As an actress myself, I look out for who is good or bad in films and why, so here goes. The lead roles are quite extreme. Gerard Butler's Phantom, is, at times, ridiculously over-dramatic, which is a shame as it means he ends up shouting a lot of his songs, which takes away from the painful beauty of them. No, it takes away the beauty and just leaves painful. I'm not a fan of him. Sorry! Emmy Rossum, on the other hand, over plays the wilting flower a little, but rather than badly affect the songs, hers become better as a result, because any strong emotion she puts into them is small as she is playing the character in this way. Raoul is a little flaky, and I think that like Emmy Rossum, the man who plays him (forgotten his name :S) is more a singer than an actor.
There is, however, salvation in the form of flawless actresses Minnie Driver and Miranda Richardson. Driver's OTT acting and gestures add much needed light relief from the heavy script, but unlike our Phantom she knows when enough is enough. The ever-perfect Miranda Richarson again shows off her versatility as an actress, adapting to her role as Madame Giry effortlessly. She also surprised me with a beautiful voice and the apparent ability to stretch and touch her toes while they are resting on a waist-height ballet bar (it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it, but an amazing contrast to her role as Queenie in Blackadder II!) Other than that, the film is lovely. I was swept away right from the moment that colour floods the screen, and you can't help but be carried along by the wonderful cinematography, singing, and dance routines (especially Masquerade - it lived up to my high expectations as my favourite song from the show).
There is, however, salvation in the form of flawless actresses Minnie Driver and Miranda Richardson. Driver's OTT acting and gestures add much needed light relief from the heavy script, but unlike our Phantom she knows when enough is enough. The ever-perfect Miranda Richarson again shows off her versatility as an actress, adapting to her role as Madame Giry effortlessly. She also surprised me with a beautiful voice and the apparent ability to stretch and touch her toes while they are resting on a waist-height ballet bar (it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it, but an amazing contrast to her role as Queenie in Blackadder II!) Other than that, the film is lovely. I was swept away right from the moment that colour floods the screen, and you can't help but be carried along by the wonderful cinematography, singing, and dance routines (especially Masquerade - it lived up to my high expectations as my favourite song from the show).