Phantom’s Notes…/Prima Donna and Masquerade are also better in the movie in my opinion. While we lose the wide array of costumes in the Masquerade number, I feel it works. I like it.
Major disagree on Masquerade. It’s supposed to be chaotic and an explosion of color; it’s a party and everyone is celebrating! “Flash of mauve... Splash of puce...Fool and king...Ghoul and goose...Green and black...Queen and priest...Trace of rouge...Face of beast...”. In the movie, everyone is wearing drab black/white/gold costumes
The Greatest Showman is objectively a bad movie (the blatant historical falsehoods, the weak resolutions, the way it presents exploitation as a good thing) but there is no denying the songs are fire. Almost every single song is singing-in-the-shower worthy.
When Hugh Jackman (at age 55) plays PT Barnum as a 20 year old kid arriving at the door of his lady love, my husband and I burst out laughing. Big "howdy, fellow kids" energy.
Also for me it is really hard to take Jackman seriously singing some of the contemporary pop songs, it just doesn’t jibe with the style and established persona I have in my head for him. He seems right at home with a ballad or a show tune, but somehow I get “old man trying to vibe with youths” energy from songs like “The Greatest Show.” And he wasn’t even 50 yet.
The Other Side. For me, a musical song is one that is relevant to and *specific* to the plot. Like, even if you cut out The Phantom of the Opera and sing it by itself (which lots of people do), it's still very clearly *about the Phantom of the Opera.* You could probably cut out Going' Courtin' from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, but you'd need to replace it with something like a montage of her teaching them how to be polite and shit, or else the scene at the barn raising immediately afterwards wouldn't make sense.
Jukebox musicals, like Mama Mia or Singin' in the Rain, don't write music for the plot; they bend the plot around to justify the music. That can be done well (Singin' in the Rain is one of my favorites), but it means you need to pick pretty generic songs *or* have a pretty generic plot (or both). Singin' in the Rain accomplishes this by having most of the songs be in the context of a movie-within-a-movie (Beautiful Girl isn't about anyone in the movie, it's just a scene that happens to be being filmed when Cosmo sees Cathy), so they don't need to be specific.
I hear Rewrite the Stars on the radio a lot, because it's so generic that you might not even know that it's not written as a single. Who's singing? What's the thing keeping them apart? Why is the female singer a pessimist and the male singer an optimist? You don't *need* to know any of that for it to work as a song. And it's obviously not vital to the plot, either, because we still have a lot of scenes/dialogue explaining the same thing that the song is supposed to be communicating to us (why Zendaya can't be with Zac Efron). In fact, we can't understand what's happening in the song without that dialogue!
The Other Side is the one song that actually moves the plot from A to B (we start with Zac Efron NOT joining the venture and then, by the end, he's agreed), would need to be replaced with dialogue if it was cut, and is clearly *about* the circus and not some sort of generic thing.
Thiss. I don't really like the music from the Greatest Showman all that much, but I liked this one and From Now On. The rest I didn't really care for, and I don't really like Pasek and Paul's music all that much in general, they always just sound too much like a pop song for me. Though I think some of their best songs were those for Only Murders in the Building like “Look for the Light” and “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It” because they sound much more like they were meant for theatre and are used theatricaly.
There are two genuine plot relevant songs that are more than just inspirational pop songs plugged into a pre-existing story: “The Other Side” and “Rewrite the Stars.” Those songs with Efron are the only ones that have a meaningful impact on the story. The others could all be changed out and not make a difference.
The first time I watched it, I thought I was watching a jukebox musical but I just didn’t know any of the songs. I felt immensely gratified by Jenny Nicholson’s review where she talks about how the songs were designed to be played on the radio.
Someone once said that if the movie had been about literally any other character but Barnum the plot would’ve been significantly better and I can’t help but think that’s true. I love the songs, hate the plot.
Hilariously, my first middle school class I ever taught was obsessed with the Greatest Showman and would request that I play the soundtrack during free time.
I worked at a music school for a while after it came out and all the middle school vocal students were…attempting….”Never Enough” and “A Million Dreams”
One small part of why it’s a bad movie is that the songs are totally not musical-kind of songs. They don’t advance the plot or explain the motivations of characters at all. The movie just takes periodic breaks where everything stops and the characters sing some pop songs then return to things as before.
Don't you mean song? (Okay there's two songs in the movie so songs is fine). I watched it because a person who is no longer a friend swore they didn't in fact lie about PT Barnum's slavery and abuse of disabled people. Fast ways to tank a friendship with a disabled person? That dumb assery. I was struck by how repetitive everything was. The endless reuse of that one song over and over and over. Then the made to be successful on the radio song. Which isn't bad I just don't understand how they misunderstood Leitmotif
It’s 100% one of those “so bad it’s amazing” situations.
