It’s hard to imagine being disappointed by “Opus,” a film bursting with potential, powered by an incredible cast and a powerhouse studio behind it. The film was one of the hottest premiere tickets at Sundance 2025, near impossible to procure late and among one of the first in person only films to sell out within seconds. Unfortunately, all of its good will was squandered by delivering a lackluster, messy, derivative thriller that does a grave injustice to its stars. Whatever it wants to say about the cult of celebrity culture falls flat from a script incapable of creating its own worldview and unraveling itself in a baffling third act. “Opus” is another of example of good ideas, bad execution, and while it leaves you adding “Dina, Simone” to your Spotify playlist (a certified banger to be sure) it also leaves you wishing for a better film.
Written and directed by Mark Anthony Green, “Opus” follows young writer Ariel (Ayo Edebiri) who is desperate to rise above her station and be remembered for something. Constantly ignored by her publication, she unexpectedly gets a chance of a lifetime dropped right into her lap: Pop Icon Moretti (John Malchovich) has returned to music after a 3 decade hiatus, and has invited Ariel to his incredibly exclusive, intimate pre-release listening party at his secluded ranch. The VIP invitees include people of much larger celebrity status, all of whom have experienced Moretti’s eccentric events before. Upon arriving, Ariel is immediately unsettled by the very obvious cult like overtones of diehard fans living on the ranch, much of which is ignored by her fellow colleagues. But when members of the group begin to mysteriously go missing, Ariel begins uncovering the dark side of god like celebrity power. The film also stars Juliette Lewis (“Yellowjackets“), Amber Midthunder (“Prey“), Murray Bartlett (“The Last of Us,” “The White Lotus“), and Tony Hale (“Veep“).
This movie is held back at every turn by the greenness of Green, who possesses neither the directorial flare nor writing able to sustain the film’s high minded ideas. Almost all of the film is a lesser version of something else, its familiar bones distracting as Green is incapable of saying anything deeper about his themes. “Celebrities are crazy, huh?” is just not enough to make something like “Opus” interesting, no matter how unhinged you let Malkovich go from scene to scene. He is ripped from an entirely different film, one that seems to understand what Green wants to get at but feels out of place as everything else around him can’t tap into that same energy. “Opus” feels like ordering “The Menu” from Temu, “Midsommar” from Wish, and “Get Out” from that sketchy site that forces you to hard reset your iPhone after you checkout. It is unable to transcend above its clearly inspired roots that feel planted with the wrong seeds and not deep enough into the soil.
It’s perfectly fine to draw inspiration from other commentaries on similar subjects, but to be effective there has to be something else that distinguishes the film and allow it to speak for itself. “Opus” gives us nothing we haven’t seen and tells us nothing we don’t already know, immediately forgettable for what it attempts to be and remembered for all the things it shouldn’t be. While Edebiri is always a welcomed screen presence, “Opus” stifles many of her strengths. Namely her sarcastic quirk and expertly sharp comedic timing, and while I applaud Edebiri for taking a stab at being a final girl, “Opus” constrains her abilities to inject herself into a rather flat and uninteresting character. Frankly, all of the characters are flat and the film is more interested in the concepts of its ideas rather than saying anything meaningful about them.
There’s not a whole lot more to say about “Opus” because “Opus” doesn’t have much else to say about itself. It has some moments, mainly from Malkovich going absolutely ape shit every chance he gets and delivering a tried and true summer pop banger. If you’re going for Edebiri (which let’s be honest, why wouldn’t you?) you’ll be pretty disappointed by a film that doesn’t do anything for her. If you’re going for A24, “Opus” is much more of a misfire for the usually can’t miss studio. If you’re going for a thriller, prepare to be bored by a film that takes way too long to get going and unfolds with dull predictability that never gives you a reason to care. I really wish “Opus” was better, and gave me more to enjoy than adding a new song to my Workout Playlist.
Seriously, “Dina, Simone” bops. It’s just unfortunate that the rest of “Opus” doesn’t have the same energy.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Stars
“Opus” arrives in theaters March 14th. You can watch the trailer below.
