Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis, Amber Midthunder, and Tony Hale are some of the talented actors in Opus, and even though these people perform well in their roles, it was not enough to save this sinking ship of a movie. Written and directed by Mark Anthony Green, Opus tells a bizarre tale of idiosyncratic but talented and critically acclaimed pop singer Alfred Moretti and his attempt at a huge comeback after an extended hiatus.
After making a massive, global announcement of his return through mass media, Moretti selects just a few journalists to tour his very private massive estate while also getting a taste of his new philosophy in life and an exclusive first listen to his new music. Included in that select group of journalists are young reporter Ariel Ecton (Ayo Edebiri), and her boss Stan (Murray Bartlett), who has selected the ambitious Ariel to assist him with his coverage. As Ariel spends a few days in Moretti’s compound, something is wrong with Moretti and the residents there. This eerie feeling becomes more evident as the guests begin disappearing.
I understand that filmmaker Mark Anthony Green is attempting to comment on fame, the “cult of personality,” and how the media feed into both. However, the commentary is messily muddled with all of this movie’s bizarre imagery, spectacle, and utter nonsense. The film builds and builds and builds until it can’t go any further, but the big reveal comes across very weakly, making all of the stuff that preceded it as much ado about nothing.
As I previously stated, this movie has a fantastic cast, with everyone giving their all to their performances; however, I was not impressed with the storytelling, the visual choices, and whatever messages the filmmaker was trying to deliver. For these reasons, I cannot at all recommend Opus. It has some promising ideas that are never fully developed to their potential. As a thriller, it works fine but comes across as an afterthought with all of the other “mysterious” and ridiculous happenings leading up to it. This film is an utter mess.