The Master of Temptation: A Movie Review of "The Phantom of the Opera"

In 1986, musician-composer Andrew Lloyd Weber released his new stage musical The Phantom of the Opera, based on the classic French horror book. After the success in London, it became a massive hit in America, where it still continues to this day. The number-one Broadway play (currently second behind The Lion King) was transposed into a film in 2004, though the movie did not fare as well as the play. 

The Phantom of the Opera was nominated for three Academy Awards (Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Song for "Learn to Be Lonely"). Emmy Rossum won the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor (she turned seventeen during filming). The film stars Emmy Rossum as singer/dancer Christine Daae, Gerard Butler as Erik the "Phantom," and Patrick Wilson as the Viscount Raoul de Chagny. 

SUMMARY

   The year is 1870 and an opera house in Paris has just been purchased by two new owners. Madame Giry, the ballet teacher, introduces the owners to a talented young singer, Christine Daae. The actors practice their performance of Hannibal, as the owners meet Christine, and the theater's resident soprano, Carlotta Giucdicelli. 

   The opera also has a new patron, Raoul de Chagny. Christine recognizes him as her childhood sweetheart but tells her friend Meg Giry she doubts if he remembers. 

   During that night's performance, the stage's backdrop falls and almost smashes Carlotta. A masked man in the shadows flees before anyone can spot him, though he drops a letter. Madame Giry retrieves the letter which is from the "Opera Ghost," a mysterious person who lurks about the opera house. Carlotta is furious that she was nearly killed, so she quits her job, and Christine Daae takes her place. Her singing voice is so beautiful, and it stuns the audience, as the Opera Ghost listens in a hidden location. 

   After the play, Christine goes to the opera chapel to light candles for her deceased father. Meg finds Christine and asks to know how she is able to sing so well. Christine confides that when her father died, he promised he would send to her the "Angel of Music." She explains that a voice has been tutoring her, and she assumes it must be the angel (as she has seen no physical person accompany the voice). 

   She returns to her dressing room, and Raoul comes to find her, as he has remembered his childhood friend. He agrees that she has been visited by the Angel and insists she go to dinner with him. However, Christine responds that the Phantom would not allow it. 

   Raoul will take none of her words, so he goes to prepare his carriage. While he is gone, someone locks Christine's door from the inside, and she sees a masked man in her mirror. The man, who is the Phantom, leads Christine through the mirror, and into the catacombs of the opera house. He takes her across an underground lake to his secret lair, where he professes his love for her. He shows Christine an image of herself as a bride and she faints.

   The next morning, Christine goes to the Phantom and removes his mask. She catches a glimpse of his face, which is deformed. Christine returns his mask, and the Phantom decides to return Christine to the opera house. 

   Meanwhile, the owners/managers are worried that Christine's appearance will cause trouble but realize that it is getting them a lot of attention from the press. They also feel angry over letters from the Opera Ghost, asking for money. Then, Carlotta returns, upset by a letter sent to her saying that if she were to sing instead of Christine, something disastrous would happen. 

   The managers decide to challenge this Ghost, so they put Carlotta in the lead role. After finding Christine, they cast her in a silent role for the opera's next show. 

   During one solo that night, Carlotta's voice cracks. Suddenly, a man is hanged on the stage, causing panic among the audience and the performers. Christine and Raoul retreat to the rooftop, where they speak of their love for each other.

   However, the Phantom overhears their conversation, as he hides behind a statue. The Phantom promises his revenge on Raoul for "stealing" his love. 

   Time passes, and the opera house holds a special gala. All is going marvelous…until the Phantom appears. He presents the opera managers with a play he has written, and demands it to be produced. 

   During the said play, the Phantom abducts Christine and once again takes her to his underground lair. Madame Giry helps Raoul find his way as he attempts to rescue his love.

CONTENT

   There is not a lot of violence, but what graphic content is included earns the PG-13 rating. A man is dropped to the opera stage, hanging. Another man is strangled with a rope. In this same vein, the Phantom threatens some people. A crashing chandelier starts a fire, though it seems that no one is harmed in it. There is a swordfight resulting in some cuts. Also, a man is nearly drowned and is choked (he does not die). The Phantom angrily begins smashing mirrors. In one scene, a young boy with a deformity is a captive circus performer. People mockingly gawk at him, and he attacks his captor (the strangled man). As far as appearances, we see the Phantom maskless, as his scarred and deformed face is bared to the open. A circus performer, presumably, tugs on his eyelids to a gruesome and haunting effect (this lasts for only a few seconds).

   There are a few uses of God's name, as well as a few uses each of h*** and d***.

