Rating: *
Starring: Emmy Rossum, Gerard Butler, Patrick Wilson, Minnie Driver, Miranda Richardson, Jennifer Ellison
This film adaptation of the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is in one word: HORRIBLE! It's a disgrace to any other adaptation of the classic beauty and the beast love story, only focusing on spectacle rather than the rather amazing plot. Set in Paris, 1871, a deformed man who lives in the underground of the Opera Populaire falls in love with Christine Daae & helps her become a star after Carlotta, the diva of the opera walks out on the night of a gala performance with the Vicomte de Chagny, who happens to be Christine's childhood sweetheart. They both start to fall in love again, but, believing he's her Angel of Music, Christine begins to feel a passionate love for the secluded & socially unaccepted Phantom & has to choose between the two men of her life.
This film is horrible! The direction isn't what it's cracked up to be & the writing had to be redone, as I believe it wasn't focused on the actual plot, but rather trying to succumb people to see it just because it's an Andrew Lloyd Webber show & therefore it didn't matter what was in the film itself. There were numerous differences between this and the musical which I couldn't stand at all & they had to cut some of my favourite scenes (i.e, before the Don Juan performance with Raoul & the managers & the Phantom scaring the policeman in the pit & the second notes scene). Also, the actors were awful (with the exception of Minnie Driver despite the fact she didn't sing, which made me think 'WHY THE HELL DON'T YOU GET SOMEONE WHO'S FUNNY AND CAN SING INSTEAD OF GETTING A HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS?!' and I also loved it when she yelled 'I hate my hat!') like Gerard Butler portraying the Phantom as if he was in a bad high school play & while he can sing, his voice is completely wrong for the seductive Phantom, which made it really awkward in the classic song 'Music of the Night'. Emmy Rossum, who was 16 at the time of filming, was alright with her acting, but her singing just wasn't right for Christine & I didn't like her voice in general. Patrick Wilson made a drippy suitor out of Raoul.....yet again another actor who has played Raoul like that & his singing was OK, but lacked emotion! Miranda Richardson also confused me with her consistent French accent compared to the others, but then again, just shows she's a method actor in her characters' nationalities & their accents!
Also, one thing I must add which I hated was the clear errors in the film which weren't even considered to be changed or re-done i.e mouths not matching the lyrics or positioning of someone/something or camera crew seen in shadows, unless it's the Phantom's secret entourage(!)
However, I must admit I like some of the costumes used in the film, *cough Christine's Think Of Me dress & nightgown, cough* & the details into creating them, but that still doesn't draw me away from the reasons why I hate this film & why it doesn't do any justice to the really amazing show which you can go & see in London or anywhere which you can then think 'Oh, thank God I never bought this film because this is much better than that load of crap!' Or just buy the 25th anniversary concert of the show on DVD because I went there & it puts this film to shame & thank Lord Lloyd Webber himself for realizing afterwards how rubbish this film really is!
No comments:
Post a Comment