150 Word Review: 'Opus' (2025)
The comeback kook
I am the target demo for A24: I heart that brand's signature mix of eerie menace and offbeat dread, but Opus, an A24 horror-comedy, would have benefited from less of the former and more of the latter. The sudden bloodshed was predictable, but the quirky humor was a treat. Opus is a darkly hilarious look at the celebrity industrial complex weighed down by a cult plot.
Ayo Edebiri is an ambitious journalist invited to spend the weekend at the remote compound of a celebrity recluse, Willy Wonka-style. She's a fantastic comedic actor whose expressive eyes sell shock and awe. John Malkovich is having a delightful time as a former 90's pop music mega-star. His pretentious dance songs are the movie's highlight, and I wish his insane character had been fleshed out more. Writer-director Mark Anthony Green is a confident and clever filmmaker, and I look forward to his next opus.
Hope it's on the plane going home from Frankfurt. I watched "Friendship" based on your review, and loved it!