I believe a new subgenre for horror films has been established with Ari Aster’s newest film, Eddington. It isn’t about things that go bump in the night or paranormal monsters; it is about watching brain cells and logic being destroyed by social media. Viewers are losing touch with reality from searches and scrolling, taking them deeper and deeper into an alternate reality. Creating what I am going to call braindead horror.
Add in the COVID-19 lockdown, mask mandates, the start of the Black Lives Matter movement, and a mayoral election, and you have the broad strokes in the majority of the reviews for this film. Somewhere around the 1 hour and 45–minute to 2–hour mark, the movie shifts from being a satirical social commentary that tries to push as many buttons as possible to a bloody, violent gore fest.
I am still digesting what I watched. I can follow how the first half led to the second half. It also felt like I had watched a movie that was a story written by two different people, with the author switching in the middle, and then the last 15 minutes went back to the first. Sprinkled with additional story lines just to create moments to push boundaries. This not only slowed the pace of the movie but also created a lot of extra noise; of course, maybe that was the point.
Director of photography Darius Khondji captured the multiple emotions exhibited by the cast while maintaining a modernized feel reminiscent of Western films from the 1960s and 1970s. The film makes full use of New Mexico’s striking scenery, offering visually arresting sequences that underscore both the brutality and magnitude of the story, even within its intimate, small-town backdrop.
This is the most believable fictional character I have seen from Joaquin Phoenix. There are moments you want to hug him and tell him he is doing the right thing, and it will be ok, mixed with wanting him to get a backbone, and then remind him the monster is his own creation, as he didn’t think before he spoke. Pedro Pascal is the more sophisticated Mayor, Ted Garcia. His life isn’t perfect, but he spends his money to make it appear that way. There is a definite history between the two, and Pascal brings us a man who wants to have peace and bring resolution, but we’re just not sure if that is his true motive. Both dated Louise Cross, Ted in the past, and Joe put a ring on it. Emma Stone can show so much about a character with very few lines. There is no shortage of emotion being conveyed with a glance, or a hand closing and opening into a fist. Living with Joe and Louise is her mother Dawn, Deirdre O’Connell. She is mourning her husband and hiding from reality by finding every way possible, from articles to podcasts, to find meaning in what is happening in the world. The further away from reality, the better. O’Connell brings a level of “I get it” to her eccentric, tired of the crap, so I am jumping off the deep end role.
This movie isn’t only polarizing audience opinions; it has polarized my opinion. There are things I really enjoyed, and there were stretches where I checked my watch and not even 2 minutes had passed. There were moments I was glad I was with an audience and enjoyed some of their responses and “couch coaching,” and there were moments I wished I was watching from home.
Director: Ari Aster
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Deirdre O’Connell, Emma Stone
MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong violence, some grisly images, language, and graphic nudity.
Selig Rating: 3.5 stars
Runtime: 2h 28m
Release Date: July 18, 2025
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Western
Movie Site: Eddington website
Trailer: Eddington trailer
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie/show, well worth the time and price.
4 Stars – Good movie/show
3 Stars – OK movie/show
2 Stars – Well, there was nothing else…
1 Star – Total waste of time.