Eddington Movie Review (Spoiler Free)

A small town sheriff enters the race to become mayor, just as the whole world panics over the “end-of-times”. As arguments begin to divide friendships, politics soon turns into paranoia. 

Genre: Comedy / Drama / Western

Director: Ari Aster

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, Matt Gome Hidaka, Cameron Mann, Luke Grimes, Amélie Hoeferle& Austin Butler.

Run Time: 148 min.

US Release: 18 July 2025

UK Release: 22 August 2025

German Release: 20 November 2025

The new Ari Aster movie premiered in German cinemas last night, though I managed to catch it a couple of days early thanks to a sneak preview. The director first caught my attention back in 2018 with his brilliant horror debut, Hereditary, followed by another immediate hit, Midsommar. In 2023, he released the bizarre Beau is Afraid, diving deep into the topic of anxiety. As such, I was actually looking forward to his newest premise, especially since the trailer marketed it as a tense societal thriller. Unfortunately, what I got instead was a messy, inferior product that left me both irritated as well as somewhat confused.

So, charge with me, guns blazing, into my review for Eddington. 

Set in the midst of the COVID pandemic, an ideological standoff between a small-town sheriff and the mayor sparks a powder keg, pitting neighbour against neighbour in Eddington, New Mexico.

Now, there is a lot to unpack in this film. For one, Aster’s screenplay revisits the pandemic era, which has vast potential for examining a variety of subjects. Some might find it too early, but I personally had no problem with it. With that said, the director’s goal to make audiences as uncomfortable as possible, by creating an atmosphere of uncertainty plus dread, is certainly achieved.

The use of a small town in a neo-western setting to explore the deep political divides across the US is brilliant, as it creates a pressure-cooker environment in which issues about COVID regulations, social injustices, generational trauma, as well as conspiracy theories, are amplified, mirroring the broader fractures in the United States. It also has the guts to point fingers at the two-party system, blaming both the left and the right for the failures that shaped the current socio-political landscape.

However, it's the plot's ambition that turns into its biggest obstacle. By trying to cram every single social issue into one narrative, it becomes unfocused plus bloated, something that is especially evident in its lengthy 148-minute runtime. Compelling subplots, such as the creation of echo chambers due to algorithm-driven social media feeds, are picked up yet never fully explored. At the same time, its satirical punch-throwing often feels more like a childish tantrum. In the end, it tries to say everything, without really saying anything at all.

The dialogue does capture the contemporary disconnect, laced with satirical humour. Nevertheless, it doesn't offer nearly as much bite as it thinks it does.

The biggest problem with Eddington, by far, is that it is filled to the brim with unlikeable characters that no one wants to root for, nor spend two hours of their life with. Some start out sympathetic, like the lead, but ultimately spin out of control.

Nonetheless, the acting is one of the movie’s highlights, with standout performances across the board. Joaquin Phoenix plays Sheriff Joe Cross, the central figure in this political satire, delivering a memorable, layered portrayal. The sheriff is a man permanently on edge, riddled with anger, just like insecurity that has been bottled up for years, largely stemming from his toxic relationship with his wife, portrayed by Emma Stone. These emotions erupt once he feels he’s been pushed too far.

Stone herself has a surprisingly small role, considering her persona is one of the driving forces behind her husband's emotional instability. Louise Cross is deeply depressed, though she constantly gaslights her husband. Regretably, she functions more as a narrative device than a fully realised character, existing mostly to push Cross further into his downward spiral.

Pedro Pascal, as Mayor Ted Garcia, further solidifies the stellar acting in this feature. Sheriff Cross’s political, as well as personal rival, Garcia, is a politician with a somewhat chequered past, directly tied to the lead. Pascal gives a delicious recital as the smooth-talking, yet ultimately slimy, political head figure of the town. His mandates for the COVID-19 pandemic are what light the fuse to a socio-political powder keg.

Most disappointing is the casting of Austin Butler, who appears for only a few fleeting moments. He plays a social-media-driven cult figure. Despite his limited screentime, Butler is mesmerising, commanding every second he’s on screen with an intense, magnetic delivery.

The camera, handled by veteran cinematographer Darius Khondji, creates a lush, immersive world to behold. The colour palette suits its neo-western aesthetics beautifully, embracing warm cream, brown, plus orange hues. A continuous take, during Sheriff Cross’s confrontation with Mayor Garcia at a party builds palpable tension, utilising depth and focus to add meaning to the imagery, even if the weak script often undermines these efforts. The carefully composed shots are working overtime to support a barely-there narrative.

The wardrobe design fits the “neo-western” tone flawlessly, crafted to look naturally worn and lived-in. The editing plays a significant part in injecting a sensation of unease, which is essential to the feature’s identity. Fire effects, just like explosions, are made via VFX, as are some of the bloodier sequences.

The musical score is effective in setting the overall mood, enhancing the tension when needed.

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Verdict: Ari Aster’s news flick is a mixed bag that leans slightly toward the positive. For one, it does succeed in what it sets out to do it intended to do, namely, to unsettle its audience by revisiting the pandemic era, with all the conspiracies, fractures, and ideological battles that didn’t just divide the US, but the world at large. The camera captures that tension magnificently, as neighbours turn into ideological enemies and friends are pitted against each other. The orange-cream colour palette complements the “neo-western” sub-genre, while the composition, framing, and depth all try to give the picture some thematic weight. However, this is undermined by a messy screenplay that throws a tantrum about the failures of both political parties, all while talking down to its audience for contributing to the divide in the first place. It packs every major social issue from the last five years into its script, yet doesn’t have anything meaningful to say. The acting is solid, sadly, most of its cast is wasted. Eddington receives a well-meaning 6.0  out of 10.

Have you seen the new Aster flick? What is your opinion? Do you agree with me? Leave a comment below & as always, thank you for reading.