The Phantom of the Opera, cert 12A (From Warrington Guardian)

The Phantom of the Opera, cert 12A

EVERYONE arrives at a point in his or her life when hammed up dramatics become just too nauseating.

I reached this pivotal moment during the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera.

A disfigured musical genius, hides away in a Paris Opera House, terrorising the opera company for the unwitting benefit of young protg, Christine, whom he trains and falls in love with. This was difficult viewing.

But them came the music.

Evita, Chicago and Moulin Rouge were never appealing, but all paled into insignificance with the over-zealous heart-wrenching songs that dominate all two and a half hours of this musical love story - perhaps suffocating the plot at times.

I can cope with epic love stories, but the emotion and sympathy needed to understand the Phantom, played by Gerard Butler, was just too draining for weekend viewing.

The presence of pop starlet, Jennifer Ellison in the cast, also made the entire spectacular difficult to watch.

Despite giving a surprisingly good performance as Meg Giry, friend to the heroine, the scouse twangs of Brookside Close were never far from my mind, with constant thoughts that former on-screen husband, Tinhead, may march on screen at any moment and demand his dinner on the table.

On a more positive note, young American actress, Emmy Rossum shone as Christine, playing the character from her heart and bringing a personal touch to the film - a hard task in a musical that is internationally reknown.

Character assassinations apart, the direction from Joel Schumacher and set design were stunning, adding a glimmer of the masterwork that this film version attempts to pull off.

This musical bears a strong likeness to the former marriage between Webber and the Phantom's original leading lady Sarah Brightman.

3/10 for this phantom menace.