The film of the stage show of the book, directed by uber schlockmeister Joel Schumacher is a veritable curate's egg - an overblown mess, but enjoyable in parts. The big production numbers, for example the masked ball, are fabulously glitzy, although the main 'Phantom of the Opera' signature tune falls curiously flat. Some of the more intimate moments work well - Jennifer Ellison's brief appearance as the young dancer Meg is spine chilling - but some of the romantic duets between the two leads Patrick Wilson as the handsome Viscounte de Chagny and Emmy Rossum as the ingenue singer Christine are cringeworthy. The film is redeemed by Gerard Butler as the eponymous phantom, a brooding, sinister presence manipulating events in the Opera Populaire.
The story is opened up a little bit more than the stage show, with a flashback sequence stolen wholesale from 'The Elephant Man', but it is the music that is the attraction here. I've seen the stage show twice, and on the whole it is a more satisfying experience than the film. However, if you like the music and can see the film on a big screen with good sound you will enjoy it - Ms Dogwood certainly did. Others will prefer to wait for the dvd so they can skip past the dull bits.
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