Opus

I read some reviews for Opus that compared this to a number of "outsider is invited into or finds themselves in the inner sanctum a cult and chaos ensues" movies. I was curious to see how Opus would compare to those movies. I've seen a bunch of them: The Sacrament, The Endless, The Menu, The Wicker Man (lots of definitive articles in these titles), Get Out, the list goes on. I was curious to see what Opus would do with the premise. The answer is nothing. Nothing at all. It is not an exaggeration to say Opus doesn't have an original bone in its body. It plays the hits of all those movies and that is it. I would compare Opus to a tribute act, but there's at least passion in tribute bands. Opus is entirely devoid of that. It is a photocopy of someone else's script with a global replace on the proper nouns. You will find absolutely nothing in Opus that you haven't seen. Not a damned thing. Worse yet is that this doesn't feel like some rote regurgitation for a quick cash-grab. No, sir, Opus is PROUD of itself. Opus stands with its chest puffed out, thinking it has something deep and profound to say about toxic fandom and idolatry, and what it says can be found scribbled in the margins of a hundred better scripts. Opus is as oblivious as it is vacuous, which is no small feat, because both are found in quantities that should defy the laws of physics. So, how do you make a movie that feels like a copy-paste from other, better movies, even worse than it already is, when it barely has anything to begin with? Ask the cast (except John Malkovich, who is hamming it up) to act like with all the enthusiasm of a third grader giving their book report at the head of the class. Now add in most every character forced to act like they have the deductive reasoning of a garden slug, because otherwise the plot would collapse in on itself like a dying star. Toss in some unresolved plot points and questions that the movie has no interest in answering. Sprinkle in the ludicrous idea that Malkovich's character was the biggest star pop star in the world in the 90's, when pop was a dead genre for more than half of it, and when the music they play of his would be better suited to auditory torture in a black-ops prison than being bumped out of the cars of teenagers. And then there's that wholly insulting and unearned twist ending. Opus sucks. I'm not gonna beat around the bush. This movie is a kid who raised his F to a D and thinks you should not only be proud but grateful, and they should get out of chores. Opus is an insufferable and comprehensive failure, looking to do no more for this sub-genre of horror than ride its coattails but pretend it's the one wearing the coat. Malkovich's scenery-chewing performance can't save this train wreck. Don't waste your time. You've seen it all before.