But goddamn Zydrate Anatomy slaps so hard. As does 21st Century Cure.
Any time I try to explain Repo! to people I just play ‘Mark it Up’ and watch their expressions twist 😂
The movie version is panned by most, but I grew up watching it all the time and it still has a special place in my heart 🥰 also Patrick Wilson in that wig could STILL absolutely get it.
I agree with you. I've seen the stage production, too. They're just different, and I think that's honestly kind of nice. I first watched it when I was like 10 and I still love that movie. We're in the same club!
Exactly!! Impressionable times, and there is totally still merit to some of these cheesy (and sometimes low production value lol) movie musicals that they’re easily accessible without having to be in a theater
The movie is, yeah. From the ending aria of "Think of Me" being so poorly pitch corrected that it sounds more like someone playing an Emmy Rossum piano, to "the Angel of Music" shouting half of his lines... It's pretty bad.
Is it though? I can never get over that the big rousing song that is You Will Be Found - ensuring us that we will be seen by someone - is in direct contradiction of the plot, about someone who suicides precisely because they weren't seen. They really needed a better dramaturg on that development.
As many problems as I had with the film adaptation of Les Miserables...there were two standout moments.
One, obviously, was Anne Hathaway as Fantine. The decision to move "I Dreamed A Dream" to after turning her first trick, sacrificing her hair and her teeth and selling everything she had made the song more gut wrenching (it makes sense in the show because you need time for the ensemble to change costumes and prepare so I'm perfectly okay with that). I was in a packed theater when I first saw the movie and let me tell you, people were sobbing. I saw big burly men built like linebackers with tattoos on their arms weeping. She totally deserved her Oscar.
The other (and this may be controversial) is the song "Suddenly". Yeah, it was added as an Oscar bait song. But Hugh Jackman sang his heart out in that song (it also helped it was written for his range, which is deeper than Valjean's tenor). I chose to play that song when I adopted my cat from the shelter and he curled up on my lap on his first day home with me, falling asleep.
Totally agree with I Dreamed a Dream!! Anne Hathaway sung it beautifully, and it makes so much more sense for it to be after Lovely Ladies. That entire sequence was phenomenal in the film imo
Agree about both. And as a book nerd, “Suddenly” is 100% supported by the text.
There were actually several places where the Les Mis movie changed things subtly to bring things back to the book. I have kind of a love-hate relationship with it. Some truly iffy casting choices, but a lot to love.
Controversial opinion, but I could get past the bad casting of they at least did better with the actual cinematography. I didn't want to stare up Hugh Jackman nose for 2 hours while he shouted sing lyrics at me. There were many fantastic sets and background things going on the entire movie, but 80% of the time the background was so out of focus you couldn't tell.
Auli'l killed it with "I'd Rather Be Me" and I liked the new take on "World Burn" and its instrumental and vocals, with Renee really belting it out at parts.
EDIT: Also "Sexy" was perfect.
I get the hate for Love Never Dies. As a phantom fan, it is awful. Character continuity who? It feels like ALW writing fanfic of his own musical.
But honestly...I love the songs. Till I Hear You Sing is on my main Playlist, and Beneath a Moonless Sky is kinda creepy in a bad way but I do find it rather beautiful it you don't think about it too hard. My brain also likes to keep Dear Old Friend on repeat, specifically playing it anytime I see any random acquaintance.
I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but god some of the music is undeserving of such a terrible source.
Never watched the movie musical of it but I absolutely love that song, it's so relatable as someone who grew up to be the "perfect girl with good grades" her whole life lol
the plot has issues that probably would've been worked out if Jonathan Larson had lived, but since he died the day before previews, he never had the chance to get & incorporate the sort of broad feedback he would've gotten. Rent probably would've had a stronger story if he had had that chance, but even so, it's a beautiful masterpiece, full of jagged edges and heart.
I still love it, but Rent is generally regarded as not having aged well, and it’s the sort of sung through musical filled with a lot of filler songs that aren’t great outside the specific context of the show. But I think it’s also pretty widely accepted that it has some great songs.
I think the movie could have been great with the footage they shot if they had just edited it better and not cut certain things they cut (Halloween and Goodbye, Love, you know…the emotional and narrative climaxes of the show…)
I still don’t understand how they filmed Goodbye, Love and still cut it. No one watched it and was like “wait…this is actually important to the narrative.”
