Random Phantom of the Opera Stuff

The Great Debate: The 2004 Film

 This is a chapter I've meant to type up for ages but never seem to get around to. I know that whether or not the 2004 film was good depends on who you ask and that the fandom is very divided on the subject. I'm not too sure how I feel about it myself. That's why I wanted to try writing this, something that weighs the pros and cons of the movie to see what a possible verdict would be. 

 I will start with the cons to get that out of the way: 

The Vocal Abilities of the Lead Characters

 As far as singing goes, I really don't think Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum were the best choices. For roles like the Phantom and Christine, you need an actor with a strong voice, and I don't think either of them quite had it. 

Raoul the Idiot

 Whoever was in charge of making this movie was apparently very intent on making Raoul look like a moron, and they succeeded. I remember watching this movie years ago when I was twelve or thirteen and thinking he was completely stupid. It's a shame because Patrick Wilson had the most fitting voice of the three lead actors in the movie, and he's a good actor (I've seen him in a few other movies); he could have been a better character. 

The Ages

 In the book, Christine was supposed to have been in the 18-20 age range, and I'm assuming it was that way in the musical, too. However, in this movie they made her sixteen, and Emmy Rossum herself was about that age when it was filmed. Gerard Butler and Patrick Wilson were both in their early thirties at the time, and they both looked it in the film, plus the Phantom was supposed to be an older man, so it makes it much creepier that Christine is only sixteen (maybe in the time period it wasn't considered so bad but you couldn't get away with a romance like that in a modern setting). 

The Graveyard Swordfight

 This was a change from the stage production, since there was no swordfight. However, in this version, the Phantom and Raoul engage in a heated duel that ends in Raoul overpowering the Phantom. But Christine begs Raoul not to kill him, so he doesn't. To me, this is just incredibly stupid. Raoul had the opportunity to get rid of the man who was trying to kidnap the woman he loved, and he just let him go. We know that if the positions were reversed, the Phantom certainly would have killed Raoul. 

The 'Point of No Return' Scene

 This scene was very poorly done. The Phantom and Piangi looked and sounded completely different, but when the Phantom killed Piangi and took his place, he didn't even try to disguise himself (he probably couldn't have anyway because of the costume). During the performance everyone realizes that it's the Phantom onstage, not Piangi, and no one does anything or even tries to do anything until Christine rips the mask off. 

Unmasking the Phantom

 So, it turns the Phantom actually didn't look horrible after all, not what you would imagine. Now, they might have had a reason making him look less ugly than he was supposed to (no idea what it would be, but it might have been something), but to me it ends up feeling silly. 

Unfortunately, I found multiple cons. But it's not all bad, because here are a few pros: 

At Least They Can Sing

 Gerard and Emmy might not have had the most fitting voices for the Phantom and Christine, but they can both sing were able to keep in tune and hold the songs together. To me, that matters. 

Excellent Sets and Costumes

 Given that this is a Hollywood film and not a stage production, you would expect different scenes and costumes on film than what you would see on stage. Whoever was in charge of the set and costume designs did an excellent job with envisioning it all. 

The First Act

 I think the second act was badly interpreted in the movie, but the first act wasn't. They followed along the plot the same as the stage production, and came out pretty much how you might expect it to on film. 

Good Acting

 Not everyone had a great voice, but at least everyone could decently act. I imagine they could have done worse. 

 All in all, the movie wasn't anything fantastic, but it wasn't all bad, either. I'll always have a soft spot for it.