Another problem is just how quickly the movie takes things for granted. At least I _hope_ some of those lines were dubbed.
The biggest problem I had with it was the hideous line dubbing. Asia Argento as the singer is disappointing compared to some of her other performances - but as one reviewer noted, she always seems to be holding back when working for her father. Andrea di Stefano as his rival Raoul is neither good nor bad, but certainly inexperienced. Julian Sands as the Phantom is flat, not surprising for an actor who fell off the face of the earth ten years ago. I was sighing with relief everytime one of the few actors who managed mediocrity came onscreen. The acting is, for lack of a better word, absolutely terrible. Beyond that, the film more or less falls apart. The commitment to atmosphere is obvious - the costumes _are_ positively marvelous, and the cinematography is also quality. Unfortunately, the potential of these new ideas is never fully explored, rather, they are reintroduced and reintroduced as if to say, "Hey, look what I thought of! Isn't that great?" It seems that Argento got so caught up in the atmosphere and style of the movie that he forgot there was actually a story going on. Some of these elements include - the Phantom having been raised by rats, the Phantom is not (externally) deformed, and therefore, does not wear the mask that is almost mandatory for the part (despite the fact that it appears on the cover - though it does make a haunting appearance in one scene, if you can catch it in the background). The film introduces several new and interesting elements to the Phantom story, which by now has been rehashed ad nauseum. Well, it certainly isn't his best work, to put it mildly. Being a fan of horror films, I was naturally intrigued to see that Italian horror legend Dario Argento had made a version of Phantom of the Opera.
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