The opening number, “Seasons of Love” is inexplicably set on a stage in a theatre… a setting we never see again. Did we need a reminder that audiences can see this show on Broadway? Uninventive and uninspired.

Rent is breathtaking, a rebellious, charged musical number that takes the action out of the loft where most of the first act of the show was set and bringing it into the streets. The imagery of all those hundreds of burning eviction notices being dropped off fire escapes is absolutely brilliant.

“You’ll See”, the next number up was carelessly staged, set outside the loft building, stripping away the gravity of Roger’s arc (at the start of the play, it is revealed he hasn’t left his apartment in six months, and originally, doesn’t leave until Mimi coaxes him out).

“Life Support”, a small musical number that was tucked in a far corner upstage on the B’way stage is brought front and center on screen, and resonates in a way it never did onstage. One of the songs that benefitted mainly from the conversion of lyrics to dialogue, it doesn't throw any sugar on the fact that the world of this film is filled with people suffering from AIDS and trying to live happy lives in spite of that sad fact. Amazing, amazing work here.

The flashbacks and montages employed during “One Song Glory” and “Without You” go lengths and bounds beyond the written material to flesh out the characters’ journeys. Again, the film deals with AIDS and heroine withdrawal honestly and harrowingly. Seeing Mimi and Angel wither before the eyes of their friends is so much more heartbreaking on film than it was onstage. Yes, Angel and Mimi have AIDS. Yes, Mimi's sweet, but she's a stripper, she's trying to stay clean off heroine and she's not exactly having an easy time of it. Yes, Angel is dying. The stage production doesn't soften these blows, but due to the immediate nature of film, these details cut so much deeper.

The wiggle room afforded in the adaptation isn't always put to good use. With a nod to Dancer In the Dark and Chicago, “Tango Maureen” is, in part, transformed into a sexy musical fantasy in Mark’s head, a very well choreographed element, but ultimately unnecessary. The tension buzzing in the love triangle between Mark, Joanne and Maureen crackles on film. In the stage version, Mark and Joanne become fast friends. Not so in the film. More realistically, Mark is visibly disturbed by his ex-girlfriend's sudden shift in preference. "I'll Cover You" comes out of nowhere and is very lazily choreographed (Angel and Collins run around the street and spin around in circles, usually drag queens do that AFTER dark, thank you, hell-eaux!). I'll Cover You would be completely useless to the musical if it weren't reprised in the devastating funeral service for Angel in the second half... Yeah, about that, bring some Kleenex. A whole fucking ...