As for myself, I usually can't watch classic operas being modernized. "Aida" with fireworks and circus gymnasts or "Tristan and Isolde" with mobile phones and handguns – no, thank you. The only exception is Mozart's "The Magic Flute": in my opinion, its surrealistic libretto can survive any modernization. I see that the reviews for Branagh's adaptation are quite mixed, but I generally liked it. Joseph Kaiser is a great Tamino, Amy Carson is excellent as Pamina. Benjamin Davis may not have a very strong voice, but he has the cheerfulness and charm of Mozart's Papageno. The rest of the cast also fit their roles wonderfully. The Masonic references are gone, but the rest of the libretto is preserved, with all its humor and fairytale aura. There are only two moments in the film that really annoyed me. First, the combination of the overture with battle scenes. It looked, well, odd. Second, the suicide of the villains – the episode seemed a bit rushed and not quite understandable. I can see why the Queen of the Night killed herself, with her terrible pride. I can see why Monostatos killed himself, with his maniacal passion for Pamina. But the three ladies? Had they climbed up and agreed to serve Sarastro, he'd have pardoned them for sure (he'd have pardoned everyone, judging by his face). Of course, they could have been enormously devoted to the Queen… Their suicide was something of an unsolved mystery. But overall, the film is definitely a very nice one.

I have been in Opera house three or four times in my childhood and it was quite punishment for me: to keep silence and understand no word. (And watch an over-built heroin dying a quarter an hour with constant screaming, sorry soprano aria.) Although I love classical music I have avoided opera for years. Last week I bought this DVD only from curiosity and was fascinated. For the first time in my life I voluntarily sit and listen to opera. And understand. And love it! I am not expert for opera as others who criticized this performance are but I think this movie was created for people like me - who would have never heard it without this opportunity. So, thank you, a crew of Magic Flute. And hope it is not your last idea. (By the way, when Mozart decided to have this opera in German language experts were shocked because the "official" opera language had been Italian and German was considered quite unsuitable for such sacred piece of work as opera was. But ordinary people understood and it was probably Mozart's target.I do not think he is rolling in his grave because of English version.)

When a soldier is near-fatally wounded in battle, he is recovered by three women and wakes to find himself in a strange land. Here he sees a beautiful woman that he is instantly besotted with. However when he learns that the woman has been kidnapped by the evil Queen of the Night, he sets out with a new companion to rescue her.OK so this flopped in the cinemas but did anyone expect otherwise? Branagh may have sold Shakespeare to the masses but opera is not as generally accepted as an art form; most of us see Shakespeare as of value (even if we never go to the theatre) but yet things like opera and ballet still have the air of snobbery about them. Despite this though I was interested in this enough to put it on my rental list. Coming to it to see what it offers me helped me I think because I was in the middle of two extremes that I think reject this film. On one hand we have those that reject the film for being opera and hard to follow. On the other hand are those that cannot believe the opera has been "sullied". The truth for me is somewhere in the middle because the film is not as good as it could have been but is not a failure either.The music is the selling point of course and Mozart is treated well with really well delivered music throughout. To the untrained ear it contains recognisable emotion and beauty and it was this that held me. Juts as well really because the plot is hard to follow – something I found strange from the man who has delivered Shakespeare with such clarity and accessibility. The lyrics may be English but many of them are rendered almost indecipherable by the nature of the singing. This doesn't affect the music but it does affect the story-telling and makes it almost easier to listen to than watch at times. This isn't ever totally true though because Branagh does do the best he can with a limited budget. His sets and effects have a consistently "unreal" quality which feels like a cross between a film and a filmed opera. Sometimes it gets a bit tiresome (too many elevated/elevating shots) but mostly it works.The cast are all OK: really good in regards giving "stage" performances but on film it doesn't totally work and mostly they add to the feeling of watching a stage performance through a camera. This isn't a fantastic film by any means then, but it is not a deserving flop either. Instead it is an interesting attempt at something different that has strengths in the music and creativity but never really engaged me beyond the superficial trimmings.

A man behind me commented at the end, 'What a bizarre idea', which I suppose it was, if he was expecting a filmed version of the staged opera. What we get, however, is a proper movie, with all the tricks and all the realism that can offer. The plot is - always was - nonsense, which suits this semi-fantastic treatment perfectly. Branaugh uses his CGI with drama and humour as well as the poignancy of the First World War to hold the story together. The principals were ideal - they looked right as well as sounding perfect. Papageno was a comic delight. Liz Smith - not a singing role - was enjoying herself as much as the audience where I saw the film enjoyed her. The singing would be enough to hold an audience on its own.