ANGEL'S MASK reminded me a lot of some 90s bodice-ripper authors I have enjoyed, that kept some of the edge from their racy 70s counterparts but veiled the dangerous men in some trappings of morality, however tenuous. Erik never abuses Christine but he does deceive her, and I felt like the tension of that deceit really hung over the two of them until the story's climax. It also adds a lot of angst and tension to the smut because Christine thinks she's fucking an angel-- we, however, know better. Dramatic irony at its finest. Perfect for a stage musical.
It was a lot of fun to get to see Erik being horny on main. I'm going to be honest, one of my favorite Phantom adaptations is the Dario Argento version. ANGEL'S MASK had just the tiniest bit of that film's extraness, but just enough to add spice. This Erik is way too classy for a rat orgy. Mostly, the version that this one made me think of was the Joel Schumacher one-- beautiful, showy, seductive, and DRAMATIC.
This version of Christine was also great because she's not just docile and sweet, like she is in other versions. She's also a sensual woman, who is compassionate (giving food to rats!), naively stupid (yeah, I'm going to masturbate because my mirror told me to!), a little malicious (pranks on Carlotta!), and just a really fun and well-rounded character. It's nice to see a "good" person to be allowed to be a little mean when the situation warrants it, you know? Especially when they're standing up for themselves.
So if you love PotO, I would heartily recommend ANGEL'S MASK. Especially if you love classic romance novels and musicals with a little cheese. I definitely want to find out what happens next.
4 to 4.5 out of 5 stars
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