The Phantom of the Opera

I’m torn about it. Putting the movie on the big screen gave it more flexibility in terms of scenery and special effects that you just couldn’t do on a Broadway stage. That whole chandelier scene was so well done in the movie. But on the flip side of that, I have an even bigger appreciation for the Broadway show – I mean, they were so creative with the stage production of the underground river that the movie’s version just pales in comparison.

But what really turned me off was the casting. I don’t know if the actors/actresses were lip syncing, but even if they weren’t, it just felt disconnected to me. The Phantom of the Opera is about the music. It gets to your soul, and moves me all the time. I couldn’t stop crying when I heard the music live for the first time 2 years ago! So, hearing it inside a movie theater where I couldn’t connect the people with the music just didn’t do it for me. That and the main girl, was so freakin’ emotionless, like she had one expression on her face for fear, joy, and distress.

Why couldn’t they have gotten Sarah Brightman to do that part? But I suppose it’d be too much of a transition for her.

But, in the end, it was still all about the music. It’s what saved the movie.