A lot of fun.

A Disappointing Continuation

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

I just this version of Phantom of the Opera last night with one of my dearest friends and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it! Pretty much this is the best version I have seen so far! Everyone did a fabulous job at portraying their characters especially Ramin and Sierra. Towards the end of the show, my friend and I completely lost it because of the intense emotions that the two literally put into their characters so well that their performance will tug on your heartstrings. Ramin is by far the best Phantom in my opinion. He blew me away by not just his voice but the emotions he put into his character, showing his character's sensitive side and vulnerability with just a dose of sexuality. I do put him as my favorite above Gerard Butler's Phantom (Gerard was very good in the 2004 movie version, but he didn't have that intense emotion that Ramin has). Sierra was excellent and the best Christine I have seen so far (Emmy Rossum was also very good in the 2004 version, but sounded more classical than operatic to me). Towards the end, Sierra's emotions got the best of me and I did see she fought really hard to stay in character when she sang one last time to the Phantom. I have always been not a fan of Raoul and I still am not,but the guy who played him in this version has an amazing voice and played his character well! I think he exaggerated his performance just a tiny bit, but at least he didn't have an emotional breakdown on stage. For the lady who played Carlotta was hilarious and she is right up there next to Minnie Driver's 2004 version. It was great having Carlotta as the snobbish but sort of comedy reliever that makes the story less intense. All in all, like I said everyone on the stage performed well into their characters and I truly want to see them perform in other Broadway roles as well. Well worth watching on Netflix and be sure to have a box of tissues near you...just in case.

This isn't a bad adaptation, I agree with the other review that I read that the sets were spectacular! However, Christine and The Phantom were somewhat lacking for me. Both of them seemed to be trying too hard, and that just really chaps at me. I don't like to see people trying to prove themselves, it should just be something natural. Plus the makeup on The Phantom was too distracting, seeing his lips hangout from underneath the mask pulled my attention way from the story too much. I kept on rechecking to see if I really was seeing his lips or what right up until the final time his mask was pulled off. When they pulled out the other men who had played The Phantom, both my wife and I commented at how much better singers all of them were than the guy that played him in this rendition. We both also think that the Christine and Phantom from the 2004 movie were both more natural sounding and looking, I just cannot say enough how important it is to me that the actor/actress appear natural in their role. Perhaps the theater is the wrong place to expect that, but then again so many of the other actors in this rendition gave such natural performances, even the two opera house owners (which was not impressed upon me from the recording featuring the original cast). I know I've spent so much space talking about what I didn't like, but I think it deserves stronger detailing this time. The production truly was otherwise first rate! I even enjoyed the little speech from Andrew Lloyd Webber

Having never had the opportunity to see PHANTOM OF THE OPERA live in the West End, I settled on the next best thing; this DVD release of the show's 25th anniversary special, which took place in front of a huge audience at the Royal Albert Hall. It's a vivid, spectacular show full of the requisite sumptuous sets, costumes and damn good singing, and offers pretty much everything you could wish for from a musical.As this is a filmed performance of a live musical, you have to remember it's not quite the same as being there. The cameramen focus on certain parts of the action in close up and miss out other sections; it's as if you're viewing the show through the funnel of somebody else's interest. Sometimes, the bigger picture is lost in favour of a moment of detail. On the plus side, you get to watch the show from the comfort of your own home, so it's all a question of weighing up the positives and the negatives.The singers all give very good performances, particularly Karimloo and Boggess as Phantom and Christine respectively – there's no faulting them. This production includes an encore featuring appearances by Andrew Lloyd Webber and the original Phantom and Christine, Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. Values in terms of costumes, effects and scenery are strong, with the only disappointment the lack of the crashing chandelier set-piece; apparently, the effect couldn't be staged within the constraints of the Royal Albert Hall. Never mind – there's enough excellence elsewhere that it isn't missed too much.

This wasn't the best rendition of the venerable opera that I've seen but for a stage to video presentation, it's pretty good. While obviously nothing beats being there in person, watching on a big screen TV has it's advantages as well. For instance, different angles, views, zoom ins, zoom outs, no one talking behind or around you, the list goes on.The sets are beautifully done and costumes are top notch. While no Davis Gaines, Ramin Karimloo does a fine job as the Phantom. Sierra Boggess seems a bit wooden as Christine but I may be a bit jaded by previous castings. Hadley Fraser in my opinion did not come across as a good Raoul. He appeared pompous and overbearing, not someone who would charm Christine.The above being said, the overall performances by the cast were enjoyable but a bit underwhelming for a production staged in the Royal Albert Hall.