{"id":151,"date":"2023-04-16T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-16T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fredstories.com\/rainofhorror\/?p=151"},"modified":"2023-04-15T18:14:26","modified_gmt":"2023-04-15T18:14:26","slug":"the-phantom-of-the-opera-is-there-forever-inside-our-minds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fredstories.com\/rainofhorror\/the-phantom-of-the-opera-is-there-forever-inside-our-minds\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe Phantom of the Opera\u201d Is There, Forever Inside Our Minds"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Phantom of the Opera <\/em>Movie Poster (2004)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Today, the final performance of The Phantom of the Opera<\/em> is taking place on Broadway, after remaining on the same stage for 35 years. Because of how close to my heart it is, I figured writing about the 2004 movie adaptation would allow me and other phans to grieve and memorialize it at least a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Phantom of the Opera<\/em> originally began as the 1909 French novel by Gaston Leroux. In 1986, Andrew Lloyd Webber debuted it as a London musical, then on Broadway in 1988. There are a few cinematic adaptations of this story, but I\u2019d like to write specifically about the 2004 musical version because it\u2019s actually my absolute favorite movie in all of existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joel Schumacher took on the project of transforming this musical into a feature film, which I saw for the first time at 3 years old. I think being so young at the time led to instantly producing a deeper obsession within me than The Phantom has for Christine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story follows Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum), a young ballerina who grew up in the Paris Opera Populaire. After strange occurrences leave the lead Soprano, Carlotta Giudicelli (Minnie Driver) unable to perform, Christine gets a chance to perform an aria because of private lessons she\u2019s been taking since childhood. Her teacher is revealed as The Phantom (Gerard Butler), who has been causing the strange occurrences to further Christine\u2019s career. Meanwhile, she falls in love with Raoul (Patrick Wilson), her childhood friend, which angers The Phantom and leads to a series of horrifying mishaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That being said, let\u2019s see how the breakdown works with (or against) my subjective opinion\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Time- 3<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the film has been out for nearly two decades, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s anywhere near the status of being a classic, even for those that love musical movies. The runtime is just under two and a half hours, which can feel pretty long, especially for those that are new to the musical movie genre. But I\u2019d like to factor in that it\u2019s been my personal unwavering favorite my whole life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rewatchability- 10<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is my comfort movie. I watch it to let negative emotions out, to remember positive ones, to sing along with, to fall asleep, to do homework or study, or just whenever I feel like I need it. I can\u2019t even begin to try calculating how many times I\u2019ve watched it overall, as I\u2019ve watched literally several times within a day, many times. There will never be another movie that gets such a perfect score in this category for me as this does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cinematography\/Editing- 5<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the cinematography choices within this film make me cry, like the transition of the theater essentially coming back to life in the beginning and many of the song sequences. But there are also way too many silly mistakes that I can\u2019t help but roll my eyes at, but maybe that\u2019s just from watching it so often for so many years. However, these are things that are honestly easily fixable if the crew simply decided to take the extra time to do so. For example, Meg\u2019s pants magically become dry after she treks through the underground lake, and it\u2019s very noticeable when she walks into The Phantom\u2019s lair at the end.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plot- 7<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The storyline of Phantom<\/em> isn\u2019t really a new idea, as it fits the gothic romance tropes perfectly. There are many similar stories, like The Hunchback of Notre Dame <\/em>and The Beauty and the Beast<\/em>, on the basis that a deformed man falls in love with a beautiful girl. But the side storylines of Phantom<\/em> make it stick out, like Christine and Raoul\u2019s romance that creates a love triangle, Madame Giry\u2019s knowledge of The Phantom; everyone else\u2019s invasive curiosity even leads to interesting arcs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acting- 6<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think this is the most difficult category to accurately rate. I personally adore every member of the cast, but the biggest gripe to most people that dislike this movie is some of the cast\u2019s acting or singing, particularly Gerard Butler\u2019s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oddly enough, his over-the-top and whiny portrayal of The Phantom is what makes him my favorite actor to play the part. I like that he isn\u2019t a perfect singer, as he slides through notes that are more staccato on the stage. I love that in this case because it\u2019s more emotion he\u2019s using to sing rather than skill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, Christine is portrayed by Emmy Rossum who not only grew up singing in an opera house like her character but she was specifically chosen for the role by Andrew Lloyd Webber after he heard her sing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I\u2019m taking the world\u2019s opinion into account as well as my own for this category because I do understand the other perspective of wanting a trained singer to act in the role of The Phantom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Costume Design\/Special Effects- 9<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will forever be blown away by many of the costumes and makeup in this film: from the \u201cMasquerade\u201d ball gowns and accessories to the way Christine\u2019s makeup changes from light and natural to more smoky and seductive when she\u2019s taken down to the lair. I also remember running around with a red blanket as a kid acting like Christine in the \u201cAll I Ask Of You\u201d scene, so there\u2019s a lot of sentiment to include in this category. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gruesome Factor- 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the other point people make about this movie. It really isn\u2019t as scary or gruesome as it should be, especially with The Phantom\u2019s deformity makeup. However, I have a theory that I would love to someday either confirm or debunk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think The Phantom\u2019s makeup isn\u2019t so scary when Christine first sees it, peaks at its worst look when she takes his mask off during \u201cPast The Point Of No Return\u201d and gets a bit better again the last time we see it, after he forgives Christine and lets her go. I always saw a bit of a metaphor in there matching the storyline, but again maybe that\u2019s just after nitpicking it for most of my life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shock Value- 7<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those that\u2019ve never seen any version of The Phantom of the Opera<\/em>, many portions of this film can come as shocking, whether that\u2019s because of the storyline development, the music or the several murders. The film may not be shocking in horrific ways, but I get goosebumps the moment the fire is struck to light the chandelier that can continue until the candle goes out at the end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Believability- 9<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The emotions conveyed really lead to feeling like the atrocities that occur in this film could really happen. There\u2019s even a lot of speculation that Gaston Leroux originally used some real life occurrences to inspire the book. At the very bottom line, it\u2019s very possible for someone\u2019s stalker to go so deep into an obsession that they start harming others, thinking they\u2019re helping the person they adore, and even accidentally hurting that person too.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u200bEnding- 10<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The movie returns full circle to black and white, showing present-day Raoul leaving a present for his late wife, Christine. He notices a fresh rose already placed on her headstone with the engagement ring The Phantom last had, creating one last ominous feeling that he\u2019s still stalking around after all that time. I think this ending is pretty creepy to the characters that experience it, while also romanticizing how eternal The Phantom\u2019s love for Christine is.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Points Total: 65% out of 100%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s pretty funny to look at this score given my full feelings, but I guess I\u2019m just glad it technically \u201cpassed.\u201d The Phantom of the Opera<\/em> (2004) definitely leans more on the romantic genre and backburners horror, so I think that\u2019s a big reason the score is lower than some of my other reviews. I also factored in a lot of other people\u2019s opinions rather than solely relying on my own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I could talk on and on about this movie for the rest of my life, and I will, but for now, I’ll just leave you with this…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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