Is "The Phantom of the Opera" inside your mind?? Why it should be.

My previous experiences with musicals have not been all too pleasant., which is why I didn't even take the time to rent Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera" until long after it had been released. When I finally did rent it, I was completely taken back, not only because I actually enjoyed this movie, but because this movie actually includes not only great vocals, but a great plot and story-line.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera" takes place primarily in the "Opera Populaire", a famous opera-house in Paris France. The date ranges from the late 1800s to early 1920s and switches back and forth between the past and the present, so that you are seeing two different stories at once. I loved the contrasts between the two stories, it was almost as if you are there going back and forth in time between the two stories.

The major story involves a young woman of about 18, Christine (Emmy Rossum), an innocent, naive,orphan who has spent the last 8 years at the opera-house studying to be a ballerina. During those years she is also being taught voice and music by the Phantom (Gerard Butler): a masked- man who reportedly has a disfigured face, and lives far beneath the opera-house. Even though she is being taught by the phantom she doesn't really realize who he is. I loved how innocent she was, it almost made me laugh, but then again I could agree with how she felt- because this man taught her to sing, and even though he was this phantom who was so different she was drawn to him. I think the phantom is like the bad boy in this movie- she is drawn to him because he is different, a romantic, seductive, thrilling different. And this phantom is drawn to Christine's naivety, her beauty and yes- her voice. And I couldn't blame this phantom for wanting the impossible, as all of us want something we cannot have. As this phantom teaches Christine he falls in love with her, and starts to enchant her with his voice. Christine's voice also grows and it is not long until Christine is finally thrust into the spotlight after the leading singer unexpectedly leaves right before a performance. The performance is a success and the new patron for the opera-house Raoul (Patrick Wilson), a rich, charming and handsome young man who recognizes Christine as his long -lost childhood friend. The two immediately hit it off and it is not long before Raoul and Christine are engaged. The Phantom is enraged and threats ensue. Thus begins a dilemma- Christine must choose between the Phantom and Raoul. This piece of the movie was the most dramatic to me- it was almost as if I was in Christine's shoes- one moment I wanted her to love the phantom, and the next Raoul. Sadly, she doesn't have long to make her decision because in her last performance the Phantom drags her down to his lair where she must make her decision immediately- and either way she chooses she cannot win.

The second story is very minimal and only allows us to momentarily view the character in black and white, who we later find out to be Raoul. At first I had no idea it was Raoul- it completely blew me away, I loved how the movie went back and forth between the new and old Raoul. Although our glimpses of Raoul are not very often or for very long, they add a certain depth to the story, adding additional emotion and drama to this already dramatic story.

Are you hooked yet? I will not disclose the ending, so if you really want to know how it ends you will just have to see this movie for yourself.

As far as my experience with this product goes, as soon as I had seen this movie no fewer than five times I immediately went to the store and bought it for myself for $19.99, which is not a bad price at all, considering how many times I have watched this movie and how much I enjoy it.

The reason I really liked this movie is because it has a great plot, great characters, and great vocals and music. "The Phantom of the Opera" really draws you in, there is so much action, trauma and emotion in this film that it is almost impossible for you to NOT be affected in some way by this movie. This movie also appeals to a wide variety of audiences-it includes action, suspense, drama, romance, comedy, and music. For example I love the movie for its great vocals, while my younger brother loves this movie for the action and suspense. As far as I am concerned this movie has no extreme flaws, and I would recommend it just about anyone- because this movie has the ability to appeal to a wide variety of audiences, because it touches so many bases- romance, drama, action, suspense, history, etc..

The only people I would not recommend this movie to are those people who like absolutely nothing other than horror movies, as this movie includes basically everything else.

So basically if you aren't completely limited to watching horror films then this would be a great movie to watch for yourself.