Any good??

I think that you have to watch the movie knowing you're not getting Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera. It plays a great deal on the book's Faustian elements. In fact, I would say it follows the story of Goethe's Faust even more closely than it does Leroux's novel. As a movie on its own, it was a lot better than I expected it to be. I know vaguely of Robert Englund and the Nightmare on Elm Street films, and I knew the camp factor surrounding the series. Although Englund has proven to actually have a great deal of dramatic range, because of his portrayal of Freddy Kruger he's always been typecast. This Phantom (who's actually called Erik) is a great deal like a more sophisticated Freddy. His face is burned by the devil when he holds back on an agreement and this gives him a vicious will. He sews the skin of his victims onto his flesh, giving him a more normal face, but unlike the Dario Argento version, the deformity is underneath the sewn on skin. Also, in this version, I truly believe that he loves Christine. Jill Schoelen is just beautiful as the female lead and gives a great performance as a girl infatuated with a strange musical genius. Some of the music in this film is gorgeous as well (especially the solo Christine sings from Erik's 'Don Juan Triumphant').

Bottom line: I think that if you like the story as a basic concept, you'll like the film. However, if you're expecting Leroux faithful, you'd be disappointed. It's worth a shot. It's not my favorite Phantom adaptation, but it's in my top 3 along with Herbert Lom and Lon Chaney.

Optimism: Waiting for a ship to come in when you haven't sent one out.

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