“Bugonia” feels like a turning point for Yorgos Lanthimos … normality. It is still strange, still playful and still filled with that offbeat rhythm he is known for, but it is lighter and far less tense than I expected. It is also a very timely remake of “Save the Green Planet”, and that context ends up being one of the strongest parts of the entire film.
Jesse Plemons is incredible here. He physically transformed himself for this role and it shows. His character feels fully lived in, and his eyes feel so empty, perfect for a mysterious and deranged character like this. He balances humor, paranoia and sadness in a way that gives the film more emotional weight than it would have had without him. Emma Stone is also great, which is no surprise at this point. She has solidified herself as one of the best actors of the decade. Every scene she is in feels grounded, even as the movie gets more absurd, and her character is trying to outsmart her captor. It’s an interesting balance of characters which puts a bound-and-gagged twist on “unstoppable force meets immovable object”.
Since this is a remake, the connection to “Save the Green Planet” is important. The original film came out in 2003 when fears about corporate overreach, environmental collapse and government secrecy were bubbling in a way that felt new. It was also a time when conspiracy culture was moving from fringe communities into a more mainstream conversation. That film captured a type of early internet paranoia and treated it as both tragic and comedic.
“Bugonia” carries that same energy into the present, but the context has changed. Today conspiracy theories spread instantly through social media. People live inside digital echo chambers where the truth becomes whatever their chosen community repeats back to them. Entire belief systems can form around isolation, fear and online misinformation. Lanthimos’s version uses that reality to shape every character. The story is not just about two men who believe in an alien CEO. It is about how easy it is in 2025 for people to convince themselves of anything when they feel powerless and disconnected from the world around them.
There is a strong social message here about people with very little support systems seeking meaning in online groups that eventually radicalize them. The film does not lecture the audience about it. Instead, it just shows how believable it is that two lonely, frustrated people could drift into a fantasy that eventually becomes violent. It is one of the strongest thematic choices in the movie.
As a Lanthimos fan, I found myself waiting for that familiar moment when things shift into something eerie or unsettling. There are hints of it throughout, but the tension takes a long time to build, and even when it does, it never fully lands in the way his other films do. The dialogue is witty and fun, but there is noticeably less of it than usual. The long, awkward conversations and uncomfortable silences that define so many of his previous films are mostly absent. It is a change in style, and even though it works for the movie he is remaking, it still feels a little underwhelming when viewed through the lens of his past work.
Visually the film is sharp, although not quite as distinct as “Poor Things” or “The Favourite.” The cinematography gets the job done but does not reach the same hypnotic level those films had. The score also feels surprisingly laid back. It builds mood without ever pushing the film into a new emotional space. These choices make sense for the tone Lanthimos is going for, but they do make the film feel smaller than expected.
Despite that, “Bugonia” is still an entertaining and clever movie. It brings a beloved cult story into a modern context and treats its themes with care. It is fun, witty and embraces the absurdity of the premise without turning it into a joke. The performances elevate everything, especially Plemons, who might genuinely be one of the most interesting actors working right now.
It Is not Lanthimos at his most immersive or his most daring, but it is a strong, timely remake that understands why the original mattered and why its message still hits today. For what it sets out to do, it works.
