PARK CITY – In an early scene from Mark Anthony Green’s “Opus,” a world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, Ariel (Ayo Edebiri) is having sushi with her good friend/maybe boyfriend Kent (Young Mazino). She’s frustrated. Despite pitching compelling story ideas to her magazine editor, she can’t land that breakthrough assignment she’s been desperate for. Kent is pretty blunt and tells her the reason why is because she’s “mid.” She grew up in a safe neighborhood, with middle-class parents, and went to a good, suburban school. She hasn’t had the sort of life experience a super-rich or poor kid might have had. That’s all about to change after she receives the invite of a lifetime.
In the “Opus” universe, Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich) was one of the greatest living pop stars of the late 20th Century (think Elton John meets Madonna with a big mean streak). His last big hit, “Nina Simone,” became an anthem to multiple generations. And, like a true legend, he disappeared. Thirty years later, his longtime publicist Soledad Yusef (Tony Hale), announces Moretti will be releasing his first album since he vanished, and the world is a flutter. Everyone wants to get an interview with Moretti including Ariel’s arrogant boss, editor-in-chief Stan Sullivan (Murray Bartlett). Like clockwork, not only does Stan get an invite to a special destination listening party, but in a shocker, so does Ariel.
Things are creepy right from the start. When meeting the listening party guests at the airport, the members of Moretti’s team all wear obvious cult-like outfits, and the icon’s compound is a 4-hour drive somewhere in a deserted swath of Utah. The ranch itself gives upscale Jim Jones Jonestown “run for your life” vibes.
Moretti has invited an eclectic group beyond Ariel and Stan. There’s gaudy TV personality Clara (Juliette Lewis), old-school paparazzi photographer Bianca (Melissa Chambers), social media influencer Emily(Stephanie Suganami), and former writer-turned-podcaster Bill (Mark Siverten). Outside of our heroine (and maybe the influencer), all these people had issues with Moretti in the past. I mean, red flags everyone, no?
Wait, there’s even more the group should worry about. Their phones and laptops are taken away for the weekend, they are given a “concierge,” a cult member who follows them everywhere (Ariel’s is Belle played by “Prey” star Amber Midthunder), and the demands on them become increasingly ridiculous. After Bill disappears on the first night, Ariel is the one to question what the hell is going on. The rest ignore her concerns simply enthralled by Moretti playing his shockingly good new tracks. You’d think they’d seen a horror movie before.
It’s no surprise that nefarious things are afoot, and Moretti is at the center of it. That revelation is somewhat of a relief because, despite a talented cast, the comedic aspect of the movie is tepid at best. Outside of Ariel’s character (Edebiri saves a lot of it), the jokes are obvious and predictable. Moreover, Ariel is the only well-rounded character in the movie despite, maybe, the ego-driven Moretti. The talents of Lewis and Murray are essentially wasted, and the rest of the cast are just playing over-the-top cliches (maybe the roles were more intersting on paper). But we digress. When the cult, known as Levelists, are exposed, all sorts of bloodshed and action ensues, and you’re rooting for Ariel to escape this music-influenced hybrid of “Get Out” and “Midsommar.” Even if the ending seems obvious.
But it sort of isn’t.
Beyond three great songs written by Nile Rodgers and The-Dream and recorded by Malkovich (yes, that’s him singing), as well as a wild live performance by Moretti, the movie only gets interesting at the very end. The tone turns serious and Green unspools the real, transgressive ideas he wants to play with. A pop star with a vendetta against a media machine that tried to tear him down? For the most part, that’s just a red herring. There are real stakes at play, and there are more questions that need to be answered. It’s all just a little too late for you to genuinely care. [C+]
“Opus” opens nationwide on March 15
