Opera is a violent aria of memory, bad luck, the artistic drive and the horror of the stare.
80
Screen Rant
Screen Rant
It's no surprise that Opera is Argento's largest mainstream success due to the fact that it is everything a traditional horror fan could want coupled with the addition of giallo elements and a unique story.
Arguably Argento's last very good to great film, Opera is awash in lush visuals, killer set-pieces, and bloody shenanigans as it riffs on its well-known literary source.
80
The New York Times
The New York Times
Inspired by Argento’s own frustrations with directing a production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth, Opera replaces the supernatural with the sexual, leaving room for a conversation about the link between sexual and artistic impotence. [25 Oct 2018]
50
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Opera, while undeniably entertaining, winds up overwhelming its suspense with morbidity. [13 Jun 1990, p.F6]
40
Time Out
Time Out
All the trademarks are here: minimal plot, striking set pieces, baroque camera movements, misogynist violence. As always, though, the most horrific thing is the dubbing.