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Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) writes, "The screen version reminds us of the intense passion to be found in the stage play but it fails to match it. All of the elements are there—the classic story … the huge chandelier; the disfigured titular character; and, of course, the haunting score by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is just that some secret ingredient that made the live production so emotionally overwhelming is missing."

Daniel Revill (Relevant) is also let down. "Much to my disappointment it was everything that I feared it would be: flat and not very entertaining."

But Harry Forbes (Catholic News Service) calls it "a faithful and eye-filling re-creation of the worldwide stage hit … mostly absorbing, in spite of unremarkable leads and unconvincing lip-syncing that undermine some of the drama. In spite of some longueurs, the film is quite entertaining, and joins the Chaney version as the most faithful onscreen telling of Gaston Leroux's original novel."

And Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin (Cinema in Focus) write, "Though dark in content, this is a classic tale that is powerfully and beautifully presented both visually and musically."

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