Yahoo Lifestyle ‘Opus’ Review: Even Ayo Edebiri and John Malkovich Can’t Save A24’s Exceedingly Silly Horror Send-Up of Fandom
A remote location. A group of unsuspecting, idiosyncratic hopefuls. A murderous plan that would eliminate them one by one. The formula is nearly a fool-proof one to pull off an entertaining horror-thriller, but writer-director Mark Anthony Green’s paper-thin feature debut “Opus” squanders the opportunity with shockingly low stakes and only the most basic observations on celebrity culture and fan entitlement.
A former GQ editor, Green at least understands how tough it is to fight for relevance in print media these days. Young, hungry writers struggle to launch careers with prominent bylines, while influencer-types grab all the unearned perks. Played perceptively by Ayo Edebiri, Ariel Ecton is one such up-and-coming journalist working for a Rolling Stone-adjacent publication, fighting for interesting assignments that automatically go to her seniors, even when she’s the one who comes up with the pitch. Her casually arrogant boss Stan Sullivan (Murray Bartlett) doesn’t seem to be in any rush to elevate Ariel’s career. Even a good friend seems to think that she might not have all that much to offer as a so-called “middle”: a perfectly nice twenty-something who hasn’t really experienced enough troubles in her life.
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But the opportunity comes knocking with a piece of groundbreaking news: completely missing-in-action for 30 years, ‘90s music icon Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich) has decided to reappear in public once more for the launch of his 18th studio album. The eccentric artist has sent out a handful of exclusive invitations to media types— including Stan and, surprisingly enough, Ariel. The two join him at his remote compound for a long, luxurious weekend in support of the release.
It’s certainly a big deal for Ariel and every other attendee; we are told, multiple times throughout the film, that Moretti is “one of the greatest entertainers of our time.” There’s a newsreel establishing Moretti’s fame and status. Names like Wolf Blitzer weigh in on how big a deal it is. Multi-award-winning Moretti has been on the cover of every single magazine, and headlined some of the highest grossing tours in music history. You get the idea.
If “Opus” has any chance to plausibly sell Moretti as a great icon, whose influence is compared to the likes of David Bowie and Prince, it needs to feature some truly sensational tunes. Sadly, it doesn’t, despite sporting original songs from legendary producer Nile Rodgers and The-Dream. The first track that introduces Moretti, “Dina Simone” (actually sang by Malkovich like the rest of the tracks), is catchy enough, but a silly and inconsequential, no matter how much Green tries to convince the audience (through a globe-spanning montage of fans singing and dancing to it) that it is one of the greatest hits that humanity has known. In Shirley Kurata’s eye-popping costumes — embellished velvet get-ups, vibrant eccentric ensembles and a shiny silver spacesuit — the styling of Moretto suggests he is a combination of Bowie, Elton John and Daft Punk. But he doesn’t have the songs to show it.
The scenes in the desert complex hint at cultish machinations in the style of “Midsommar,” with the guests — including Juliette Lewis’ gossip TV host Clara, Melissa Chambers’ veteran paparazzi photographer Bianca and musician (and former Moretto adversary) Bill Lotto (Mark Sivertsen) — being asked to turn in their phones and laptops before they can enter their rooms. While away from the spotlight, Moretti has founded a community of craftspeople who take pride in making things by hand, cracking oysters in search of pearls and immersing themselves in performance arts, while worshipping their messiah in human form.
Rather swiftly, a dynamic like the one in “The Menu” emerges, with Moretti’s faithful workers played by a great ensemble including Tatanka Means, Aspen Martinez and Amber Midthunder loyally doing everything they are told. (As Ariel’s concierge, Midthunder especially impresses in her brief but significant scenes.) It’s conspicuous how nobody other than Ariel sniffs that something sinister is going on within the devoted commune. To paraphrase, “Muslims pray towards Mecca. Catholics go to church. What do you do in your religion?” she asks.
Good question, as “Opus” doesn’t quite bother explaining Moretti’s motivations. Whenever he begins an eerie monologue about his quirky philosophy, it sounds like meaningless word-salad you want to tune out. As such, there’s only enough information to gather that Moretti was turned off by how everyone around the world, from media to fans, felt entitled to a piece of him. As things escalate, Ariel gets stuck in the compound despite all her efforts to leave; the body count increases and a gruesome cat-and-mouse game begins. A slasher-like sequence in which Ariel fights for her life and freedom marks the strongest stretch of “Opus.” But one still feels shortchanged as Green rushes through both the mystery and its resolution, arriving at a puzzling epilogue with little payoff.
With a confused tone stuck between satire and horror (that also informs Malkovich’s eccentric, out-of-place performance), and various half-baked ideas about cultural icons and toxic fandom, “Opus” mostly feels like a missed genre opportunity. In fact, the most unnerving thing about it is how such a handsomely produced film could have so little to offer.
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