OPUS made its linear debut SATURDAY, JULY 12 at 8:00 p.m. ET on HBO and was available to stream the day prior. In it, a young writer is invited to the remote compound of a legendary pop star who mysteriously disappeared thirty years ago. Surrounded by the star’s cult of sycophants and intoxicated journalists, she finds herself in the middle of his twisted plan. Just how twisted is it? To tease it, let’s just say it is an A24 film starring John Malkovich as the pop star, so that should give you an idea of how twisted it could get.
Let’s see if we can give you the gist of it. 1990s pop superstar Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich) comes out of retirement to announce his new album and invites six guests to attend a listening party at his Utah compound. They are journalist Ariel Ecton (Ayo Edebiri) and her boss Stan Sullivan (Murray Bartlett), talk show host Clara Armstrong (Juliette Lewis), influencer Emily Katz (Stephanie Suganami), paparazza Bianca Tyson (Melissa Chambers), and radio shock jock Bill Lotto (Mark Sivertsen). They learn that the gathering is a cult with Moretti as the leader. Some of his followers are played by Amber Midthunder, Young Mazino, Tony Hale, and Tatanka Means.
It seems that Ariel’s time with the bizarre troupe turns quite odd and deadly. But, is it enough to draw a viewer into the tale? Certainly Malkovich’s performance is charismatic enough, right? Can Ariel survive and expose this dangerous cult? You’ll have to watch it to see, but critics reveal that it might not be as interesting a flash and show as it could be. Empire Magazine liked it enough and said, “All is very much what it seems from another one of these all-is-not-what-it-seems thrillers — but there are fun, enjoyably unhinged performances from Edebiri and Malkovich.” However, the Observer observed, “It’s fertile ground for a satirical thriller, but Opus doesn’t probe deeply enough to say anything interesting, and what Green does have to say isn’t terribly clear. Opus isn’t as superficial as the world it’s commenting on, but it’s not cleverer, either.”
The film, written and directed by Mark Anthony Green, clocks in at 104 minutes. Find it across HBO’s channels and on HBO Max.