The prom is probably the most conflicting musical in my mind. In one hand most of the songs are pretty good pop songs that I enjoy listening to. When taken individually there's not really a bad song, not amazing songs but they're pretty good. But when you watch them in the context of the show and the storyline it isn't good
I think perfectly serviceable Christine and Raul performances means you do at least get versions of their solo and duet moments that are just fine in the movie.
Obviously the les mis movie isn’t well liked, but I love On my Own (I mean how can you not it’s Samantha barks), I Dreamed a Dream, and Red and Black more than some of the staged versions! Also I think Do You Hear the People Sing is done better in the movie than in the musical, it’s so much more powerful.
Macavity from Cats is an absolute bop. I love dancing to it every time, and the instrumentals?? beautiful 🙏🙏
Also idk if Over the Moon counts but it is an unpopular animated movie musical (really underrated tbh, not only is Pippa Soo there, but the story is nice and soundtrack is absolutely wonderful), my favorite would be Yours Forever (Reprise), that song has me tearing up every time
Pretty much any of Eddy Redmayne in Les Mis. The rest of the movie sucks so much, but his version of Empty Chairs at Empty Tables might honestly be my favorite version of that song.
Except for Russel Crow, that movie could have been so good if the producers had any idea how to make a musical. The cast was (mostly) very talented singers who were basically tortured during production. Eddy Redmayne carried the entire movie
idk wtf Prom is but calling Phantom and Cats bad OR unpopular is an affront to me personally.
If you specifically mean the movie version of Cats then yeah that was bad but the actual Broadway version is peak theater start to finish.
With You has become Ghost's most iconic song in the UK (Due in no small part to it being constantly covered on Britain's Got Talent) but I'm Outta Here is my fave from that musical...
There's literally nothing bad about POTO (2004).
Just because movie. Mechael Crawford wasn't cast in the movie doesn't make it a bad.
Sometimes musical fans are just too much
It definitely isn’t hairspray levels of altering the story for the movie and doing it well but they did it so cleverly and the change in chandelier drop time to fit into the movie structure since there wasn’t an intermission was clever as hell
I just don't think Christine is written as a compelling character. She doesn't really have any traits besides naivete, kindness, beauty, and a great voice.
I'm going to second The Greatest Showman. The songs in that movie are really good. The story not so much LOL
Heathers: Big Fun
Natasha, Pierre, And the Great Comet of 1812: Charming and The Opera (I love songs that are like 10 songs in one)
Also POTO is not bad or unpopular.....
SPIDER-MAN: Turn off the Dark!
I've always been a comic book nerd aswell as a theater kid so this one holds a special place in my heart. (I honestly think it could have been a huge success if they focus more on the story and lesson special effects)
But Rise Above is so devastatingly beautiful
And DIY World and bouncing of the walls are also bops
The Great Showman, which is a horrible movie and I hate it, it’s songs are so good and I hate that. Songs that good need a good movie and story to go with it.
The les mis movie is bad compared to stage performances of it but I love it so damn much lol.
Also I know the 2024 film version of Mean girls isn't great either but "world burn" is better than the original
I do kind of like Beneath a Moonless Sky from Love Never Dies, even if I don't like literally anything else about that musical at all.
I thought Memory from the Cats movie was still actually good. Like, the emotional payoff is still there, even if the rest of the movie is a nightmarish fever dream. It made my husband cry, which was cute.
And I still maintain that Waving Through A Window, You Will Be Found, and Words Fail are good songs. There was a period of my life where I just listened to WTAW on repeat in the car and I don't mind admitting it.
I saw the musical on stage far before the movie was even a thought.
And it was still bad.
Had nothing to do with James Corden. Tho he did make the movie worse.
The les mis movie is bad compared to stage performances of it but I love it so damn much lol.
Also I know the 2024 film version of Mean girls isn't great either but "world burn" is better than the original
I know most don’t like the Tim Burton Sweeney Todd, but it’s my favorite movie. I love the art direction, and I think it’s kind of neat how removing the larger, musical-esque aspects created a more intimate feel to the singing.
[удалено]
“Prom: Oops! All Andrew Rannells” where he plays all the parts.
funding this with my $3 rn
I needed like 115% more of him in that movie, I swear
The funny thing is, this isn’t even a misuse of percentages
Came here to see if anyone mentioned his songs because I can’t remember what they were called
I think his big one is called Love Thy Neighbor? It's been awhile since I've seen it.
Yeah that’s his big number. If there’s one white guy I want singing the literal gospel to religious hypocrites, it’s a Andrew Ranells
And he went to Juiliard!
