DVD Love Never Dies
Run time: 121 min
Rating: 7.2
Genres: Drama | Music | Musical
Director: Brett Sullivan, Simon Phillips
Writers: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Ben Elton
Stars: Ben Lewis, Anna O’Byrne, María Mercedes
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Storyline Having relocated to a vivacious amusement resort in Coney Island, The Phantom of the Paris Opera House uses a pseudonym to invite renowned soprano Christine Daaé to perform. She and her husband Raoul have no idea what lies in store. Written by Anonymous |
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Details: Country: UK Release Date: 11 April 2012 (Canada) |
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4 comments
My summary title alone should say it all. As a Phantom fan, I was actually looking forward to viewing this. Well, my very first thought upon exiting the theater was, "That was 2 plus hours of my life that I will never get back." Andrew Lloyd Webber must have temporarily gone insane to have even thought that this drivel was on the same level as The Phantom. It is nothing more than a stupid, insipid soap opera that gets more grotesque and harebrained by the second.
I felt absolutely no connection to Ben Lewis and his dry one dimensional performance, and I couldn't wait for him to exit the screen; and to even think that Ben Lewis "does the great Michael Crawford homage with his strong, clear voice." is an insult to Michael Crawford. Love Never Dies? This should have never been born.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies will not disappoint the Phantom faithful. The film version is an unfortunate necessity, as the live musical will not be played in the USA with its original cast. My only complaint with the filming of the musical is that instead of a broader, panned out view, the shots are very zoomed, leaving out other happenings on stage and exposing actors' microphones and hair pieces. Ben Lewis does the great Michael Crawford homage with his strong, clear voice. ALW triumphs with beautiful recurring themes and an exciting rock sound for songs like 'Beneath a Moonless Sky' and 'The Beauty Underneath', delighting Phans with the occasional riff from the original. Finally, the last half hour is consistently unpredictable, edge-of-your-seat exciting. Love Never Dies is sufficiently unique, yet powerful and unique to hold a flame to its precursor and stand alone as another spell- binding ALW show.
Beyond the spectacular singing, beautiful costumes, and amazing set design, Love Never Dies was a great disappointment. The story is simply not good: plot holes, out-of-character actions, and an absurd ending. I found it difficult to sympathize or identify with the characters. The plot also lacks narrative cohesion, almost as if the entire story is a weak collection of character vignettes. The conflicts of the plot are too dispersed to create a strong narrative. The lyrics also leave something to be desired. The whole thing came off as a musical version of a mediocre fan fiction. This was a very poor follow-up to the incomparable Phantom of the Opera.
I was cautious to watch this sequel to "The Phantom of the Opera" because of how much I loved the original. I was shocked by how much I enjoyed it. The cast is great and really embrace their characters and their character's way of thinking, feeling, and position. The music is fabulous and the main reason I enjoy it. "Till I hear you Sing" is by far my favorite. Although I like Ramin Karimloo's voice as the phantom better. But take what you can get right? Just watch it with an open mind and you will enjoy it. Don't look for continuity issues with the first. All in all it was well put together somethings I would change just because I like happy endings in everything. Be prepared you will in fact cry if you are a cry baby like me. Be prepared to hear music that will blow you away. And be prepared to be opened up to a whole new area and the world of The Phantom of the Opera.