The Phantom Of The Opera review

It's testament to the film's prolonged gestation period that Emmy Rossum was only four years old when a big screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage musical was first proposed. Fourteen years ago Lloyd Webber's then wife Sarah Brightman was originally scheduled to play Christine Daae, the young soprano who becomes the obsession of the Phantom. Before newcomer Rossum was picked, the long list of actors considered for the prestigious part included Keira Knightley, Anne Hathaway and Charlotte Church.

Based on Rossum's accomplished performance, the wait has been worth it. Through her engaging blend of innocence and confidence, aligned to her gifted voice, she has emerged the unquestionable star of this opulent epic. Although at times the extravagant art direction and dazzling costumes threaten to overshadow even Rossum's glittering performance.

The lavish scale of the stage production has been taken to a new dimension by John Fenner's art direction and Alexandra Byrne's costumes. Such a baroque setting is only appropriate given the unbridled grandiosity of Lloyd Webber's music. Excess is something the composer strives for rather than shies away from. The lush, familiar score oozes an audacious self-importance.

There is a large faction who considers Andrew Lloyd Webber the three worst things to happen to British theatre. His brand of over blown schmaltz is considered as tasteless as it is worthless. Others will argue his success has salvaged a once dying industry. Regardless where your sympathies lie on the subject, there's no denying the popularity of his work, of which Phantom, based on Gaston Leroux's novel, is perhaps the most renowned.

The story centers on a theatre inhabited by the Phantom (Gerard Butler), a disfigured musical genius who terrorizes the resident opera company. When the company's diva La Carlotta (a delightfully over-the-top Minnie Driver) storms out, the new theatre managers (Simon Callow and Ciaran Hinds), prompted by ballet mistress (Miranda Richardson), give Christine the lead role. Her performance not only impresses the audience, but the theatre's wealthy (and handsome) patron Vicompte Raoul de Chagny (Patrick Wilson). Christine suddenly finds herself in a romantic triangle involving Raoul and the Phantom, who bestowed her with her vocal talent and tells her "I am your angel of music."

What ensues is two hours of overwrought musical wooing and jousting. Director Joel Schumacher, who has been a constant since the project began, conveys his passion for Phantom's ostentatiousness with his sincere and accomplished take. Moulin Rouge and Chicago have marked a renewed interest in musicals. Both possess a rich splendour and the necessary sense of whimsy required to help swallow the fact that people are prone to burst into song. Phantom certainly is a visual feast, but its melodramatic flourishes and devout earnestness, echoed by the score, mean it's less likely to win over the uncommitted.

Kevin Murphy