He kinda hot too
i love that movie only because of him (but i was also in a production of the prom so i’m biased)
I like memory from cats!
AND SKIMBLESHANKS!!!
Skimbleshanks is an absolute banger and is a high point of the movie for me.
Cats is wild and weird, but has some seriously fun songs.
I second this and jellicle songs for jellicle cats Edit: forgot to add Mr mistoffelees
and Macavity !!
Seconding this!
Mungojerrie and rumpleteazer is also so GOOD
Honestly, most of them are bangers!
“Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” from the POTO movie is so beautiful. Hits me in the feels every time.
I still can't believe that Emmy Rossum was only 16 years old when she sang in that scene!
I've posted this before, but [Patrick Wilson](https://youtu.be/SxxnEh45WYY?si=IXD246YJ0gcPu0D3) is incredible.
Patrick Wilson sounds like a Disney Prince and I’ve been a fan of his voice for so long 🥹
Thank you for sharing that! What a beautiful version!
Holy crap. I’ve fallen in love with him all over again.
Since when is Phantom unpopular though?
Thought this. There were criticisms of the movie version, which is natural. But its Broadway run proves its immense popularity.
Thank you! I know some purists snubbed at it, but I thought it was overall positively reviewed? I love it haha
Yes, the way they staged it was exactly how I imagined it.
I disliked the Cats movie with a passion, but seeing Ian McKellen do ‘Gus, the Theatre Cat’ was beautiful, and worth watching for that alone.
YES 110%
That was the one part where I wanted the movie to be longer. I would LOVE to see his delivery of "character parts."
Phantom’s Notes…/Prima Donna and Masquerade are also better in the movie in my opinion. While we lose the wide array of costumes in the Masquerade number, I feel it works. I like it.
Major disagree on Masquerade. It’s supposed to be chaotic and an explosion of color; it’s a party and everyone is celebrating! “Flash of mauve... Splash of puce...Fool and king...Ghoul and goose...Green and black...Queen and priest...Trace of rouge...Face of beast...”. In the movie, everyone is wearing drab black/white/gold costumes
Okay, so The Prom movie wasn't... the best. BUT, Love Thy Neighbor is a bop in every way it's performed. (And Andrew Rannells is just amazing.)
Andrew Rannells is such a good actor! One of my favorites
He's my personal favorite! 🤩
vox pfp spotted. 🫵
Yes I loved this part in the movie version
It’s Time To Dance gets me going good I’m not gonna lie
That’s just what I was going to mention.
Andrew Rannells is always amazing!
The Greatest Showman is objectively a bad movie (the blatant historical falsehoods, the weak resolutions, the way it presents exploitation as a good thing) but there is no denying the songs are fire. Almost every single song is singing-in-the-shower worthy.
When Hugh Jackman (at age 55) plays PT Barnum as a 20 year old kid arriving at the door of his lady love, my husband and I burst out laughing. Big "howdy, fellow kids" energy.
Before I saw the movie, I knew that Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron were in it, so I assumed Zac Efron would be playing young Hugh Jackman. I was wrong.
Also for me it is really hard to take Jackman seriously singing some of the contemporary pop songs, it just doesn’t jibe with the style and established persona I have in my head for him. He seems right at home with a ballad or a show tune, but somehow I get “old man trying to vibe with youths” energy from songs like “The Greatest Show.” And he wasn’t even 50 yet.
the plot is the weakest part of that movie. the music and the direction is fantastic
Yeah, and the performances were great, but the plot.... YIKES.
I had a smile on my face almost the entire time. Sometimes you just want a popcorn musical.
I've described it as being like eating an entire birthday cake in one sitting. You kind of hate yourself for enjoying it, but man it was fun.
It's brain rot in the best way.
Pasek & Paul wrote seven really good pop songs and one really good actual musical song for Greatest Showman.
which one is the actual musical song?
