Movie Review: 'Opus'

Opus

Directed by Mark Anthony Green

Written by Mark Anthony Green

Starring Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis

Release Date March 14th, 2025

Published March 17th, 2025

Opus is yet another in a growing sub genre of ‘Vibes’ movies. What is a ‘Vibes’ movie? It’s a film where atmosphere and oddity are as, or more, important than plot and character. A great example of a Vibes Movie is Mark Mylod’s 2022 film, The Menu. That film develops a menacing and confounding air, sending up thriller feels but preferring to keep the audience off balance more than terrified or breathless. Some also consider the work of Ari Aster in the genre of Vibes Movies. I get that, though I prefer to keep Aster in the horror genre, there is no denying the Vibes Movie feel of Beau is Afraid.

Naturally, because our modern culture does not slow down, there are already critics who are talking about being tired of Vibes Movies, even as they haven’t been around all that long. But with many of these movies having been highly praised by critics, myself included, tropes in vibes movies are beginning to emerge and stagnate the sub genre, as always happens when a unique new way to approach a film story takes hold. Others have called this A24-Core, as A24 is the home to Ari Aster but Neon and other indie studios have been in the Vibes Movie Sub-Genre since it took hold in the later part of the previous decade.

It’s nevertheless apt then that the latest in the Vibes Movie sub-genre, Opus, written and directed by newcomer Mark Anthony Green is an A24 movie. Opus is the story of a struggling journalist desperate for a big break who stumbles into one of the most scandalous stories in the music industry. In Opus, a reclusive music icon named Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich), described as part David Bowie and part Madonna, announces an unexpected comeback, 30 years after the release of his last record. In a publicity stunt, Moretti’s people have chosen a small collection of industry influencers to hear the complete record before it gets released to the public.

Alongside well known and respected critics, a TV host, and a popular Instagram star, a random invitation is extended to our protagonist, Ariel Ecton (Ayo Edebiri). Ariel has been trying to break into music journalism for three years under her boss and mentor, Stan (Murray Bartlett), with no luck. Why Ariel was invited over thousands of other young, hungry journalists is a mystery. Nevertheless, she will join Stan along with talk show legend Clara Armstrong (Juliette Lewis), Instagram influencer Emily (Stephanie Suganami), famed rock photographer Bianca, and a mysterious podcaster and former rival of Moretti, named Bill.

Together this crew of journalists and influencers will travel to an undisclosed location, deep in some unnamed desert, where Moretti has sequestered himself for the past 30 years. The compound is 4 hours from the nearest bit of civilization but that doesn’t mean Moretti is alone. Indeed, the place is crawling with people. These people are sycophantic fans of Moretti but there is something more sinister about them. They all dress the same, they speak in a similar cadence, and they adhere to a specific code of conduct.

They’re part of a cult, of course. But, for reasons that the movie never explains, Ariel is the only one who thinks the vibes are off. Despite trying to convince Stan and Clara that things are weird and that, perhaps, someone in their group has disappeared, they simply chalk it up to Moretti being eccentric. If that were all that was happening here, we might not have much of a movie. Then again, even as there is a larger plot developing deep behind the scenes of the compound, there actually isn’t much to Opus beyond the bad vibes that Ariel insists are everywhere.

Of course, we, the audience, see it as well. That’s the point of Opus, making you feel off balance, a bit confused and using that confusion to build tension as you puzzle over where the story may be headed. I won’t spoil it for you but I will say I found the destination of Opus a little underwhelming. It’s a bit too broad and feels like the set up for a sequel as opposed to a satisfying conclusion. That’s an odd feeling to come away with as this does not seem like the kind of movie that should be sequel baiting. It may not be planting seeds for a sequel, but the story ends on a note that is more intriguing than anything in this movie so I feel justified in thinking there is/was a desire to continue this story.

Unfortunately, the box office for Opus makes a sequel highly unlikely. The film earned a million dollars on nearly 2000 screens which, if we go by typical box office models, that likely means the film will not make a profit or even break even with its budget of 10 million dollars. So, what we are left with are some strong vibes, a stellar look, and an ultimately unsatisfying story. Opus achieves the Vibe it is going for, you likely cannot predict what is going to happen next. Everything is just a little off, the bright colors and camera movements are intentionally disorienting, tilted, moving at odd angles, throwing off spatial awareness just enough to feel strange.

That’s a major part of Vibes Movies but other aspects are here as well like background Easter Eggs, haunting bits of foreshadowing, and misdirection. It’s clear to me that Mark Antony Green is a talented director who is finding himself as a filmmaker. He’s got a great eye, he crafts big moments well, like a terrifying sequence where Malkovich as Moretti plays his new record for his visitors and the scene descends into a Dante’s Inferno tour of hell while never leaving this barn or hangar or cave, or whatever large indoor space we are in that is disorientingly large and yet oppressive for its lack of sky. It’s a great scene.

Ultimately, as much as I like the filmmaking, the acting, (Malkovich and Edebiri are both great in Opus) and the Vibes of Opus, the story is a letdown. We are building and building and building and we end on a resigned sigh rather than a gasping loss of breath. I was hoping for an ending that would match the audacity of the listening party scene but it does not. Instead, the resolution feels like the set up for a much bigger and far more intriguing story that will now never get to be told.

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