i know there's a thread, but i had to make a new one because so many are waiting for my review...

alright, i am going to be totally truthful here.

i LOVED the movie. i was really blown away by it. it met my expectations, if not more. the way i visualized things would be done are weak compared to what they did. the scenery was stunning. the cinematography was phenomenal. the orchestrations were so strong... my heart was beating a mile a minute the whole time.

i think gerard is very underrated. he did a great job as the phantom. it was a fresh look as well as a fresh sound. he really put alot of emotion into it. i almost started crying during all i ask of you (reprise). what i didn't like about his performance was during the title song and music of the night. i think he should have played it a little more mysterious and then ease into it during music of the night. he seemed like too much of a nice, comforting guy.

patrick was pretty much flawless. i really don't know what i can say outside of not caring for the hair. but it did not ruin it in any way!

emmy, my wife, was also amazing. her voice is so much stronger in the film than on the soundtrack in my opinion. she also had a lot of emotion thrown in, mostly in the 2nd act. what didn't i like? there were times when i wanted her to move more. she didn't open her mouth very wide during some songs, which kind of stood in the way of it looking as if she WAS singing what we heard. but overall, impressive.

minnie was hysterical! i couldn't stop laughing at her everytime she came on.

the managers did not impress me as much. i think they fell pretty flat at times.

miranda was excellent as giry, especially in the beginning.

i didn't care for jennifer as meg very much at the beginning. i think she could have done better, but she did improve. however, i haven't seen a meg who stood out as amazing. i've come to believe they look for girls who can dance and scream at the top of their lungs for the role.

as far as the changes, i loved them. they fit perfectly. i really liked how christine was in a trance as she walked through the mirror. it was very effective in showing how she was mesmorized by him. PONR was great... i like how they worked with the costume change for the phantom. his face was interesting. i really think it worked... i think it looked more realistic.

well, guess thats it. overall, i highly recommend it. no, it is not the same as what we see on the stage, but it is very faithful and i think it all works out!

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ok, forgot 1 thing...


the one thing i really didn't care for that i think they could have gone without what the horse during the title song. i know it was originally in the show, but i think its unneccessary.


but yes, go see it. all the years of waiting and the months of countdowns were well worth it in my opinion

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if youre that desperate to look for some reason to see it...

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oh, no. I wasn't that desperate, I just thought it was really funny. I was still laughing half way through "Poor Fool...".

I commented on the horse over on the other thread, along with a few other gripes. Pretty good movie, have plans to see it again tomorrow.

I saw POTO tonight in a digital projection theater.

The video and sound were great.

The cinemaphotography was beautiful. Emmy Rossum was gorgeous and perfectly cast. She lights up the screen and I think she is destined to be the next great female film star.

The story was true to the play but with logical fill ins.

Please go see it. If you are a fan of the show, you should love it.

I don't remember the exact number, but I did the math in my head there, and she was in her mid-sixties...wow im such a math geek. who does that at movies? haha!

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I guess since we don't know their exact ages it's all kind of guessing, but it just seems to me if Giry was old in 1881 she would have been on her death bed in 1911! that's thirty years!

I saw the movie twice today and am pretty sure the date on the tomb were 1854-1917.

Just got back. So much to discuss but here are some thoughts:
* Whatever the weaknesses (and there were many) I was absolutely awed by the fact that anyone managed to make a movie of such old-fashioned sensibility in this age. I was watching a lavish, big-budget, MOVIE MUSICAL in 2004! The kind where people expressed themselves in song simply because it was a musical! For this fact alone it was an huge experience for me. The film was unapologetically romantic and any sense of realism was thrown to the wind, but that's exactly how musicals used to be! How incredible that this film simply exists.
*I think a main criticism will be the pacing. For me, it was not a problem. It flowed luxuriously and lingered over each musical number. But for those who don't necessarily love musicals, like the friends I attended with, this is a drawback. A couple in our group complained loudly that it was too slow and that they were bored. Again, not my opinion, but I kept thinking that this will be a hard sell to modern audiences.
*Patrick got overall praise from our group, but Emmy had detractors. Some found her "plastic" or "barbie-like." I found her very engaging at times, lacking emotional depth at others. Some of that I attribute to direction decisions. Did anyone else notice that when the phantom was around, her hair and boobs were bigger and she suddenly had on creepy, black eye-shawdow?

Well, I'll post more later. Just had to throw in my 1.5 cents.

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Updated On: 12/23/04 at 12:42 AM

"Did anyone else notice that when the phantom was around, her hair and boobs were bigger and she had on creepy, black eye shawdow?"

That is strange and suspicious sounding. I will look for that next time I go.

yeah...the second viewing is always great to catch little details...like dates on graves, and size of boobs/ amount of black eyeshadow while in the prescence of a masked man.

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I'm serious, guys, watch during the title song. While she's in the dressing room with Raoul, she has on nice, pretty makeup. Jump to the scene in the boat and she has big pageant hair, heaving bosoms, and darrrkkkk eye-shawdow. Very interesting.

BTW, the theatre was packed for an 8:15 PM showing.

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