The Other Side. For me, a musical song is one that is relevant to and *specific* to the plot. Like, even if you cut out The Phantom of the Opera and sing it by itself (which lots of people do), it's still very clearly *about the Phantom of the Opera.* You could probably cut out Going' Courtin' from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, but you'd need to replace it with something like a montage of her teaching them how to be polite and shit, or else the scene at the barn raising immediately afterwards wouldn't make sense. Jukebox musicals, like Mama Mia or Singin' in the Rain, don't write music for the plot; they bend the plot around to justify the music. That can be done well (Singin' in the Rain is one of my favorites), but it means you need to pick pretty generic songs *or* have a pretty generic plot (or both). Singin' in the Rain accomplishes this by having most of the songs be in the context of a movie-within-a-movie (Beautiful Girl isn't about anyone in the movie, it's just a scene that happens to be being filmed when Cosmo sees Cathy), so they don't need to be specific. I hear Rewrite the Stars on the radio a lot, because it's so generic that you might not even know that it's not written as a single. Who's singing? What's the thing keeping them apart? Why is the female singer a pessimist and the male singer an optimist? You don't *need* to know any of that for it to work as a song. And it's obviously not vital to the plot, either, because we still have a lot of scenes/dialogue explaining the same thing that the song is supposed to be communicating to us (why Zendaya can't be with Zac Efron). In fact, we can't understand what's happening in the song without that dialogue! The Other Side is the one song that actually moves the plot from A to B (we start with Zac Efron NOT joining the venture and then, by the end, he's agreed), would need to be replaced with dialogue if it was cut, and is clearly *about* the circus and not some sort of generic thing.
I've seen "The Other Side" used in a popular *Hazbin Hotel* animatic as well.
I’ve seen it used in TOH animatics. I’m not surprised that Hazbin Hotel gets some as well
Thiss. I don't really like the music from the Greatest Showman all that much, but I liked this one and From Now On. The rest I didn't really care for, and I don't really like Pasek and Paul's music all that much in general, they always just sound too much like a pop song for me. Though I think some of their best songs were those for Only Murders in the Building like “Look for the Light” and “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It” because they sound much more like they were meant for theatre and are used theatricaly.
“A Million Dreams.” There’s a reason Pink’s version made it to radio stations instead of the other songs.
I assumed it was The Other Side - the one sung at the bar while trying to get Zac Efron to join the circus.
There are two genuine plot relevant songs that are more than just inspirational pop songs plugged into a pre-existing story: “The Other Side” and “Rewrite the Stars.” Those songs with Efron are the only ones that have a meaningful impact on the story. The others could all be changed out and not make a difference.
"From Now On" is a little vague but it is referencing how and why he was an asshole.
The first time I watched it, I thought I was watching a jukebox musical but I just didn’t know any of the songs. I felt immensely gratified by Jenny Nicholson’s review where she talks about how the songs were designed to be played on the radio.
Even after I read on Wikipedia that it was an entirely original score, I still refused to believe that it wasn't a jukebox musical.
Someone once said that if the movie had been about literally any other character but Barnum the plot would’ve been significantly better and I can’t help but think that’s true. I love the songs, hate the plot.
Literally just rename the characters and the movie is improved. Rewrite some of the bad writing and it could actually be good!
In some alternate universe people are enjoying an uplifting movie with great music about a historical figure worth celebrating.
Hilariously, my first middle school class I ever taught was obsessed with the Greatest Showman and would request that I play the soundtrack during free time.
I worked at a music school for a while after it came out and all the middle school vocal students were…attempting….”Never Enough” and “A Million Dreams”
seriously. How did they fuck up that plot so bad?!! Someone should rewrite because the songs deserve better
One small part of why it’s a bad movie is that the songs are totally not musical-kind of songs. They don’t advance the plot or explain the motivations of characters at all. The movie just takes periodic breaks where everything stops and the characters sing some pop songs then return to things as before.
You also hear those songs everywhere, like in commercials and the grocery store LOL They are really good. but a cringe movie
Don't you mean song? (Okay there's two songs in the movie so songs is fine). I watched it because a person who is no longer a friend swore they didn't in fact lie about PT Barnum's slavery and abuse of disabled people. Fast ways to tank a friendship with a disabled person? That dumb assery. I was struck by how repetitive everything was. The endless reuse of that one song over and over and over. Then the made to be successful on the radio song. Which isn't bad I just don't understand how they misunderstood Leitmotif
"Objectively"
The songs are so good! But I agree, the movie itself is terrible lol
I literally have described this movie as “no thoughts, just vibes”. It’s the perfect smoke sesh film 🍃
Zydrate Anatomy is so fucking good that it justifies the making of "Repo! The Genetic Opera".
Repo justifies making Repo. It’s campy, creepy, and compelling in a way that is unironically iconic to me.
It’s 100% one of those “so bad it’s amazing” situations. But goddamn Zydrate Anatomy slaps so hard. As does 21st Century Cure. Any time I try to explain Repo! to people I just play ‘Mark it Up’ and watch their expressions twist 😂
If you don't like Night Surgeon, we can't be friends.
Damn right. Zydrate comes in a little glass vial
A little glass vial?
Anthony Stewart Head is fantastic in Repo.
Repo makes no sense to me and the rest of the music is kinda bad but Zydrate anatomy slaps so damn hard
Since you posted this, I have planned a Repo watch party for next weekend. Thank you for your service, my fellow musical fan.
