Reviews (6)

So bad. So, so bad. Bad.

First of all, the screenplay- it tried way too hard to be funny and wasn't. Like at all. A lot of the "funny" lines were so, so, so predictable and executed very poorly. It was full of predictability, cheesy "bonding" scenes, and clichés. Whoever wrote this does not have an original bone in their body.

The dancing and music were great. They should have shown us a lot more dancing and a lot less bad acting. It wasn't even the fault of the actors, I mean it's nearly impossible to make some of those corny lines sound even the least bit real. Everything was so scripted because the script was wooden.

It was a fine idea, aside from the fact that there are about a hundred movies with the exact plot. Not that this movie really had much of a plot. But anyway, this movie could have been executed so much better. But does the world really need another of these cliché success story movies? Get real.

And, they said the kids in detention were the "outcasts", the really bad kids who were all messed up and got into all kinds of trouble. Excuse me? What, because they said the word ass? Seriously, if those are the bad kids I would love to see how the "good kids" act.

I can't believe me and my friends walked two miles in the steaming humidity just to see this piece of crap, although the iced mocha that I enjoyed afterward made it a bit more worthwhile. All I can say is, I'm glad I only saw the matinée and saved myself 2.50 on this terrible film. I'm looking forward to the soundtrack but that's about it.

Let me just say, the first time I saw this movie I loved it. However, now that I have been further educated on other versions of Phantom, let me just tell you that this is by far a very poor one in most aspects.

On a positive starting "Note", I think the scenery was amazing. The sets, as most everyone agrees, were wonderful and had the perfect mood.

I do think it's a little funny that Madame Giry was the ONLY ONE with a French accent, but I think it gave her some mystique, which was necessary for the character. Also, it is true that the Phantom looked like he had a bad sunburn, but I think we all understood the idea. You can't look completely deformed in a major motion picture. I will also not argue that Christine had any acting ability, because she didn't.

Gerard Butler was interesting as the Phantom. He conveyed a lot of feeling through his voice, which has got to be hard. But, he is not an opera singer and should not consider himself one. That was an experiment gone wrong and we as the general public should not have been exposed to it. I mean, if the guy can't sing, don't cast him as the "Angel of Music". Seriously. His acting was great but they could have dubbed his voice at least.

Now for Emmy Rossum...As I said earlier, her acting was pretty vacant. I think her face had about four different expressions in the whole movie. Her voice would be okay if she wasn't supposed to be an opera singer. I mean come on! Her voice was thin and at some points, scratchy. She was hardly supporting it at all. Now I'm not asking for a Sarah Brightman, because I wasn't a fan of her either, but maybe if someone could just find a happy medium between warbling and pop star! Next time get someone who actually has experience and technique. She didn't enunciate at all and during most songs I had no idea what she was saying. I seriously had to listen to some of them 45 times just to figure out one word!

As for Patrick Wilson, he saved the soundtrack for me. In the movie, he looked really bad with that hair, but his voice was perfect. Acting was fine, he just needed a haircut.

Miranda Richardson was amazing as Madame Giry. The accent was perfect and, as I said above, gave her a wonderful mystique.

Jennifer Ellison, and allow me to be blunt, is a terribly weak singer. I don't know if that was her normal voice or if she was trying to "tone it down" so she wouldn't upstage Christine, but she sounded like she was about seven years old. Her voice was very thin and child-like. I know Christine was supposed to be the best, but Meg's voice could have been a bit stronger than it was.

That is really all I have to say about the actors. Overall, it had a lot of flaws but some parts were good. However, if you are looking for a soundtrack, try the original Canadian one with Rebecca Caine and Colm Wilkinson- the Christine is great and the Phantom is, for the most part, passable, though his voice gets upstaged by Raoul's at points. Anyway I think this movie was a fairly passable pop-rock version of the show, so just don't think of it as the same show. As for people who don't like singing in movies, I'd advise you not to pick a musical next time.