Eddington

Wow, this film was a lot to take in. I don’t even know where to start once the credits rolled. Honestly, for most of the runtime, this was easily a 10/10 movie, but I really can’t make sense of the ending or why it went that way. I suppose that’s a discussion for a spoiler review, but I just think it could have been handled better.

Anyways, this was a very interesting contemporary look back at the events of May 2020 (minus the toilet paper crisis, haha). It’s an extremely politically charged film, but I felt it kept things mostly respectable and grounded. It was honestly insane how well it captured so many different elements of that time, and it’s the first movie I think truly handled Covid properly. Scream (2022) just tossed in a goofy throwaway line, and Knives Out: Glass Onion had one of the most asinine excuses to sidestep Covid when it didn’t even need to be addressed. This film benefits from hindsight, but it still feels very true to the moment.

The ramping paranoia and the way the tension slowly built to some genuinely shocking moments is commendable. It was a stressful watch! I had no idea what would happen next, and I was engaged for the entire runtime. In fact, I wish it had been even longer. Like I said earlier, the ending is the only real issue I have.

The acting is phenomenal, with both big names and newcomers to the silver screen. (Emma Stone is in this, and she was much better here than in Bugonia, which, honestly, is worse than this film in every metric!) The cinematography is excellent, with creative use of the camera throughout. There were a few silly choices in the final act, but those are mostly forgivable. The music, too, is subtle yet suits the film wonderfully.

Overall, this is a really solid film. I don’t know if I should give it a 9 or a 10/10. It really is just the ending holding me back, so I’ll call it a 10/10 but lower on my personal scale. Consider this a 9.5/10 that definitely deserves a rewatch. What an interesting movie!