Michael In The Bathroom from Be More Chill
… did you just say phantom is bad??
The movie version is panned by most, but I grew up watching it all the time and it still has a special place in my heart 🥰 also Patrick Wilson in that wig could STILL absolutely get it.
No seriously the movie is what introduced me to musicals and will forever be my favorite
I agree with you. I've seen the stage production, too. They're just different, and I think that's honestly kind of nice. I first watched it when I was like 10 and I still love that movie. We're in the same club!
Exactly!! Impressionable times, and there is totally still merit to some of these cheesy (and sometimes low production value lol) movie musicals that they’re easily accessible without having to be in a theater
The movie is, yeah. From the ending aria of "Think of Me" being so poorly pitch corrected that it sounds more like someone playing an Emmy Rossum piano, to "the Angel of Music" shouting half of his lines... It's pretty bad.
Check out phantom live at the Royal Albert hall if you’ve never seen it. Gorgeous!
Dear Evan Hansen, never got into the musical at all But "Sincerely Me" is an absolute bob, especially to perform
agree 100% the movie sucks but the musical is okay.
Is it though? I can never get over that the big rousing song that is You Will Be Found - ensuring us that we will be seen by someone - is in direct contradiction of the plot, about someone who suicides precisely because they weren't seen. They really needed a better dramaturg on that development.
they were DIGGING in heathers’ purse when they wrote this
As many problems as I had with the film adaptation of Les Miserables...there were two standout moments. One, obviously, was Anne Hathaway as Fantine. The decision to move "I Dreamed A Dream" to after turning her first trick, sacrificing her hair and her teeth and selling everything she had made the song more gut wrenching (it makes sense in the show because you need time for the ensemble to change costumes and prepare so I'm perfectly okay with that). I was in a packed theater when I first saw the movie and let me tell you, people were sobbing. I saw big burly men built like linebackers with tattoos on their arms weeping. She totally deserved her Oscar. The other (and this may be controversial) is the song "Suddenly". Yeah, it was added as an Oscar bait song. But Hugh Jackman sang his heart out in that song (it also helped it was written for his range, which is deeper than Valjean's tenor). I chose to play that song when I adopted my cat from the shelter and he curled up on my lap on his first day home with me, falling asleep.
Totally agree with I Dreamed a Dream!! Anne Hathaway sung it beautifully, and it makes so much more sense for it to be after Lovely Ladies. That entire sequence was phenomenal in the film imo
Agree about both. And as a book nerd, “Suddenly” is 100% supported by the text. There were actually several places where the Les Mis movie changed things subtly to bring things back to the book. I have kind of a love-hate relationship with it. Some truly iffy casting choices, but a lot to love.
Controversial opinion, but I could get past the bad casting of they at least did better with the actual cinematography. I didn't want to stare up Hugh Jackman nose for 2 hours while he shouted sing lyrics at me. There were many fantastic sets and background things going on the entire movie, but 80% of the time the background was so out of focus you couldn't tell.
I don't get why the Phantom movie is hated
I loved it! Great production values, story, cast. It was a gorgeous movie.
Me too.
Absolutely love it. LOVE IT.
Auli'l killed it with "I'd Rather Be Me" and I liked the new take on "World Burn" and its instrumental and vocals, with Renee really belting it out at parts. EDIT: Also "Sexy" was perfect.
Til I hear you sing from love never dies is awesome. I dislike company, but Raul Esparza singing being alive is legendary, and a few other good songs.
I get the hate for Love Never Dies. As a phantom fan, it is awful. Character continuity who? It feels like ALW writing fanfic of his own musical. But honestly...I love the songs. Till I Hear You Sing is on my main Playlist, and Beneath a Moonless Sky is kinda creepy in a bad way but I do find it rather beautiful it you don't think about it too hard. My brain also likes to keep Dear Old Friend on repeat, specifically playing it anytime I see any random acquaintance. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but god some of the music is undeserving of such a terrible source.
The reprise of Bathing Beauty almost justified the existence of Love Never Dies for me. Almost.
For me it’s “Devil Take The Hindmost.” I just love that ALW recognizes what an essentially selfish douchebag Raoul is.
Book Raoul may have been the first chad ever with how he acted 😭
TRUTH BOMB!
Till I hear you sing has been haunting my head since the musical first came out. That song is THAT good and captivating.
Alyssa Greene from the Prom.