   Phantom is, primarily, a passionate love story, so some romance is to be expected. There is nothing explicit to worry about, but a lot of song lyrics lightly imply sexual seduction. During a couple of song numbers, the Phantom runs his hands over Christine's body, mainly her torso. In the song Point of No Return, Christine wonders how long she and the Phantom should "wait before [they’re] one," and she allows her dress to slip off of her shoulders. Also, many dresses reveal chests, some to more degree than others. There are a few kisses between the three main characters. As people walk through the opera, there is a scene where a man on a balcony bares his behind, but this is very brief. In short, most of the sexual content is implied.

   For musical fans, The Phantom of the Opera is about as good as you can get. While I prefer the latter Les Miserables, the former has beautiful, moving songs. Some of the more famous are "Angel of Music," "The Phantom of the Opera," "Music of the Night," and "All I Ask of You." These songs expertly articulate the deep feelings of love felt by Christine, the Phantom, and Raoul. There is a reason that the Broadway musical (upon which the movie is based) is one of the highest-grossing plays of all time!

   In addition to the songs, the storyline is very intriguing. At the heart of the story is this: Christine and Raoul love each other, but the Phantom loves Christine. The young woman may not truly love the Phantom, but she admires and pities him. That alone makes for a great story in my book. However, as a fan of the book, I was disappointed with how much was cut from that when they crafted both the play and the movie. 

   The acting was simply marvelous! Gerard Butler shone out as Erik, the Phantom, and the seventeen-year-old Emmy Rossum was surprisingly amazing, both in terms of singing and acting. I can't believe that neither were nominated for an Oscar! The other actors are good, though Patrick Wilson felt a bit lacking to me. 

   For me, this film was a bit of a parable, in a way. Raoul, though flawed, is like a representation of Christ, and the Phantom as Satan. We humans are like Christine, as we waver between goodness and sin. In the end, it is Raoul who rescues Christine from the "Opera Ghost," like how Christ has rescued believers from wickedness. The Phantom is at first referenced as the Angel of Music, but he is certainly more of a demon of darkness. 

   The Phantom of the Opera is a beautiful story, complete with beautiful music and characters. But be forewarned, parents: this is not appropriate for children. Adults can certainly handle it. For teens, however, I would recommend ages fifteen and up, as some lyrics and motions are rather sensual. It all depends on the maturity of the individual, though.

   I sincerely hope you enjoy this musical gem as much as I do!

GENERAL INFORMATION

Length: 143 minutes

Rating: PG-13 (for brief violent images)

Director: Joel Schumacher

Producer: Andrew Lloyd Webber

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber (musical songs/lyrics and score)

Year of release: 2004

Primary audience: Adults (older teens should be able to handle this film)

The Father Who Found His Son: A Movie Review of "Finding Nemo"

Original 2003 poster

2012 3D release poster

If you're a Disney fan, like me, you have probably seen most (if not all!) Disney/Pixar films. Furthermore, if you are a high school Disney fan, like me, you very likely grew up with films such as Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., and Finding Nemo. The last one is the story of a young fish kidnapped by divers and his father's hunt to find him. 

Finding Nemo won the Academy Award for Best Animated Picture (and was nominated for three additional categories). It is also the 27^th highest-grossing film of all time, and the AFI (American Film Institute) named it the 10^th greatest animated film of all time. The movie stars the voices of Alexander Gould as Nemo, a young clownfish, Albert Brooks as his father Marlin, and Ellen DeGeneres as Dory, a forgetful blue tang. 

SUMMARY

   Clownfish Marlin and his wife Coral have a cave-full of eggs, ready to hatch soon. They love their home (on the Great Barrier Reef) and each other, and they are excited about the prospect of being parents. 

   *SPOILER* However, a barracuda attacks their home. Marlin tells Coral the eggs will be fine, and that they need to hide in their anemone. But, sadly, Coral doesn't listen. She swims for her eggs, and the barracuda dashes after her. Marlin tries to save her, but he is knocked unconscious. When he awakens, he is alone. *END SPOILER*

   Marlin looks for his wife and checks the cave of eggs, but he finds the cave empty. As he mourns, he notices something on the sea floor below him. He sees a slightly damaged egg. He picks it up and reassures the tiny fish inside, and he names it Nemo (which was a name Coral wished for one of the baby fish). 

   Time goes by, and Nemo has started to grow up. Although, due to the damage from the barracuda attack, one of his fins is small than the other (that results in some difficulties swimming). Nemo wakes up his dad, announcing that it is time for the first day of school.

   On their way, Marlin demonstrates his "over-protectiveness" (which is understandable if you lost all but one of your eggs in a barracuda attack!). 

   At the school yard, Nemo meets his science teacher, Mr. Ray. Marlin explains Nemo's fin problem and encourages Mr. Ray to give him some time-outs (much to Nemo's chagrin). The class takes off on their field trip. However, the other dads swim up to Marlin and compliment him on his calmness. Marlin says you can't hang on to them forever, but when a dad mentions the "drop-off" (i.e. where the reef meets the open sea), Marlin freaks out and swims after the class.

