Movie Review: ‘Bugonia’

In theaters on October 31st is ‘Bugonia’, which finds Jesse Plemons as Teddy, a man convinced that extraterrestrials from Andromeda have been strategically destroying the human race (and bees) and kidnaps a woman (Emma Stone’s Michelle) he believes is one of the marauding aliens.

​In theaters on October 31st is ‘Bugonia’, which finds Jesse Plemons as Teddy, a man convinced that extraterrestrials from Andromeda have been strategically destroying the human race (and bees) and kidnaps a woman (Emma Stone’s Michelle) he believes is one of the marauding aliens.   

In theaters on October 31st is ‘Bugonia’, which finds Jesse Plemons as Teddy, a man convinced that extraterrestrials from Andromeda have been strategically destroying the human race (and bees) and kidnaps a woman (Emma Stone’s Michelle) he believes is one of the marauding aliens.

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (‘Poor Things’), the movie’s cast also includes Alicia Silverstone (‘Clueless’), Marc T. Lewis and Stavros Halkias (‘Let’s Start a Cult’).

Related Article: Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons to Star in Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Bugonia’

Initial Thoughts

At this point, we both know what to predict from a Yorgos Lanthimos movie –– weirdness in abundance, but with a moral core –– and also to expect the unexpected as the Greek filmmaker goes in different directions for his work.

Here, re-teaming for a fourth time with Emma Stone and a second with Jesse Plemons (who appeared in last year’s ‘Kinds of Kindness’, he’s found a suitable subject re-making 2003 Korean conspiracy thriller/dark comedy ‘Save the Green Planet!’

Script and Direction

Written by Will Tracy, a ‘Succession’ veteran whose big screen work also includes 2022’s ‘The Menu’, ‘Bugonia’ adapts Jang Joon-hwan’s original script into something that works for both international audiences and Lanthimos’ own sensibilities.

While it occasionally lags in pace, it largely keeps the shocks and the laughs coming, and has you guessing whether Stone’s character really is from another planet or if Plemons is simply supremely delusional.

Lanthimos, working again with cinematographer Robbie Ryan, keeps things mostly grounded, letting the performances do the heavy lifting, but adding in stylish touches that help tell the story.

Cast and Performances

Stone and Plemons are the focus here, with Stone as hard-charging businesswoman who is by turns icily logical and desperately emotional depending on the situation. She really has found a great collaborator in the director, who keeps pushing her in fascinating new directions.

Plemons, meanwhile, also flourishes, feasting on the role of the twitchy, tortured, lank-haired lead, a man convinced his theories are correct even in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary.

But there’s great work too from newcomer Aidan Delbis as Teddy’s cousin/sidekick Don, a young man on the autism spectrum who really wants to go along with Teddy’s plans, but has such a sweet naiveté to how he sees the word.

Final Thoughts

‘Bugonia’ has more on its mind than the basic clash of conspiracy thriller and farcical comedy you might have predicted, including meditations on the machinations of big pharma and the dire condition of the Earth’s climate.

But it’s all so wrapped in effective entertainment that it never feels like a lecture.

‘Bugonia’ receives 85 out of 100.

What’s the story of ‘Bugonia’?

Two conspiracy-obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.

Who is in the cast of ‘Bugonia’?

Emma Stone as Michelle FullerJesse Plemons as TeddyAidan Delbis as DonStavros Halkias as CaseyAlicia Silverstone as Sandy

List of Yorgos Lanthimos Movies:

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