I'll add to the bazillion comments posted here: if you don't make a side-by-side comparison to the stage classic, this movie holds its own. (If you don't like the screenplay, you can blame its co-writer: one Andrew Lloyd Webber.) The famous mask here doesn't hide the fact that Butler is a lot better looking than your average Phantom, and his voice lacks the wide range required by the score---but I found it more realistic, and all told, he does reflect the emotions of a tortured soul who's lived a lifetime literally in the shadows. The movie is helped by sumptuous sets, the ALWebber score, Emmy Rossum's singing, and its tale of hopeless love. Purists may sniff, but when the movie opened people in our area went back to see it again. I did. And the dvd is a welcome addition to my collection.