PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1998)
Starring Asia Argento and Julian Sands
A real disappointment.
The idea of Argento crafting yet another film based on the classic horror novel "Phantom of the Opera" as a moderately budgeted period horror flick sounded like a nice idea. The last time someone remade the story was with a film starring Robert Englund, which I haven't yet had the pleasure (or perhaps misfortune) of seeing.
Unfortunately, his retelling of the tale is about as dull as an A&E TV movie. Aside from a few gore scenes and a high sex quotient, the slickly produced movie doesn't have much in it worth watching, other than gorgeous Asia Argento, who plays an understudy at an opera who naturally takes on the lead role of an upcoming show. Asia really reminds me of Barbara Steele, creepy yet beautiful.
The so-called "phantom," played with little or no enthusiasm by Sands, is a long-haired sex machine who was raised by rats after being abandoned as a baby. He now kills random people who stumble into his lair under the Paris Opera.
Set (I think) in the early 1900s, the movie has a mildly interesting atmosphere, better than, say, a "Leprechaun." But the score by the great Ennio Morricone leaves much to be desired. And the film doesn't even feel like an Argento film. It has positively no bite. Anyone could have directed it.
This is actually much worse than Argento's "Stendhal Syndrome," which itself had plenty of problems. But I would recommend that movie years before I recommended this one. Maybe Argento has finally lost his touch. Of all his films, this is surely his worst.
Pass.