This is not Argento's best film by far, but if you are a fan of the director, or just a fan of the horror genre in general, this movie is worth a watch. Argento is always original, and Opera is no exception. His death scenes are top notch. Nothing of his that you watch is the same as anything else out there. On top of this, Opera is visually stunning, with beautiful backdrops drenched in lots of color; this is an Argento staple. Subjective shots are constant, which is also an Argento staple, but in Opera it is a little different. With Argento, subjective shots usually show the world through the eyes of the killer and make the audience relate to him or her. In Opera the audience also sees through the eyes of the victim, who is forced to watch everything unfold around her. The problems with this film are the acting and the script. Starting with the former, Argento's young leading lady gave him problems throughout the shoot. She did not take direction well due to her inexperience; Argento claims this is the first time it ever happened to him. With the script, there are holes throughout the story, and everything gets wrapped up a little too neatly as the killer explains why it all happened. The ending is also dreadful. The company releasing the film in America asked Argento to cut the final scene, but the director refused.
Review of Opera
