Eddington

In 2019, Ari Aster struck many film fans as the new face of horror and quickly attached him to the genre. In 2025, Ari Aster has departed from that stereotype and is now seen (at least in my opinion) as a director who makes very polarizing and ambitious films that he wants to make. I gotta respect the guy for going out and doing that. Eddington, much like his 2023 film "Beau is Afraid" is that kind of film. It's ridiculously ambitious, busy, and absolutely bonkers. It's something that I feel only Aster could make. I'll agree with the critics when they say Aster covers a lot of subjects but doesn't really commit to most of them. He seems to kind of get lost in the moment of trying to satirize and summarize too many subjects of the COVID pandemic to the point of exhaustion. It's not his most successful film and it's certainly not going to please everyone, but I greatly admire the drive he put into it.

When I first saw the trailer for Eddington, I knew right away this was not a movie I was eager to watch. Whoever cut that trailer should probably reconsider their career; it made the film look painfully dull. Unfortunately, the first half of the movie proved the trailer wasn't entirely misleading.

The story spends far too much time bogged down in political debates set during the pandemic era. These conversations are supposed to be thought-provoking, but most of them go in circles, leading nowhere. The dialogue feels both heavy-handed and oddly hollow, as if the writers wanted to capture the tension of the time but instead ended up rehashing tired talking points.

The one saving grace of the film is its impressive cast. A true ensemble of talent, they do their best to elevate the material, injecting nuance and gravitas where the script falls short. And yet, even they are not immune to the weight of the sluggish pacing; brilliant actors lost in a swamp of slow-moving scenes and clumsy political commentary.

Then, around the halfway mark, something shifts. The narrative finally sparks to life with an unexpected turn that injects suspense and gives the story much-needed momentum. For a while, it feels like Eddington has found its footing. There are moments of genuine intrigue and emotional impact, and you start to see glimpses of the great film it could have been.

But just as things get interesting, the movie stumbles again at the finish line. The ending is anticlimactic, not entirely out of place given the tone, but still unsatisfying and awkward. It leaves you with the feeling that the film simply didn't know how to wrap up its ideas, so it settled for an ending that is "understandable," yet underwhelming.

Final verdict: Eddington is a film of two halves; the first painfully slow and weighed down by misguided political chatter, the second finally engaging but ultimately leading to a disappointing conclusion. With a weaker cast this movie would have been a complete miss, but thanks to the performances and a few sparks of suspense, it manages to scrape by with a middling 6/10.

I can only tell this is gonna be a very polarising film, people are going to love the ambition from Aster or call it a convoluted mess.

Depending on your views during the 2020s will severely determined your outlook on this film. Are you able to laugh at the insanity or remain serious at the severity of events that transpired.

Eddington is ultimately a satire on the comedic ridiculousness and tumultuous times of the 2020's. Eddington in itself is the main character. It's a macrocosom of events that impacted the US but obviously ramps them up to 11.

I appreciate the craft and the film was at its best when it was reminiscent of the Coen's No Country For Old Men. The 2nd act elevated the implemented satire to a contemporary western crime thriller.

The film is hit or miss in its summary. I understand the message and themes but at some points the execution is lacking. I feel like it tried to juggle a lot of themes and messages. Maybe sticking to one or two would have made the film more tight and succinct.

It's a meticulously crafted powder keg, and Aster lights the fuse with the precision of someone who knows exactly how long the fuse burns. The man doesn't make movies-he engineers experiences. This one? A contemporary western that hums with unease, like a desert wind carrying whispers of something off.

Aster's got a reputation for unsettling audiences, but here he trades pagan rituals and family trauma for the sun-bleached nihilism of New Mexico. The tension isn't in the jump scares-it's in the silence between glances, the way a sheriff's badge catches the light just a little too sharply. His camera lingers like a vulture circling, and the editing? Tight. No wasted movement. You'll feel every minute of its 148 runtime, but not because it drags. Because it grinds.

Joaquin Phoenix as the sheriff? He's all coiled ambition and swallowed rage, a man who's mastered the art of smiling without it touching his eyes. Emma Stone? She's in her element here, shifting from warmth to withering skepticism like a switchblade flicking open. And Pedro Pascal-quiet, calculating, a performance that says more in a raised eyebrow than most do in monologues.

If you're expecting another Midsommar, adjust your sights. This is a different breed-a dark comedy dressed in cowboy boots, where the jokes land like gut punches. The humor's bone-dry, the violence matter-of-fact, and the existential dread? Oh, it's there. Lurking in the background like a bad habit you can't quit.

Is it perfect? No. The third act's ambition occasionally outpaces its grip, and not every metaphor sticks the landing. But perfection's overrated. Eddington's a ride-a nasty, hypnotic, memorable ride. Aster's not asking you to like it. He's daring you to look away.

My advice? Don't.

Eddington feels like being locked in a room with your own thoughts...while those thoughts are armed and slightly unhinged. The pacing is tight, the plot twists keep you leaning forward, and just when your anxiety peaks, it throws in a gut-punch of humor that somehow makes it all feel human again.

It's a rare film that can make you laugh and feel like you need to sit quietly in a dark room afterward just to process what you watched. This is that film. Smart, offbeat, unsettling, and genuinely entertaining. Eddington doesn't just keep you intrigued, it lingers long after the credits roll.