Review: Opus

Image courtesy of A24.

Bearing some similarities to 2022's "The Menu," Mark Anthony Green's "Opus" also focuses on a reclusive artist who calls a group of people to a secluded place to unveil something. Hint: It's not something good. Although a horror film, the picture is also a social satire on celebrity culture and those in the media who perpetuate it. Despite its flaws, this is also a film of its time - a story that involves a form of mass hypnosis and a complicit media that is willing to help put viewers in the trance.

The film follows the resurgence of Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich), whom we are to believe was the biggest pop star of the 1990s. His musical style - created for the film by Niles Rodgers & the Dream - sounds like a mixture of club music with an occasional touch of mystical indie pop. In the film, however, Malkovich dresses more like Elton John and - it's noted by another character - goes through six costume changes in a period of hours.

Moretti has been absent for nearly 30 years and he has resurfaced with a new album titled "Caesar's Request" that he intends to unveil to a select group of journalists at his compound in the Utah desert. The group includes a social media influencer (Stephanie Suganami), a past Moretti nemesis (Mark Sivertsen), a TV journalist (Juliette Lewis), a paparazzi (Melissa Chambers), a shady magazine editor (Murray Bartlett) and one of his cub reporters, Ariel (Ayo Edebiri), from whose perspective the story is told.

Ariel is surprised to get the invite as she is a nobody compared to the rest of those gathered. And there are many gathered. Moretti's compound is filled with people dressed in blue robes who seemingly spend their days practicing archery, painting, or taking part in a number of artistic endeavors. Each guest has a personal assistant for the weekend who takes service to the next level by essentially stalking their guest's every move.

Ariel is right to start thinking that things are off, even when the others just explain it away by Moretti's eccentricities. During one scene, Moretti takes Ariel to a spot on the property where people cut open shells searching for oysters to include in their necklaces. This explains the cuts all over everyone's hands. Each of the guests are made to wear specific outfits and Ariel is disconcerted when she is told that every visitor is forced to undergo a shaving of their private area. All of this, of course, screams cult and Ariel starts to fear for her life.

During the film's setup - which takes up a large chunk of the picture - "Opus" does a decent job of building suspense and creating intrigue. When things finally go haywire, it loses its grip. It's easy to see where everything is going and the film becomes less convincing once the bloody mayhem begins. There's a final scene that involves somewhat of a plot twist that is intriguing, but it's an idea that should, perhaps, have been introduced earlier to get more out of it.

"Opus" ultimately doesn't stick the landing, but it's an engaging enough journey for its first two-thirds. Edebiri is solid as Ariel, a curious reporter who is smarter and more talented than most give her credit for, especially her arrogant boss (Bartlett). 

Malkovich, not surprisingly, is the main draw here and it's clear he's having a ball playing such a deranged weirdo. I might not exactly buy Malkovich as a pop star, but his performance as Moretti is so off the wall that I was willing to play along. The film might be somewhat of a mixed bag, but the elements that work here nearly make up for those that do not.