Ominous. Ominous is the word to describe the opening and the entirety of Mark Anthony Green’s Opus. Why is it ominous you may ask? Well, that’s the biggest question because you may be continuously worried that something bad will happen, you know it will. And then Opus feels all too familiar, adding to the gloomy feeling.
An up-and-coming journalist named Ariel (Ayo Edebiri) struggles through as she is constantly ignored at the workplace. Then out of the blue she is invited, along with A-list journalists, to the inner confines of legendary popstar, Moretti (John Malkovich), who has reappeared after disappearing thirty years ago. As the journalists become intoxicated and Moretti’s sycophants become all the more cultish, Ariel realizes there is more to this weekend event than meets the eye.
Audiences are invited from the beginning to sympathize with Ariel as she is shown distanced from her peers and especially her boss, Stan (Murray Bartlett). This feeling of loneliness is emphasized as we watched her walk through the streets of the city while the camera zooms out to a far bird’s eye view. Creating a connection between the audience and Ariel allows us to stick with her as she unveils twisted schemes as the plot thickens. The excellent lead performance by Edebiri truly forges Ariel’s image with the viewer. Edebiri plays the awkward shy young girl immensely well and when it’s needed, the aggression for the situation. She truly is the highlight of the film.
Opus invites you into Moretti’s world, and while at first you may believe his group is just a bunch of die-hard fans, there are deeper routes into cult and religion. As Ariel goes further into this world, more is uncovered and yet, it doesn’t leave you surprised. While Opus causes a feel of unease, it is all too familiar in its plot and design.
Another A24 film and instead of providing something new, Opus feels like a combination of the company’s past films. Yes, the film provides some entertaining scenes, and impressive edited sequences, and allows Edebiri to excel as the protagonist. It does not, however, offer anything new to the genre and is just repetitive of what has been done before. There was so much potential for Opus to be something fresh and new, and it fell short. The film can still be an amusing watch for anyone who doesn’t need something insanely original to enjoy.
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