I’ve read a ton of reviews of Phantom of the Opera by now and, for the life of me, I can’t figure out what all the fuss is about. It’s really not as bad a film as everyone is making it out to be. While most people praised the original show and dissed this adaptation, my feelings, strangely enough, were just the opposite.

Joel Schumacher has made the film of his life. I’ve read a lot of complaints about how the film needed to be more gritty, gothic and dark. I agree that that probably would have been better, but I find no fault in Schumacher’s luxurious approach. The Phantom of the Opera is as much eye candy as anything you’ll see all year. Cameras sweep in and out of lavishly decorated sets, engaging your eyes just as much as your ears throughout the entire production. I’ve begun to notice that many of those unhappy with Phantom were similarly naysayers of Moulin Rouge! Makes sense.

I also agree with many critics that the performances lacked a certain passion. It is, in fact, often visible that the actors are lip-syncing, even if it is to their own voice. On the other hand, there is not much to complain about, except for Minnie Driver, who I could never really believe. Emmy Rossum is no Sarah Brightman, but she works well enough.

Where I began to lose interest was with issues that involved the original material itself. Phantom boasts a handful of great songs, but it’s also filled with fairly monotonous crap that all consists of some sort of variation of Phantom’s three of four songs. That gets old eventually.

The story itself isn’t the most fantastic either. The phantom of the opera (Gerard Butler) has been living underneath the opera house his whole life, studying music. He has fallen in love with Christine (Emmy Rossum) and has taught her how to sing. Just when he goes in to make his move, she encounters her long lost friend Raoul (Patrick Wilson). The love triangle carries the rest of the story and doesn’t really get anywhere beyond it.

But it all gets wisped away in the grandness of the music and the scenery. The bottom line is this: I had heard The Phantom of the Opera before and was only mildly interested in it as a musical. I am now far more interested and entertained by the music because of the luscious backdrop it has been set against. That makes it a success no matter what else is going on.

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