Snapshots of a Modest Life

Phantom

I told you several posts ago that I was a bit uncertain about whether I thought making Phantom of the Opera in to a film was a good idea. I have to say right now that YES, MAKING PHANTOM INTO A MOVIE WAS AN EXCELLENT IDEA. There are several reasons.

First of all, I think Andrew Lloyd Webber needed someone with a good sense of plot and story telling to have his back. With the play, several things were left unexplained (why the Phantom lived under the Paris Opera, for one thing). The film was able to explain. Joel Schumacher was able to masterfully tell the story, interweaving it with the amazing music given to him by Andrew Lloyd Webber. With the added story telling, the film version made me stop looking at the technically cool stuff, and watch a great love story. The Angel of Music was explained more, and the fact that it Christine believed the Phantom was the incarnation of her father made it more believable and a lot less weird. It also helped that the existence of a previous relationship between Raoul and Christine was address, instead of it being a love between two strangers. Granted, the songs talk about it, but you don't understand that they were practically best friends back in the day.

The lack of plot was my biggest objection to the stage show. But the movie really filled it out and it had a purpose other than to wow the audience technically and musically. The technical stuff in the film was not disappointing either. Some things just weren't as cool because it was film, but it looked real, and it if there was any CGI (which I'm not sure there was), it was perfect.

Anyway, if you get the chance, go see it. It's worth the $7.50 (or $6.50 if your a student, $0 if you're a cheap little brother who makes his sister pay for his movies).