Opus: An Ambitious yet Slight Exercise in Thrills

Opus looks beautiful and has an excellent lead performance from Ayo Edebiri, but squanders its potential despite thrilling returns.

It seems from the sheer abundance of weird films and projects we get nowadays that making one is not hard. A few strange scenes, quirky characters, and an eventual reveal will give you a decent film coworkers can discuss through the monotony of the day. However, the kicker with weird or offbeat movies is that they need to coalesce in the end. If they don’t, they risk feeling frivolous or overcompensating. Opus is about a journalist named Ariel who among others receives an invitation to the home of a reclusive musician named Moretti played by John Malkovich. It could’ve been a refreshing take, but most of its eccentric moments feel more empty than purposeful provocations. Opus looks beautiful and has an excellent lead performance from Ayo Edebiri, but it squanders its potential with its puzzling structure and slight writing. It’s thrilling and entertaining overall, with a decent ending but not much else.

The cinematography in Opus is fantastic. The setting is stunning, and I loved anticipating how it would be presented from scene to scene—the unsettling but appealing heavy saturation in the color palette added to the surrealism of the story. I also liked the shot choices, as Opus finds unorthodox ways to frame its characters. Occasionally obnoxious but still grounded in character, the cinematography frames Ayo Edebiri, the film’s lead character, brilliantly as well.

I assumed Ayo Edebiri would be good in this film, but she’s phenomenal. As expected, her comedy is excellent, but I was happy to see her excel in the more horror-tinged side of the film here. Her face is highly expressive and kept me interested in her character’s journey. I laughed with her, felt tense with her, and, in one case, felt my heart fall into my chest with her. I want to see her in more thriller or horror projects. Her chemistry with John Malkovich, the other lead, is pretty great, but the film didn’t give me too much to connect with him outside of her. I wish the movie's writing backed up her performance more because there’s a constant push and pull of her being good with not too much to work with. It makes the film feel worse or more amateur when she’s on an entirely different level.

The writing is very plain and empty outside of its core theme. The construction of the film’s setting and character backstory seems pretty developed at first glance, but most of it isn't given or revealed to the audience. None of the characters have much real depth either; they feel like figureheads for the messages communicated by the film. The writing maintains this feeling that there’s more under the surface when there isn’t. No information is revealed in a way that feels more interesting than confounding. I found a twist near the end to be the most subversive element of the entire project. This saves this film and makes me believe it’s entertaining and worthwhile but still flawed. I also feel like the structure was too cliche, as it adhered too closely to what you’d expect from a film about people following an eccentric person to a secluded location.

Opus is very well shot and composed, with an outstanding performance at its center from Ayo Edebiri. It squanders its potential with slight writing and too much delayed gratification. It’s sufficiently thrilling because of the strength of Edebiri’s performance than the writing. I enjoy the film's ending and wish the rest carried on that level of daring capability. Mark Anthony Green is a very intriguing and interesting director, and I can’t wait to see what he makes next.

I think you should watch this one, regardless of my mixed reaction to it, because it's worth further thought. I've grown more fond of it overnight and will definitely rewatch it. I hope you liked this review and check out the movie. I give it 3 out of 5 stars but honestly it would be a 3.25 if possible. The ending makes it all really worth it.