2.5 out of 5.0 stars
“Opus,” released March 14, attempts to be a standout contemporary horror film. Despite fans and critics comparing “Opus” to popular movies such as “Midsommar” and “Get Out,” it ultimately is incredibly mediocre.
The film introduces Ariel Ecton (Ayo Edebiri), a young journalist working to have her perspectives shared with the world. Despite the obvious ambition and passion Ariel has for writing, her editor Stan (Murray Bartlett) makes sure to never give her the spotlight. He takes her pitches and hands them off to others, dismissing Ariel’s three years of experience.
Though Ariel’s mistreatment had the potential to set up a compelling storyline, it’s never expanded on. Ariel’s character remains flat throughout the entirety of the film; she has no real experiences or unique traits that make her main-character worthy. Other characters consistently hurl insults at Ariel but the movie makes no effort to prove these insults wrong, which gives the audience no reason to empathize with Ariel. However, Edebiri does an outstanding job with what little time is spent with the character, as she manages to bring some personality to a character whose sole trait seems to be the need to be famous. Ariel’s witty humor keeps the audience entertained despite the generally dull writing, leading to a very strong performance for such a surface level character.
Ariel is given her breakout opportunity when pop legend Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich) invites five media professionals to an exclusive listening party for his new album. Upon her arrival, Ariel picks up on the eerie behavior of Moretti and his desert commune: stalking guests, taking technology away and disappearing in the middle of the day. Failing to alert her companions after several attempts, the group opts to let loose and ignore the cult-like behavior because they are in the presence of a celebrity. As deeply disturbing events ensue and the group continues to trust Moretti with his prestige status, their desperate need for fame leads them to a terrifying discovery: their idolized pop star is a bloodthirsty cult leader.
The poster for the film proudly wears the tagline “there’s no cult like celebrity.” However, the film never fully indulges in this narrative because of everything else it’s trying to accomplish such as the classic contemporary horror aesthetic and the role of entertainment media regarding celebrities. There are too many themes going around, and the film’s pacing doesn’t allow it all to fully play out. It seems half baked.
With a background in journalism, director Mark Anthony Green had an opportunity to use his personal experiences and perspective to explore what celebrity worship looks like in the media and the parasocial relationships that develop as a result. Green’s attempt to explore this was overshadowed by the introduction of the cult inhabitants: the Levelists.
Initially set up as a device to show the lengths people will go to please celebrities, the Levelists’ impact quickly fades the further the film progresses. As they coexist with Moretti, they perform unusual routines to show his influence. Among these is the belief they preach about, “teach them young”, which is never fully explained. Instead, the audience gets distracted from the real focus of the film — celebrity worship — as the Levelists partake in indescribable horrors. Green focuses more on the fear factor rather than developing the conversation around the unhealthy obsession fans have. While the Levelists do represent fans praising celebrities, the lack of explanation and development regarding their ideology creates a sloppy ending, which could have been amazing if done properly. They are used more for shock value instead of being used to move the story.
The plot then jumps two years into the future and shows Ariel publishing a book about her run in with the cult and finally establishing a career for herself. Ariel is determined to prove that the Levelists committed a mass suicide in order to protect Moretti and his reputation. However, as Ariel interviews Moretti in prison, he reveals that the Levelist’s have infested society to spread their beliefs.
The disappointing reveal means nothing to the audience because there is no significant impact. It fails at both moving the plot and scaring the audience due to the lack of exploration given to the Levelists’ and their practices. Green tried to pave the way for a discussion about the sick culture of celebrity obsession, the treatment women face in the journalism industry and how parasocial relationships form without realization. However, he lets visuals lead the story and attempts to copy the blueprint of all contemporary horror films with its shot composition and abundance of psychological twists, which only took away from the rich and relevant storyline.
Although “Opus” has a lot to say about stan culture and how the press play into it, the overemphasized horror elements make it more confusing than anything. The story would have benefitted from more character development. Like Ariel’s original perspective on life as a result of how her coworkers belittled her, “Opus” is just “middling.”
