The tale of an eccentric celebrity inviting a group of people to his strange house, filled with his submissive subjects, is a path well trodden. From films such as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to Midsommar, all of the films have a central character who thinks this is not quite right only to be told by all the other guests that all is well. The problem with tropes is that after watching the same thing happen again and again in multiple scenarios it just becomes a little tiring to see.

In Opus, young music journalist assistant Ariel (Ayo Edebiri) is invited with her boss Stan (Murray Bartlett) and a few other lucky souls to come to a private listening experience for the new album from recluse music legend Dina Simone (John Malkovich). Once she arrives she notices he is surrounded by cultists worshipping him and his new religion, and not everything goes to plan.

John Malkovich is such an enigma and icon of an actor and this is the most Malkovich-y Malkovich performance since Being John Malkovich. He writhes around on the floor, he enthusiastically dances around, he lounges on a sun bed being painted by one of his minions. He is already a cult leader-esque personality so it’s not far fetched to see him as this Charles Manson mixed with Michael Jackson level figure. It’s obvious he is having fun with this role, but I think that first time director Mark Anthony Green’s problem is that he almost lets Malkovich go too far and it takes away from the thrilling plot more than it should. The film wants to be deadly serious whilst also being funny, but it is often not funny enough and not serious enough, just becoming a little bit of a mess.

Ayo Edebiri is a great actress in The Bear and Bottoms but I am still not quite convinced with her dramatic chops and if she can actually play a different character than her usual awkward, bubbly, witty self. A good director can get a real stellar performance out of her I know it, I just need to see more. The supporting cast are fine and it is shot nicely with an interesting score as well. I just wish the script and the structure was more up to scratch; there were some good scenes peppered in there but the way it comes together just does not work. The film falls off a cliff an hour in and never recovers.

I will say though, the songs in this are outstanding ear worms, the film successfully makes me believe that a large number of people would go crazy over John Malkovich if he was the creator of music like that.