I did not know the story and it took me a while to get into it I must admit, but as the story unfolded and the characters developed, I became hooked. There has been criticism of the leading roles, but I thought they were excellent. Emmy Rossum was perfect as the young girl with the blossoming voice, so innocent yet being awakened to passion. (Yes, the passion is there if you have eyes to see it!) Gerard Butler was the phantom, mysterious, malevolent, tortured and (of course)passionate. I thought his singing, quite raw at times, conveyed some of these emotions very very well and I can imagine that just hearing the soundtrack, you might be disappointed. It is best appreciated in the context of what is happening at the time of the songs. Minnie Driver was wonderfully over the top in her role. It brought some welcome lightness to the story. All in all, it has left me wanting to see it again, to see what I think of it second time around.