Here are my views: At 2 hours and 23 minutes, I thought the movie was too long. When will producers and directors learn that unless the audience is riveted (rarely; I think of the first time I saw the English Patient) that less is more?! The story was disjointed and the flow of it reflected more of a stream of consciousness than an outlined storyboard. Yet, the music was compelling and mesmerizing and if the viewer were willing to go with the flow (sort of like watching the inkblot ripple on a music player screen) then, it was more than entertaining. It was stimulating subliminally.
Not many movies which try this are successful, but this one was in my opinion, provided one was willing to go with the flow. There was a simple story, much like an opera story, and it was easy enough to follow.
I have some misgivings about the darkness of some of the themes, given my predominant belief in Christian principles and had to give some careful thought, both during and after the movie as to what the subliminal messages were and whether or not I wanted to embrace them. (For one thing, any movie that makes one think usually gets a "thumbs up!" from me and so it is with this one.)
In the end, I decided that since a core principle to Christianity is redemption that the movie was not endorsing the sins of the Phantom (I'll leave it at that to protect the drama) and that both the subliminal and thought provoking aspects of the movie easily made it pass muster.
Yet, it was difficult to follow. It felt sort of like when I'm speeding down a ski slope and have little or no control over where I'm headed. Trust and "letting go" were both required to enjoy it.
The bottom line for me, then is that I go with the audience on this one: B+.
She was bored, "thumbs down!"
