‘Bugonia: Collector’s Edition’ Blu-ray (review)

Universal Studios

Described as a spiritual remake of Jang Joon-hwan’s 2003 kinetic, satirical black comedy Save the Green Planet!, Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest effort, Bugonia, sees his favorites Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons reunite with the filmmaker for another round of darkly humorous, nihilistic absurdity.

Convinced that she is an evil alien intent on destroying Earth, conspiracy-obsessed cousins Teddy (Plemons) and Don (Aidan Delbis) kidnap powerful CEO Michelle (Stone), confronting her about their suspicions, and demanding she arrange a meeting with her leader and Teddy.

What ensues is a cacophony of varying degrees of violence and constantly challenged notions of what constitutes reason, delusion, and manipulation, which will have the uninitiated viewer flipflopping between whether or not Teddy and Don are simply making up farfetched theories to cope with a family crisis, or if there is any merit to their convictions.

Stone is as magnetic as ever, confidently commanding the screen as the type of senior management professional who is so assertive that humanity seems like an inconvenient component of the human condition to her, which in turn sows a seed of doubt in the viewer’s brain as to whether Michelle is merely an avatar for corporate callousness or something more outrageous.

Plemons is a conspiracy-fueled powder keg waiting to explode, his performance saturated with intensity and subdued frustration, with Teddy’s escalating behavior going from misguidedly eccentric to increasingly threatening as the film creeps towards its unhinged conclusion.

Contrasting the two leads’ unsettling performances is Delbis’ portrayal of Don, an at once compelling and tragic character who exudes a deeply human warmth and innocence, all the while adding an undercurrent of vulnerability to Don’s dynamic with Teddy that helps to ground the film and provide emotional heft and nuance, leaving the viewer increasingly unsettled in terms of what Don’s fate may be, as he seems more a victim of Teddy’s conspiracy theories than a willing participant in them.

The bursts of violence range from awkwardly humorous to unpleasantly prolonged, something that mirrors the source material well, and Lanthimos is indeed one of the few Hollywood directors one would expect to be able to approach the unapologetic style associated with the storytelling of Korean cinema, as most Western filmmakers simply do not possess the ability to just let things be awful and horrible when they need to be in order to form the most impactful narrative possible.

For those who have not yet managed to mesh with Lanthimos’ deeply nihilistic sense of humor, Bugonia is unlikely to win them over, as the filmmaker leans into his trademark notions here, delivering a solid effort for a remake, however, in terms of Lanthimos’ filmography, Bugonia sits around the middle of what the Greek filmmaker has achieved thus far.

As such, Bugonia is leagues above most of what Hollywood has had to offer audiences in 2025, making it a fun experience for fans of the filmmaker in particular and the unusual film experience in general, whereas it may be a somewhat traumatizing experience for those innocent souls who have previously steered clear of Lanthimos’ delightfully unhinged whims.

Extras include making of featurette.

Verdict: 8 out of 10.