Bugonia Movie Review: A Surreal Dive Into Aliens and Modern Paranoia

Yorgos Lanthimos has done it again! There is something in his name that we know will bring a uniqueness to his next project.

Here is our version of the Bugonia movie review that will explain in depth what the name actually means and how it is connected to Emma Stone’s corporate image in the plot.​

Plot details of Bugonia (2025)

Bugonia focuses on two men, Teddy (played by Jesse Plemons) and Don (Aidan Delbis), who are obsessed with proving that a well-known pharmaceutical company CEO, Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), is an alien.​

They craft a fool-proof plan to abduct her and get information out of her till her mothership reaches the lunar eclipse day so that they can save the Earth.

Teddy became a maniac after her mother (Alicia Silverstone) volunteered for the same company’s drug test that resulted in a coma. The delusional Teddy does not want to let go of Michelle, for which he shaves her head and paints her face white, so that the alleged alien could not harm them.​

Watch the trailer here:​

Actors’ performances in Bugonia (2025)

Emma Stone as Michelle was commendable. She made it as believable as possible to the audience, as well as to Teddy, that she was not an alien. Her composed and calm voice was surprisingly impactful, given that she was the CEO of a top-notch pharmaceutical company.

Being on the covers of Time magazine and other notable publications showed that Michelle was well aware of her power and prestige in the industry. She knew that she was the one making a difference (either positive or negative) in society.

Jesse Plemons’ Teddy is lauded by the critics as he has portrayed an “award-worthy” leading role. He delivered one of his most complex and powerful performances of his career, appearing as an unhinged maniac.

He had gone through personal tragedies and desperately wanted better for the world. His captivating performance was mainly compared to the intense Joker played by Heath Ledger previously.

Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons’ roles were the highlights of the film, as both were convincing in their own categories. Teddy was a deluded fanatic, while Michelle was a ruthless and fearless captive who gave a thrilling twist in the last 15 minutes.

What do critics add to Bugonia movie review?​

The critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes highly approves of the film, as it says,

​“Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons are at the top of their game in Bugonia, a bonkers entertainment that applies director Yorgos Lanthimos’ whip-smart method to modern society’s madness.” [Source]

The critics were all praise for Lanthimos’ filmmaking tactics as he possesses “refined aesthetics” that gave a sleek tone to the discussion of social class and corporate capitalism. The cherry on top was the peak performances coming from the two highly acclaimed actors.

They were of the view that the film’s suspenseful, comic, and manipulative plot was a bizarre combination that worked pretty well. The dark comedic thriller has pleasantly revived the genre, as it was “gorgeously twisted”, the critics believed.

​Fans’ reaction​

Most of the fan reviews were full of applause for Emma Stone and Plepmons’ performances. The “thought-provoking tale” was intelligently carried by these two gifted performers.

The fans found Lanthimos’ unbelievable direction for the remake of Save the Green Planet over-the-top as he knows how to balance sinister atmosphere with humour and a horror undertone. He is the only one who demonstrates his craft well by transforming a creepily disturbing movie into a brilliantly haunting way, the viewers acknowledged.

Is it worth watching?

Of course! This riveting and gripping story deserves an instant watch, as it made me rethink the entire philosophy of this planet twice. I was forced to ponder upon the truth of humanity and was left wondering whether the person sitting next to me is an alien or not.

The pleasantly cynical nature of the film molded the uncomfortable truth into a vision where the dark end of humanity stands at the end of a tunnel with no light. The film asks several questions and urges conspiracy theorists to reconsider all the hard realities of life in an engaging yet wild manner.  ​

Emma Stone has an elaborate collaboration with Yorgos Lanthimos in The Favourite (2018), Bleat (2022), Poor Things (2023), Kinds of Kindness (2024), and now in Bugonia.

The Greek filmmaker used an American setting for Bugonia by using a mythological reference in the remake of the South Korean film, originally directed by Jang Joon-hwan in 2003.  ​

Bugonia actually refers to the ancient, obsolete belief that bees are spontaneously generated from the dead bodies of cows. The film somehow suggests that nature’s cycles could be restored from corporate decay.

The theme of radical resistance against the power-dynamics of the economy seems brutal since it was the ending where all the climax trickled down to one thing: the bubble burst and the end of humanity.​

I loved the soundtrack or score. It felt like an old film aesthetic with a mix of contemporary experimentation. The song towards the end, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” by Marlene Dietrich, is the original song that sets the precise tone of the bleak ending of the film. Gorgeous!

The film might seem slow at some point, but I don’t want to spoil it anymore for you. It surely deserves a full-length watch as the eyeball-grabbing conclusion will hit you hard, for sure!​

What we liked

• Outstanding lead performances
• Yorgos Lanthimos’ signature tone
• Clever mythology and symbolism
• A bold reimagining of a cult classic
• Strong social commentary
• A haunting, beautifully curated soundtrack
• A spellbinding final act

What could be better

• Pacing issues in the mid-section
• Plot complexity may overwhelm casual viewers
• Limited development of supporting characters
• The disturbing final message may not appeal to everyone
• Ambiguity that leaves big questions unanswered

Here’s a detailed breakdown of our rating for Bugonia (2025):

Story/plot	9/10
Characters and acting	9/10
Direction and pacing	8/10
Visuals and cinematography	8/10
Soundtrack/score	8/10
Themes and message	9.5/10
Emotional impact	8.5/10
Creativity/originality	7/10
Rewatchability	6/10

​​Our rating: 7.5/10

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Is Bugonia (2025) available for online streaming?

​Focus Features is currently distributing Bugonia (2025) (R-rated) in theatres only. It is expected to be available on Apple TV for online streaming after a few weeks.  

Genre: Alien invasion, dark comedy, crime, sci-fi, mystery, thriller

IMDb rating: 7.6

Rotten Tomatoes: 87 percent on Tomatometer (critics’ score) and 84 percent on Popcornmeter 

Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, Alicia Silverstone

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Writers: Jang Joon-hwan, Will Tracy

Producers: Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Emma Stone, Ari Aster, Lars Knudsen, Miky Lee, Jerry Kyoungboum Ko 

Release date: October 24, 2025

Movie runtime: 1 hour 58 minutes

Have you watched Bugonia yet? Tell us your take on the ending twist!