Opus

Cast View all

	Ayo Edebiri	Ariel Ecton
	John Malkovich	Alfred Moretti
	Juliette Lewis	Clara Armstrong
	Murray Bartlett	Stan Sullivan
	Melissa Chambers	Bianca Tyson
	Tony Hale	Soledad Yusef
	Stephanie Shepherd	Emily Katz
	Mark Sivertsen	Bill Lotto
	Amber Midthunder	Belle
	Tatanka Means	Najee
	Aspen Martinez	Maude
	Peter Diseth	Jorg
	Tamera Tomakili	Rachel Malick
	Rose Marley Meizlesh	Levelist #1
	Jasper Keen	Lee
	Young Mazino	Kent
	Jean Effron	Receptionist
	Justin Perry	Magazine Editor
	Aimee McGuire	Magazine Editor
	Chris Homstad	Magazine Editor
	Andrew McMaster	Ellington
	Lily Joy Winder	Makeup Artist
	Orion Carrington	Journalist
	Jeremiah Core	Middle Age Man
	Marjorie W. Conner	Elderly Woman

Crew View all

Director	Mark Anthony Green
Writer	Mark Anthony Green
Producer	Joshua Bachove, Collin Creighton, Mark Anthony Green, Poppy Hanks, Jelani Johnson, Charles D. King, Nile Rodgers, Sara Newkirk Simon, The-Dream, Brad Weston
Musician	Danny Bensi, Saunder Jurriaans, Nile Rodgers, The-Dream
Photography	Tommy Maddox-Upshaw

Trailer

Edition details

Personal

Notes

My quick rating - 5.8/10. I really thought this set the stage for something big—a chilling dive into the dangers of fame, the toxicity of idol worship, and the seductive pull of mythologized celebrity. With a premise this intriguing and John Malkovich at the center as a vengeance-driven, long-lost pop icon named Moretti, I was bracing for fireworks. But what I got was more of a slow burn that never quite ignites.
The story follows Ariel, a young writer played by Ayo Edebiri, who’s invited to a lavish and remote compound where the long-disappeared Moretti has re-emerged, surrounded by a bizarre entourage of journalists, hangers-on, and devoted fanatics. It’s a ripe setup, and Edebiri carries the narrative well. She gives Ariel a mix of intelligence and cautious curiosity, even if she pieces things together a bit too quickly for the tension to really marinate. Occasionally, her facial expressions didn’t quite match the tone of the scene, but that felt more like a quirk than a flaw.
Malkovich, unsurprisingly, is the film’s biggest asset. His performance as Moretti is magnetic—equal parts bizarre, bitter, and mesmerizing. There’s an eerie allure to how he commands every scene he’s in. You want to know what his endgame is, and he plays it with a kind of menacing grace. Juliette Lewis also brings some grounded chaos to the mix as one of the journalists—potentially one of the many who wronged Moretti in the past.
Visually, the film has style. The compound is elaborate and visually striking, and there’s a slightly dreamlike, almost hallucinatory quality to some of the locations that fits the film’s surreal tone. But for a movie that flirts with thriller and psychological horror elements, Opus feels oddly restrained. There’s little sense of real danger, and even once the ensemble realizes they’re pawns in Moretti’s twisted plan, the tension just never fully lands.
The special effects, while competent, are used sparingly, and the sense of dread is diluted by the film’s slow pacing and tame escalation. When the final act rolls around, it’s all wrapped up a bit too neatly, lacking the punch or emotional resonance it felt like it was aiming for.
There’s a message here—a cautionary tale about the destructiveness of celebrity obsession and media vultures—but it never digs deep enough to feel truly biting. Without Malkovich anchoring the madness, this would have scored lower for me. It’s all atmosphere and concept with not enough impact or narrative bite.
Not a bad film by any means—just not the one I hoped it would be. Opus has the ingredients for something compelling, but it never fully delivers on the promise. All pop, no bang.

Tags

Links