Opera (1990)

So much average

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

I didn't go into this movie expecting a bunch but holy crap, those blood effects are amazing! It has most certainly opened me up to Argento's films and style.The film is not a bloodbath but certain scenes BECOME a bloodbath, which builds up tension perfectly. I also found the whole thing of the main damsel not being able to close her eyes a very brilliant design and oddly feels ...sexual? BUT WE ALL COME FOR THE CROW CAM, AND YOU GET PLENTY OF CROW CAM IN THIS MOVIE CAW CAW

I don't ever write reviews but this movie was so atrociously bad, I actually have to go out of my way to write one just so I can help some poor soul who happens upon it.Everything, from the cheesy and irritatingly predictable plot to the horrendous sound direction that makes everyone sound like they were dubbed over by themselves (if they actually weren't, that is), to the wooden or exaggerated acting (there really is no in-between) only further solidifies this as one of the worse movies I've ever begrudgingly sat through hoping it would lead somewhere at some point for some reason. I award this 1 out of 10 stars, because sadly I can't go any lower than that. Stay away from this movie.

If this idiotic piece of turd is among the Argento's relatively high-rated items, then I can't imagine how bad are his subsequent works. Even in his 70's flicks (that weren't that great too, to put it mildly) he didn't care that much about acting and writing decent or (at least partially) logical scripts, but in Opera he simply spat on these "unnecessary" elements. "Picturesque" killings were the only goals to reach, you know. But unfortunately he had to somehow fill the ~100 min film format, hence a great bulk of absurdities, cretinous dialogues ("Are you scared?" - "A little. No, a lot!") and one of the most moronic final twists.Just some gaping moments: 1) If the murderer planned his deeds so painstakingly, then why did he miss the baton-armed wardrobe mistress? 2) What a "clever" idea was to catch the murderer with these ravens flying around the hall! For the dubious price of finding the killa man you just have to scare the whole audience, thus giving the worst possible advert to the theatre. 3) The final "utterly unexpected" resurrection of the Maniac Inspector is beyond laughability. At least he should has taken the key with himself escaping from the burning room. Did you know that even Orion (the American film's distributor) wanted to cut this f**ked out ending, but our Italian master of crap stood his ground.I don't want to bore you anymore, though I haven't mentioned some other great moments of this idiocy-fest like the scene featuring the Nicolodi's headeye shot.If you are into trash horror Z-movies, then you'll enjoy it. If you're a newcomer to DA, then you'd better check his early works.

After the lead actress of the opera is killed in a car accident, her young understudy, Betty, is brought to the forefront. That's very lucky for her, with one problem: she has an admirer that has decided he will kill all her friends and make her watch. What is his connection to the opera, and what is his fascination with Betty? I love Dario Argento with every part of my body. And I'm not an orthodox fan, I think. Many people, particularly critics, praise his earlier work ("Suspiria" and "Deep Red") but really frown on later films, such as "Sleepless", which I liked. My favorite, "Phenomena", is usually vastly underrated. "Opera" tends to fall somewhere in between. Some consider it one of his last great films, others see it as part of his so-called decline. I loved it.The picture is crisp, the music is great (unlike other critics, I love the metal soundtrack), the female lead is someone I can feel for (not unlike Jennifer Connelly from "Phenomena"). And the imagery... wonderful. Great cinematography, and some amazing kill scenes. The concept of taping needles to a person's eyes so they cannot blink... brilliant. My assistant Tina thinks this looked fake, but even if it does, the idea is more than enough to pay off. And some great effects, like a knife blade coming up inside a man's mouth? Awesome.Jim Harper calls the film "stunning" and calls attention to the "innovative cinematography, well-constructed shots and exceptionally violent murders." I agree with this completely -- one shot follows the camera through winding tunnels, and there is a very interesting visual use of crows throughout the story. Mike Mayo likewise calls it "visually fascinating eye-candy" and lauds the "crisp editing and flowing camera-work". It's really a wonder that this is not one of Argento's more highly-praised works.Argento returned to the opera with "Phantom of the Opera", which was a bit of a failure despite the casting of his daughter Asia and Julian Sands. Even more interesting, this same year offered the release of Michele Soavi's "Stagefright", which (like "Opera") has a killer loose inside a theater killing off the people involved with the presentation. Both are great films, with Soavi's more on the slasher side. (Soavi actually served as second unit director on "Opera"... you can make your own conclusions.) My only complaint with this film is the length and pacing. While it is very beautifully shot and the kill scenes are glorious, they are not as frequent as they should be. The first one takes over a half hour, and then we get down times between them. The lead actress should be in constant terror, but she is given time between kills to calm down as if everything is normal again. Not cool, Dario. We need to keep the suspense low and the intensity high.