   During the field trip, Nemo and some other fish sneak away. They see a boat and dare each other to see who can get closest to it. Nemo is not so sure about it, but suddenly Marlin appears and scolds Nemo. Marlin and Mr. Ray discuss the situation, but now embarrassed, Nemo disobeys his father and begins swims to the boat. 

   But his back is turned to a human diver, who scoops Nemo up in a net. While Mr. Ray protects the students, Marlin goes after his son. Another diver temporarily blurs Marlin's vision with an underwater camera. The divers take Nemo above the ocean, into the boat. As they sail away, a diver accidentally knocks his mask into the ocean (this is important later).

   Marlin chases the boat, but he quickly loses it. While crying over the loss of his son, he is approached by a female blue tang. She introduces herself as Dory and tells him that she just saw a boat pass by, leading him in the correct direction. However, Marlin soon discovers Dory has "short term memory loss," so she forgets things almost instantly.

   The two are confronted by "friendly" sharks, but one eventually attacks them. They survive and find the mask the diver knocked off the ship. Fortunately, an address (42 Wallaby Way, Sydney, but it's not a real address...I've checked) is stamped on the strap. 

   While Nemo is taken to a dentist office fish tank, Marlin and Dory survive many dangers while "finding Nemo."

CONTENT

   Finding Nemo doesn't have too much violence, but there are some scenes/characters that could frighten younger children. Some talking fish are shoved around and harmed. One character gets hurt, and we see a little blood floating in the water (this triggers a shark attack, where two fish are almost devoured for lunch). In that scene, some mines explode, but no one is hurt. Marlin and Dory encounter an anglerfish which is probably the most frightening fish in the film. They also are electrocuted by jellyfish and encounter a dark passage full of fish bones. A man hits his head on some dentistry instruments. A little girl violently shakes a bag of water that holds a fish, and the fish goes belly-up (but he's just pretending). Some fish are captured in a fishing net and pulled above water; they breathe heavily and choke because of this. A man screams while a dentist does work in his mouth (if you have children who are fearful of the dentist, this might not do you any favors, as the dentist is the "villain"). 

   The worst of the language is a "darn" and a "gosh," as well as a few uncompleted utterances of "What the...?" 

   As far as anything else offensive, there is a joke made about a pelican passing gas (he doesn't really, it's just assumed). A squid releases an ink cloud when she is scared, saying, "You guys made me ink." Some fish belch a couple times, and there is a scene that briefly includes seagull droppings. Also, Dory says evolution is what made her a fast swimmer. 

   Marlin sacrifices his safety to find and rescue Nemo. This is a great example of a sacrificial father. Christ as our spiritual Father saved His people from sin, just as Marlin saves his son from danger. A sacrificial father character is so hard to find in today's entertainment (let alone even a competent one). In a culture full of father images from The Simpsons, it's encouraging when movies or other forms of media promote fatherhood as a good and noble calling. Finding Nemo does exactly that (though Marlin blames himself for Nemo's disobedience, which is not right). 

   As far as a family film, Finding Nemo is rather clean (it is far cleaner than many of Dreamworks' animated films like Shrek or Madagascar).  Despite some frightening scenes for younger kids, and some "roll of the eye" moments, I loved the movie. Unless your kids can't handle some of the more violent parts (you could always skip those), I highly recommend families to enjoy this great movie!

GENERAL INFORMATION

Length: 100 minutes

Rating: G (PG would have been a more appropriate rating)

Director: Andrew Stanton

Producer: Graham Walters

Music: Thomas Newman

Year of release: 2003
Primary audience: Kids, Family

Great Power, Great Responsibility: A Movie Review of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"

When we last saw Spider-Man, he had just defeated the evil Lizard. However, his girlfriend's police officer father had heroically died in the process. He realized how his heroic deeds, while good, could potentially be harmful to those close to him. With that thought in mind, he promises Captain Stacy that he will "leave [Gwen Stacy, his girlfriend] out of it." That didn't last too long...

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (sequel to 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man) was the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2014. Although it did well money-wise, critics gave it mixed reviews. Basically, it was not the best-loved Marvel super hero film. It stars Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, and Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon/Electro.

SUMMARY

   The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens with a continuation of the mystery of Peter Parker's missing parents. Dr. Richard and Mary Parker leave their only child, Peter, with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. They then board a plane for Switzerland, carrying something about a mysterious "Project Roosevelt," and Dr. Parker begins uploading information on a computer. But he and his wife are attacked by an assassin. After dealing with the killer, Dr. Parker uploads the valuable information but only moments before the airplane crashes into the ocean.

