As a band geek, I have seen the rite of passage that is Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera" multiple times. I love musicals, I love music and I love a good story. Luckily, this musical has it all.
However, even before I watched it, I was used to hearing how people adored the Phantom and constantly shipped him with Christine, the main character. I imagined that he was a nice man who was misunderstood and lonely, but horrifically scarred. Therefore, I imagined that Raoul was a bad guy.
Could I be anymore wrong?
I rented the movie from my public library and watched it for the first time during the summer. I was surprised to find that I did not in any way romanticize the relationship that Christine and the Phantom had. He was erratic and cruel, especially to those who were around Christine. He blackmailed and threatened people, not mention his tangos with actually murdering them because he was angry.
I often asked myself why the character was so romanticized. Was it because the roguish Gerard Butler was portraying the damaged composer? Was it because he was a dark and mysterious figure swathed in black? I even thought that maybe I had the wrong interpretation of the film, but since the first time I watched it, I have yet to change my mind.
This relationship is embodiment of the Evil is Sexy trope, where the Phantom is the evil figure (though I truly do not consider him actually evil). There is nothing romantic about manipulating a young woman, especially one who probably has emotional attachment issues due to the loss of her father and her only family, something that the Phantom knew because he spied on her.
Even more disturbing is the fact that the Phantom uses her belief that he is the angel her father spoke of, the angel that Christine actually thought was her father, to gain her trust. He tries to be a father figure while attempting to become a romantic figure to her as well.
Do not get me wrong, I absolutely love this musical, and I accept my frustrations with this romanticized relationship that is actually dangerous as part of the overall story. He is a genius, but he lacks the socialization to not take it too far where the line between genius and madness blurs.
Loving someone harder doesn't mean that they still have to love you back. No one is required to actually reciprocate affection. The "friend zone" does not exist unless you mean an actual zone where you keep your friends. Christine visibly makes the choice to pursue a relationship with Raoul, and only kisses the Phantom while under duress. Why Phantom and Christine have child in "Love Never Dies" will never make any sense to me, neither will the cruel fate written for Raoul.
I love a good character with a dark past, but I don't love character who keeps doing bad things. The two are not mutually exclusive.
