DVD extras help resurrect bad film

So far in my life I have seen three versions of "The Phantom of the Opera" and none of them were on the stage. Although I have never experienced Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical spectacle based on Gaston Leroux's novel, I have seen different cinematic interpretations of the same story. There is the old classic of the 1920s featuring the chilling Lon Chaney, a mediocre made-for-TV version with a then very old Burt Lancaster, and finally Italian horror master Dario Argento's gory take on the subject. Now I can say that I've seen the biggest budgeted version of "Phantom" and am rather disappointed with the results.\nThe Webber/Schumacher version starts off at an auction after the opera house has been destroyed by the infamous Phantom (Gerard Butler). The auctioning of a broken chandelier leads directly into a retelling of what occurred in this very location. The opera diva Carlotta (Minnie Driver) is furious over the replacement of the theater's manager and storms away leaving the production without a lead. The new managers decide to give the young Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum) a chance at stardom and the results prove successful. Raoul de Chagny (Patrick Wilson), a childhood sweetheart, happens to catch Christine's debut and soon she is unable to decide who to dedicate her love toward: Raoul or her teacher, the Phantom. From this point on Christine is fought over by the two men who desire to be with her. \nWhile "Phantom" is full of eye candy in the forms of wonderful cinematography, extravagant costumes and the adorable Emmy Rossum, the movie overall seems to lack any form of excitement. The musical score is quite impressive but a fair amount of the vocal performances, especially those of Butler's "Phantom," wind up either boring, annoying or in many cases both. Clocking in at almost two and a half hours, that's a lot to endure if your attention is only kept by all the pretty things onscreen. And hey, it didn't really help much with picking Joel Schumacher as director because if anyone knows about poor filmmaking, he gets a gold star in it. \nThere are two different versions available of "Phantom": the first being a bare bones release with nothing besides the theatrical trailer while the other is a two-disc set full of supplements. The documentary "Behind the Mask" gives you a look at the history behind one of Webber's most successful Broadway musicals. There are three featurettes which cover the pre-production and filming processes and one even deals with the choice of Joel Schumacher as director. You also get a deleted scene titled "No One Would Listen" which is one of the newly-written songs for the film that got left on the cutting room floor. Surprisingly enough, there is no commentary from Webber which I was expecting since he has been trying to make this film for over a decade.\nWebber's "The Phantom of the Opera" film counterpart is probably greatly appreciated by those who've actually seen the theater production of it but for me I was left with a rather dry taste in my mouth. The musical is a genre that Hollywood is trying to revive in this day and age and I find myself much more impressed with the flamboyantly arrogant "Chicago" and humorously entertaining "Moulin Rouge." Phantom's extras make this a good rental, but doesn't merit a purchase.