Gilles André. As Carlotta refuses to perform after being tormented for three years by the theatre’s resident “Opera Ghost (Butler),” Madame Giry states that Christine has been receiving training from the Opera Ghost or Phantom, a disfigured musical genius who has hidden away for years. Christine becomes the new star, but the Phantom has fallen in love and becomes obsessed with her. As Christine and Raoul become romantic, the Phantom becomes insane with jealousy and his beloved in another man’s arms. The Phantom kidnaps Christine with the goal of making her his bride. The Phantom doesn’t realize that Raoul is ready to declare war to regain Christine. During the final performance on stage, the Phantom loses his mind and burns down the opera house.
Most critics didn’t like this film because it wasn’t like the musical. Certain elements were different, and several songs were blah, but overall, I got into the film and liked it. The story is almost the same as the musical. The background of the Phantom was new in this film, but it added to the overall story. I didn’t care for the time jump to the present with the older Raoul. The one scene that I really didn’t care for was when the managers chose Carlotta to perform the lead in the next opera. I felt it was long, boring, and not entertaining. That was the one scene that was not for me. The sword fight between The Phantom and Raoul was new and intense. It really added to the plot because it was a fierce battle that showed how obsessed the Phantom would become over Christine and the lengths he would take to have her. Now that I think about it, as the story progresses, the Phantom becomes more insane and obsessed. One of the best scenes has to be the masquerade scene. That one was over the top, and I liked how it looked. I really didn’t like the ending. The musical’s ending scene was the mask left on the seat. In this film, we jump into the present, where Christine has passed away. Raoul places the Phantom’s music box on her grave but also sees a black rose and the engagement ring that the Phantom had, showing that he is still alive. Should’ve left it as the original ending.
Now, the visual effects are one of the highlights of this film. They go hard in the paint or in the opera. First, when the chandelier first rises in the air at the beginning of the film, I like that the opera house went from a decrypted place to looking stunning and full of life. Another scene is when the Phantom comes and takes Christine to his lair. You see arms with candlesticks moving from the walls; it looks crazy to walk down the hall. Another scene was the masquerade. That scene was bright and fun, and the Phantom showed out with some theatrics.
The musical numbers were on par with the musical. My favorite song is still “The Phantom of the Opera,” which is played throughout the film. It had that intense, almost 80s rock feel to it. That is the song that has stuck in my head. I was impressed with Butler and Rossum’s singing abilities. “The Music of the Night” is also a great song where the Phantom tries to seduce Christine with his music while his voice puts her in a trance. He sings of his love for her and urges her to spend her life with him. I also must admit that “Masquerade” was a banger of a hit. That was one of the best songs because it was over the top with everything you wanted to see.
As for the cast, there were a few shockers. The first shocker was Gerard Butler, who was the Phantom. I think of Butler as Leonidas from 300, yelling, “This is SPARTA!!” Watching him sing in this role was mind-blowing. The film didn’t do him any justice as the Phantom. He was a good Phantom, but in the old movie and book, the Phantom is straight-up hideous. In this film, his one eye is deformed, but he could’ve pulled off the Sexist’s Man Alive cover with the mask because it added some mystery to the character. Emmy Rossum as Christine Daaé was also excellent. I really enjoyed her and her singing. She was beautiful and really embodied the character. She showed the character’s innocence but wanted the best for everyone. Also, I didn’t realize Patrick Wilson was one of the leads as Raoul. It blew me away when I thought of him in Insidious. Everyone had this great range back in the day, and now I’m like, why did everyone not keep it up.
This version of the Phantom of the Opera might not be for everyone or their cup of tea. I found a few scenes blah and could’ve been left out. Several songs, such as “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Masquerade,” were great songs to play and sing. The acting was really good, and even some performances impressed me, such as Gerard freakin Butler. He needs to play more roles like this rather than the action roles. He has a significant range. Watch this musical during all the other musical films. Get ready to roll with the Phantom of the Opera.
BONSU CLIP!!!
