Movie Review: "The Phantom of the Opera" (2004)

Warning: The following content may contain spoilers!
   

  The classic musical comes to the big screen for the first time.

Rated PG-13 for brief violent images.

   Being a theater person myself, it's natural for me to have heard of this timeless classic. The gloomy past that formed the tragic figure of the Paris Opera House has turned French author Gaston Leroux's novel into one of the best musicals of all time, claiming second longest-running show on Broadway.

   A musician by heart, little is known of the Phantom of the Opera-- that is, until talented singer Christine Daae disappears without a trace of where she might have gone. Taken by this musical genius, Christine learns of this pitiful creature who only longs for her to be his. Through this plot full of song, it's revealed that the Phantom was shown no compassion for bearing a deformed face under an infamous mask. It's because of this he has hidden in the Opera for years, claiming it as his own.

   However, when jealousy and obsession overtake this masked man's heart, Christine learns that ingenuity has turned into madness... But how to stop an expert of illusions and trickery is the largest mystery of all.

   Starring Gerard Butler as the Phantom and Emmy Rossum as Christine, I give The Phantom of the Opera two thumbs up. The superb songs I grew up with, such as "Music of the Night" and "All I Ask of You," are still there with even more intrigue than ever before. 

   If you can't experience the magic of Phantom on the stage, the movie makes a close second if you wish to see this epic story of love, betrayal, and pure genius retold in a much larger scale. 

My Recommendation: **** 4/5 Stars for The Phantom of the Opera (2004) starring Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum. IMDb rating: 7.4/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0293508/

Watch the Trailer!