There aren't exactly 525,600 reasons for audiences to rush to movie theaters to see "Rent," the film adaptation of famed Broadway musical. The film offers likeable performances and some memorable musical numbers, but succumbs to cinematic dullness because of Chris Columbus's ("Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone") unimaginative direction. 

Like its Broadway predecessor, "Rent" updates the classic opera "La Boheme," with eight 20-something friends dealing with poverty, AIDS and death in New York's bohemian East Village. The film is filled with the same infectious blend of lively dance numbers and ultra-earnest songs, such as Seasons of Love, which led to the musical to endure for years on stage.

But the big-screen adaptation lacks the creative spark that separated the razzle-dazzle musicals "Chicago" and "Moulin Rouge" from the likes of 2004's robotic "The Phantom of the Opera." Instead of revamping the film with innovative cinematography or special effects, "Rent" plays like a simple rerun of its Broadway show. The problem with this is that many of the scenes that were exciting and thrilling on stage come off awkward and bland on screen. Perhaps Columbus was shooting for a stripped-down filmmaking style, but the result looks more like a special episode of "Fame."

Even so, fans will enjoy seeing Angel (Wilson Jermain Heredia) and Collins  (Jesse L. Martin) reprise their roles as a couple whose bond ties in with the AIDS epidemic, but during their rendition of "I'll Cover You," you have to wonder what a more imaginative director could've done with the boring Washington Square Park backdrop. This scene, like so much of the film's staging, sinks because it feels like it was simply transferred from Broadway. "Rent" is supposed to be about young New Yorkers having the freedom to express their frustrations and love. but during most of the film, the actors feel confined.

The best moments in "Rent" occur when the actors are allowed to immerse themselves in the complete spectacle of costumes, music, dance and gaudy backdrops. By far the most entertaining moment in the film is the full-cast rendition of "La Vie Boheme," which finds them in a bar frolicking with extras, dancing on a dinner table and hilariously confessing their love for one another. It's only at these moments that the film truly matches the excitement of the Broadway show, but even during such high points, Columbus fails to enliven the scenes with any pizzazz (as Rob Marshall did so well with "Chicago").

Yet it would be unfair to label "Rent" a complete failure; the talented cast elevates the film above disappointment. Unlike most Hollywood musical adaptations, the film boasts six actors from the original Broadway cast, who give surprisingly convincing performances - especially for 30-year-old actors playing characters 10 years their junior.

Broadway Veteran Anthony Rapp turns in a role that could have been just another whiny, burned-out singer into a reasonably heartfelt portrayal. Rapp plays Mark, a struggling, HIV-positive songwriter rebounding from his girlfriend's death with the heroine-addicted stripper Mimi (Rosario Dawson, "Sin City"). With her stunning performance, Dawson - one of only two new cast members in the film adaptation - redeems herself for costarring in "Alexander." The young actress' voice never quite matches the other musical-theater trained actors in the film, but she adorably shines in every scene.

Tony Award-winner Idina Menzel (Broadway's "Wicked") also holds her own as Maureen, a flirtatious, bisexual woman with commitment problems. The only weak link in the cast is the actress's real-life husband Taye Diggs (TV's "Kevin Hill"), the only obvious lip-syncer in the film. His character is supposed to be villain, but because of Diggs's inappropriately affable performance, he seems superfluous in every scene.

Though most of the performances in "Rent" are strong, the film fails to transfer the excitement of the Broadway hit to the big screen.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars