A group of mostly vain, narcissistic journalist types receiving a rare invite into the desert compound of an elusive pop legend presents a Willy Wonka-like scenario that’s fertile ground for twisty psychological horror. Writer/Director Mark Anthony Green draws from his background as a former GQ editor for his feature debut, Opus, to take aim at everything from celebrity culture to the state of journalism. Ayo Edebiri’s inherent charisma and John Malkovich’s infectiously high camp turn as pop star Moretti deftly carry the film on their shoulders, but it’s not enough to sustain the sluggish, thinly rendered, and fairly toothless satire that mostly forgets to bring the horror.
Ambitious and hardworking reporter Ariel Ecton (Edebiri) desperately wants to crack the next big story that will catapult her into the next stage of her career. It’s all she thinks about, even as her ego-centric boss, Stan (Murray Bartlett), accepts her ideas only to assign them to more tenured staff. Her big break comes in the form of a bizarre invitation from Alfred Moretti (Malkovich), a world-renowned pop star who vanished without a trace nearly 30 years ago.
Moretti has invited an eclectic group of prominent media types to be the first to listen to his new album, including Stan, popular TV show host Clara Armstrong (Juliette Lewis), infamous paparazzo Bianca Tyson (Melissa Chambers), Moretti’s enemy-turned-podcaster Bill Lotto (Mark Sivertsen), and influencer Emily Katz (Stephanie Suganami). As Moretti’s staff welcomes the guests, stripping all forms of communication before lavishing them with decadence, only Ariel harbors a healthy level of skepticism that things are insidiously amiss.
Opus, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Like the guests, it’s easy to get sucked into the dazzling world Green has created. Opus is, if nothing else, sleek in style with intricate set pieces, a haunting score, and earworm original tunes by legendary producer Nile Rodgers and The-Dream. Then there’s Malkovich, turning in a commanding and occasionally restrained performance as the idiosyncratic pop legend presiding over the strange desert cult compound. The actor even sang three original songs for the film, including the obnoxiously catchy track “Dina Simone,” which captures the satirical tone. Green and Malkovich shroud Moretti with enough mystery to keep viewers on the hook, along with the effortlessly affable and smart Ariel as she desperately seeks to uncover what exactly is happening.
The initial character introductions indicate a raucous satire ahead, with Green taking aim at the vapidness of entertainment journalism. Yet the filmmaker gets too caught up in the details, drawing out Ariel’s investigation amidst increasingly bizarre encounters and reveals. It’s here where pacing becomes a glaring issue.
Outside of Ariel and Moretti, to a lesser extent, all of the characters are intentionally underwritten as archetypical caricatures, fodder for Moretti’s master plan. With a distinct lack of tension and very little in the way of menace or horror, Opus quickly becomes inert. It falls almost entirely on Edebiri to convey a sense of dread or danger at all. Not helping is that Opus also parallels more familiar cult horror tales like Midsommar or even last year’s Blink Twice.
By the time Opus finally kicks into high gear and delivers on the horror, it’s far too succinct and toothless to earn its methodical build-up. It’s the type of payoff that’ll leave most asking, “That’s it?” Instead of blending horror and satire, Opus toggles confusingly between the two. Green crafts a handsome feature with impressive details, set pieces, and Shirley Kurata’s stunning costuming. It’s also a feature that’ll leave you eager to buy the OST on vinyl. Ultimately, though, the social commentary is too shallow and underserved for a film that spends far too much time dedicated to it.
Opus is at its best when it’s a campy satire of pop culture, led by two powerhouse performances, but it utterly fails as a genre exercise.
Opus made its world premiere at Sundance and will release in theaters on March 14, 2025.
The post ‘Opus’ Review – Edebiri & Malkovich Dazzle in Celeb Satire That Forgets the Horror [Sundance] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
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