Eddington (2025) – A Frenzied COVID Western That Defies Convention
Genre: Neo-Western Satire, Political Black Comedy
Director/Writer: Ari Aster
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix (Joe Cross), Pedro Pascal (Mayor Ted Garcia), Emma Stone (Louise Cross), Austin Butler (Vernon Peak)
Cinematography: Darius Khondji
Runtime: 149 minutes
Release Date: Cannes premiere May 16, 2025; US theaters July 18, 2025
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1. 🧭 Overview & Context
1163-0Set in May 2020, Eddington frames the early COVID pandemic as a modern Western showdown—with a mask-defiant sheriff (Phoenix) facing off against a by-the-book mayor (Pascal). Ari Aster, known for horror like Midsommar and Beau Is Afraid, uses biting satire to channel societal madness .
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2. 💥 Plot & Pacing
1525-0After refusing to wear a mask in a grocery store, Sheriff Joe Cross launches a run against Mayor Ted Garcia. Their standoff ignites political division, protests, conspiracy fever, and violence—a stew of contemporary anxieties. The midpoint murder shifts the tone into dark thriller territory .
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3. 🎥 Visuals & Sound
1887-0Darius Khondji’s striking visuals balance wide-open desert vistas with claustrophobic interiors, echoing the twisty narrative . 2085-0Daniel Pemberton and Bobby Krlic’s score adds ominous tones, underlining tension and satire .
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4. 🧑🎭 Performances
2211-0Joaquin Phoenix embodies Joe’s unraveling psyche as an “ineffectual loser spinning into delusion” .
2397-0Pedro Pascal is the suave, chilling foil—structuring power with quiet menace .
2515-0Emma Stone—as Joe’s troubled wife—anchors emotional depth despite limited screentime .
2641-0Austin Butler plays Vernon Peak, a magnetizing cult figure with unnerving charisma .
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5. 🎭 Themes & Tone
2765-0Aster’s film captures our COVID-induced cynicism, amplifying polarization, conspiracy culture, and social collapse . It shuns moralizing in favor of exposing collective madness—no easy answers here.
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6. ⚖️ Strengths vs Weaknesses
✅ Strengths ❌ Weaknesses
Magnetic lead performances 2961-2Overstuffed with themes and subtexts
Uncompromising political satire Pacing drags; tonal unevenness
Visual and audio design vivid Some satire feels superficial
Forces uncomfortable reflection Sacrifices narrative cohesion for spectacle
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7. 📊 Critical Reception
3454-0Metacritic: 64/100 – “Generally favorable”
3647-0Rotten Tomatoes: 68% critics; 62% audience
3718-0Critics praise its “compulsively watchable doom-scroll vibe” , 3820-0though some cite incoherent tone .
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8. 🏁 Final Verdict
Rating: 7.5/10
Aster’s boldest gamble yet, Eddington is a fever-dream Western that explores the fractured psyche of pandemic America. Phoenix and Pascal bring compelling tension, but the film’s over-ambition and tonal shifts may leave some viewers disoriented. It shines in moments, but at times struggles to deliver cohesive commentary.
Recommended for: Fans of politically charged cinema, societal satire, and provocative Western spins.
Skip if: You prefer focused storytelling and balanced tone over sprawling allegory.
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