   Back in New York City, years go by, and Peter Parker has become the "amazing" Spider-Man. He helps the police catch a criminal who had stolen a van containing dangerous chemicals (a little trivia: this criminal becomes the villain "Rhino" in the Spider-Man comics). During this encounter, he rescues a clumsy Oscorp employee named Max Dillon. The man becomes a huge fan of the masked hero.

   Later, Peter Parker talks to Gwen Stacy, though it seems he feels guilty, as he made a promise to her father to keep her safe (doing so by staying away from her). The two have their high school graduation. Afterwards, he meets with her and explains that he needs to keep the promise he made to Capt. Stacy. As you can imagine, she is not happy.

   Meanwhile, a childhood friend of Peter's comes home, after being away at school. His name is Harry Osborn, the son of Oscorp's CEO, Norman. Harry and Peter are able to meet with each other, since they haven't seen one another in many years.

   Later, Harry's father gives him an electronic device that contains his entire life’s work. His father dies the next day (of a terrible disease), leaving his son as the new CEO.

   At the Oscorp building, Max Dillon is working on maintenance. However, some workers left a tank full of electric eels wide open. Max falls inside, but instead of being killed, his genetics are changed by the electricity. Cue the villain!

   Max Dillon, now electrically-charged, goes to Times Square. The police seem bent on harming him, viewing him as a threat, but Spider-Man shows up. He tries to calm down Max, but the police have snipers who try to take out Max. The electrified man gets angry and begins causing chaos. Spider-Man is able to calm him down, but he is taken away.

   However, there is not one but two villains in this film. Harry Osborne researches his father's work and, with the help of technology, turns himself into a powerful new foe. 

   Things get harder for Spider-Man when Harry (now the Green Goblin) teams up with Max (now Electro). Things get even harder when the two kidnap Gwen Stacy!

CONTENT

   Throughout the entire film, guns are fired and people are punched, kicked, knocked out, and harmed in all sorts of ways. Buildings are blown to bits, crumbled to ruins, and smashed. Max falls into the water container of electric eels, and his body is burned. His skin crumbles away, revealing a translucent body beneath. This "Electro" could frighten kids. Electro also uses his electricity to harm many people. At the beginning of the film, when Peter's parents are attacked in the airplane, a woman is punched and then shot. A man is strangled with a seat belt, the airplane crashes, and the pilot is shot. Spider-Man is repeatedly beat-up by the villains, though he manages to make it through the film alive. After Electro is taken away by scientists, he is strapped into a machine and tortured. Norman Osborne has a disease that leaves him looking like a Halloween monster. Towards the end of the film, a woman falls from a high ledge, and, while Spider-Man attempts to rescue her, she hits pavement. We hear a crack and see a little blood.

   There are a few kisses between Peter and Gwen. Spider-Man humiliates a criminal by using his webs to pull down his pants, leaving him like that for the cops. In one or two scenes, Gwen wears a short skirt. There are several times Peter is seen shirtless. In one scene, attempting not to let his Aunt May see him in his Spidey costume, Peter tells her he is naked (obviously, we do not see him naked, since he's not). 

   God's name is used a few times in the film. D*** and h*** are uses a couple times each, and there is one use of p***. 

   There is some alcohol use in the film. Harry mentions that he was sent scotch for his birthday, and we see him drinking alcohol. He seems to be drunk. 

   There are some good things to take away from the film. Peter's intentions to keep his vow to Capt. Stacy are honorable. And it seems like he is going to do so, but he does eventually get back together with Gwen. Still, his original intentions of keeping a promise are great (but his breaking of the vow is not so great). 

   Although Peter is a flawed hero, his battle of good versus evil is a wonderful cause. Wickedness will always be in this world, because of sin, and we need to fight it. Jesus Christ gives believers the ability to stand against temptations, just as Spider-Man stands strong against the attacks of Electro and Goblin. 

   As a film, The Amazing Spider-Man was, I think, no better than OK. I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the previous movie. The storyline was mediocre, except for the slow, awkward scenes between Peter and Gwen. I have to admit, there was some good acting, and the special effects were amazing. But because of the violence, language, and some sensual parts (not to mention the flat story), I would only recommend this if you are a Spider-Man fan, wanting to see how the story will continue. As a Marvel fan, I did not feel that this was their best movie, but there are a few parts of it that were enjoyable. 

   (As a side note, Andrew Garfield was recently fired by SONY Pictures, and it was announced that the Spider-Man film series would once again be rebooting, this time with a new actor. So the entire story set up in The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel will not be finished in the now-cancelled third or fourth films.)

CONTENT

Length: 142 minutes

Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of sci-fi action/violence)

Director: Marc Webb

Producers: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinker

Music: Hans Zimmer, The Magnificent Six

Year of release: 2014

General audience: Teens, adults