Bugonia Film Review: Satire & Sci-fi

Part black comedy, part science fiction, and part action film, Yorgos Lanthimos’s Bugonia is everything and nothing all at once.

The acting is undoubtedly one of the most memorable elements of Bugonia. Not only do the three main actors deliver some really powerful performances individually, but they also work together really well with excellent on-screen chemistry and comedic timing with each other. Some of the best scenes of the movie are the ones where we see the three main characters together and interacting on the screen. While we have seen this with Plemons and Stone, who have worked together and were directed by Lanthimos before, Delbis is the surprise of the film as he manages to seamlessly become part of this trio. 

Lanthimos is very successful at mixing genres and delivering each of them well. At first, the movie takes the tone of a black comedy, with many people laughing out loud at the jokes and satire that we find throughout. Soon after, the movie also borrows elements from other genres that had traditionally very little to do with black comedy, such as science fiction, due to its plot being rooted in the belief that alien life exists, and action, with its many well-executed stunts and fight scenes. During the film’s most gory moments, some scenes may easily remind us of horror, and particularly of slasher films, as well. Such a mix of very different genre conventions and elements may seem impossible, but in Bugonia, they all fit very well with the context of the story. 

The premise of Bugonia is also very fascinating as it allows the director to touch on some key issues of our time, such as the widespread appeal of conspiracy theorists and distrust with the powerful and very rich minority that CEOs are often part of. For those who have seen his previous work, like Poor Things, this would seem to bode really well, as Lanthimos has proven himself to be a director capable of addressing these complex themes within the context of a fictional story. However, he does not manage to deliver a similar social critique quite as successfully as he once did, making us wonder if he will ever be able to recreate the groundbreaking social commentary and stunning visuals many had loved in Poor Things. 

By the time the film ends, it feels like this story has not reached its full potential. With such a talented cast and interesting premise, Bugonia could have elevated its narrative into a powerful political satire. Instead, the final twist undermines the entire critique that the film seemed to be setting up for, making for an overall movie that has very little substance, if any at all. This easily makes the final act of the movie the weakest, with a disappointing and predictable conclusion that ends up hurting the entire product. The rest of the movie also presents some writing issues, with some overexpository sequences that struggle to deliver all the necessary information and worldbuilding of this story to the audience without falling into the trap of infodumping. 

Overall, Bugonia is far from being Lanthimos’ best film, but it is definitely an improvement over his previous movie. The director is keeping to some of the themes he had explored in Kinds of Kindness before, but does so a lot more successfully this time around. The collaboration between Lanthimos and Stone is successful once again, but this movie begs the question of how many times the audience can see the director working with the same actors before it becomes too repetitive. Due to the similar themes and an almost identical cast as Lanthimos’ previous work, it may already seem like he is doing the same thing over and over again. 

Bugonia had its World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival on August 28, 2025. The film will be released in select US and Canadian theaters on October 24, 2025, nationwide on October 31, and in U.K. cinemas on November 7.