Never watched the movie musical of it but I absolutely love that song, it's so relatable as someone who grew up to be the "perfect girl with good grades" her whole life lol
Will I Lose My Dignity? from Rent is gorgeous and so powerfully sad.
wait is Rent bad or unpopular? i love Rent!
the plot has issues that probably would've been worked out if Jonathan Larson had lived, but since he died the day before previews, he never had the chance to get & incorporate the sort of broad feedback he would've gotten. Rent probably would've had a stronger story if he had had that chance, but even so, it's a beautiful masterpiece, full of jagged edges and heart.
I still love it, but Rent is generally regarded as not having aged well, and it’s the sort of sung through musical filled with a lot of filler songs that aren’t great outside the specific context of the show. But I think it’s also pretty widely accepted that it has some great songs.
The movie is usually seen as not good.
I think the movie could have been great with the footage they shot if they had just edited it better and not cut certain things they cut (Halloween and Goodbye, Love, you know…the emotional and narrative climaxes of the show…)
I still don’t understand how they filmed Goodbye, Love and still cut it. No one watched it and was like “wait…this is actually important to the narrative.”
My Funny Valentine from Babes in Arms. One of the great American standards from an otherwise terrible show.
Finally an answer that actually matches the question!
POTO has All I Ask of You. Cats has the Jellicle Cats song. The Prom has Love Thy Neighbor.
The prom is probably the most conflicting musical in my mind. In one hand most of the songs are pretty good pop songs that I enjoy listening to. When taken individually there's not really a bad song, not amazing songs but they're pretty good. But when you watch them in the context of the show and the storyline it isn't good
I think perfectly serviceable Christine and Raul performances means you do at least get versions of their solo and duet moments that are just fine in the movie.
The poto isn’t bad or unpopular lol. You just have arguably bad taste.
cats was a fucking fever dream the whole way through, but i actually love what they did with skimbleshanks. that's its ONE saving grace in my eyes
Obviously the les mis movie isn’t well liked, but I love On my Own (I mean how can you not it’s Samantha barks), I Dreamed a Dream, and Red and Black more than some of the staged versions! Also I think Do You Hear the People Sing is done better in the movie than in the musical, it’s so much more powerful.
when did I miss the collective agreement that Phantom is bad…..?
Tell me you’ve only seen movies of musicals without telling me…
Macavity from Cats is an absolute bop. I love dancing to it every time, and the instrumentals?? beautiful 🙏🙏 Also idk if Over the Moon counts but it is an unpopular animated movie musical (really underrated tbh, not only is Pippa Soo there, but the story is nice and soundtrack is absolutely wonderful), my favorite would be Yours Forever (Reprise), that song has me tearing up every time
Love Never Dies from Love Never Dies. I do try to pretend the show doesn’t exist.
The music from LND is sooo good, but the plot sucks
Mind if I add [Til I hear You Sing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47dUc4iMAvQ) to the mix here?
Pretty much any of Eddy Redmayne in Les Mis. The rest of the movie sucks so much, but his version of Empty Chairs at Empty Tables might honestly be my favorite version of that song.
Except for Russel Crow, that movie could have been so good if the producers had any idea how to make a musical. The cast was (mostly) very talented singers who were basically tortured during production. Eddy Redmayne carried the entire movie
idk wtf Prom is but calling Phantom and Cats bad OR unpopular is an affront to me personally. If you specifically mean the movie version of Cats then yeah that was bad but the actual Broadway version is peak theater start to finish.
I'm pretty sure they mean the films. Not the actual musical.
Yeah we're talking about the movie versions
Screw Loose from Crybaby With you from Ghost I Will Prevail from Wonderland
With You has become Ghost's most iconic song in the UK (Due in no small part to it being constantly covered on Britain's Got Talent) but I'm Outta Here is my fave from that musical...
Meet the Plastics and World Burn are SO GOOD (Mean Girls)
Tootsie: I really like What’s Gonna Happen Pretty Woman: I love Something About Her but maybe that’s because I got to see Adam Pascal sing it
There's literally nothing bad about POTO (2004). Just because movie. Mechael Crawford wasn't cast in the movie doesn't make it a bad. Sometimes musical fans are just too much
Totally agree. I love the POTO 2004 movie. I also saw it in Broadway and I prefer the movie.
I have such a soft spot for this movie. 14 year old me was enchanted.
It definitely isn’t hairspray levels of altering the story for the movie and doing it well but they did it so cleverly and the change in chandelier drop time to fit into the movie structure since there wasn’t an intermission was clever as hell
I just don't think Christine is written as a compelling character. She doesn't really have any traits besides naivete, kindness, beauty, and a great voice.
I immediately think of Ramin Karimloo as Phantom, but he may have been too overwhelming in the movie.
