I first heard about Opus as I was perusing the selection of Sundance movies that Morgan and I could watch from the comfort of our couch, and though it wasn’t available to us at that time, it’s available now and we even caught it in a theater! I had middling expectations coming in, but I was there for Ayo and an interesting concept, and that’s what I got.

At nearly every turn in Opus, a character or situation or moment reeked of similarity to some other cult horror film that I’ve seen. Maybe the focus on highbrow art was from The Menu; maybe the warmly-dressed European cult members being a bit too quiet and comfortable was from Midsommar; and maybe the world crumbling around and conspiring against a single young Black person was from Get Out. While putting those elements together became interesting in moments, the lack of originality was evident and its inspired elements rarely ever improved upon.

To the film’s credit, there was a lot of new as well: the puppet show was a creepy treat; John Malkovich was operating on an entirely separate plane of existence; and the focus on music had some potential. Other than “Dina, Simone”, though, I really wasn’t a fan of the music. Nile Rodgers did his best, I imagine, though the songs didn’t really feel like they came from a generational musical mind. With these “eat the rich” satire-horrors, I usually understand what the filmmakers are attempting to convey—usually it’s painfully clear—but I had trouble putting the pieces together here. I was confused by the Caesar story and its connection to Moretti’s career and perspective, but Morgan did help me understand the reason for Moretti’s actions, as well as his placing of Ariel on a pedestal. I like when these films lay out their mission clearly, and Opus didn’t really do that.

As for the performances, Edebiri and Malkovich gave the most, and Mark Anthony Green (with his GQ experience) did a great job painting the other members of the media. If there was something to say in Opus about the rich and their self-indulgence and self-righteousness, I think I got some of it, but not enough to put Opus on the same level as its peers. I would love to see Ayo in more work like this, though; she’s got a dramatic side, and I’d love to see it!