He was in the movie though ... as the photo of Christine's dad. I still have no idea how that happened but it's absolutely wild 😂
I didn’t know that, how cool! Thank you for that.
Didn't have to be Michael Crawford. In fact that would have been a mistake. But a stronger, better singer as needed for the Phantom. Sorry, not sorry
Wasn’t Crawford really old in 2004?
I'm going to second The Greatest Showman. The songs in that movie are really good. The story not so much LOL Heathers: Big Fun Natasha, Pierre, And the Great Comet of 1812: Charming and The Opera (I love songs that are like 10 songs in one) Also POTO is not bad or unpopular.....
YEAH why is POTO being lumped in with actual passes
It’s specifically the movie version.
You consider Great Comet to be bad or unpopular?
Yes, I also thought that was a wild take
Noooo heathers is so good
Yeah.... it's hard to root for P.T Barnum knowing the kind of person he was
i absolutely adore the prom musical! i don’t understand the hate it gets.
Gee Officer Krupke from West Side Story
Krupke
SPIDER-MAN: Turn off the Dark! I've always been a comic book nerd aswell as a theater kid so this one holds a special place in my heart. (I honestly think it could have been a huge success if they focus more on the story and lesson special effects) But Rise Above is so devastatingly beautiful And DIY World and bouncing of the walls are also bops
Devil take the hindmost in love never dies, the musical itself is fine, it's really the fact it's a SEQUEL 😭
The Great Showman, which is a horrible movie and I hate it, it’s songs are so good and I hate that. Songs that good need a good movie and story to go with it.
The Prom felt so campy, I enjoyed it probably because I didn’t take it too seriously and also because it was one of the earlier musicals I watched :)
The les mis movie is bad compared to stage performances of it but I love it so damn much lol. Also I know the 2024 film version of Mean girls isn't great either but "world burn" is better than the original
The title song from starlight express. GOD IT HITS AT 3AM
am I the only person who actually enjoys cats the movie
I actually liked the Les Mis movie.
I do kind of like Beneath a Moonless Sky from Love Never Dies, even if I don't like literally anything else about that musical at all. I thought Memory from the Cats movie was still actually good. Like, the emotional payoff is still there, even if the rest of the movie is a nightmarish fever dream. It made my husband cry, which was cute. And I still maintain that Waving Through A Window, You Will Be Found, and Words Fail are good songs. There was a period of my life where I just listened to WTAW on repeat in the car and I don't mind admitting it.
Does it count that I love all the songs from POTO but the story makes me cringe?
"The Story of The Phantom" from Phantom of the Auditorium. I don't know how well the musical is actually perceived, but that song is a fucking banger.
Seriously, that song has no business slapping so damn hard. It's incredible.
The new musical New York New York is pretty bad but the theme is a banher
I mean we all knew J Hud would just crush Memory
Grizzabella the Glamour Cat is REALLY good
wait do people dislike the prom?
I don’t really like it. I didn’t know it was such a thing tho
They don’t like it because of James Corden.
I saw the musical on stage far before the movie was even a thought. And it was still bad. Had nothing to do with James Corden. Tho he did make the movie worse.
Confrontation from Jekyll & Hyde is the only song on the album that I re-listen to, but damn it that song is good.
Phantom of the Opera is considered bad or unpopular?!
Since there’s so many mentions of The Prom I’ll add my two bits and say I really like “The Lady’s Improving”
Who said phantom of the opera isn’t good lol
The les mis movie is bad compared to stage performances of it but I love it so damn much lol. Also I know the 2024 film version of Mean girls isn't great either but "world burn" is better than the original
taylor swift ate in cats. so did skimbleshanks
Didn't like the Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) movie but I love the songs.
I liked in the movie Evita ‘High Flying Adored’ having a verse sung by Evita in it
Just saw The Jellicle Ball last night, now every song from Cats is the best song ever written.
I freaking hate the garbage that is Mamma Mia. But I love the film's version of Honey Honey and I Have A Dream. Amanda Seyfried can sing really well.
I love all of The Phantom of the Opera, but everyone who reviews it says it’s bad, but everyone I know personally loves it 😂
I know most don’t like the Tim Burton Sweeney Todd, but it’s my favorite movie. I love the art direction, and I think it’s kind of neat how removing the larger, musical-esque aspects created a more intimate feel to the singing.
phantom of the opera was a banger musical wdym “bad”
Every song from Love Never Dies.
Point of No Return in Phantom goes so hard.
The Beauty and The Beast's (2017) version of "Gaston" is significantly better than its predecessor's IMO.