Bugonia (Collector’s Edition) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis

Release Date: December 23, 2025

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 9.5/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

Synopsis:

A wildly entertaining psychological thriller, the film follows two conspiracy-obsessed young men who kidnap a powerful CEO they believe is an alien out to destroy humanity. What begins as a paranoid act spirals into a battle of delusions and control—one as viscerally unpredictable as it is provocative.

‘Bugonia’ accompanies two conspiracy obsessed men who believe that they have discovered something crucial, that a rich, powerful female CEO is in fact an alien here with sinister intentions. Believing it to be their only change to potentially save the world from ruin, the pair plot out and enact a kidnapping of the woman in the hope that they can reason with her and convince her to grant them an audience with her alien higher ups. As things start to go wrong and paranoia and uncertainty build, it quickly becomes a fight for survival on both ends where anything could happen.

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, Kinds of Kindness) from a screenplay written by Will Tracy (The Menu) and based on the film ‘Save the Green Planet!’ written by Jang Joon Hwan, Lanthimos does a spectacular job at the helm of ‘Bugonia’ guiding along the paranoid tale with beauty, tension and care. The film’s cast includes Emma Stone (Poor Things), Jesse Plemons (Kinds of Kindness), Aidan Delbis (in his acting debut), Stavros Halkias (TV’s Tires) and Alicia Silverstone (Y2K), with nearly all offering fully capable and solid performances in their respective roles, while Stone and Plemons are nothing short of spectacular with both delivering awards-caliber performances.

‘Bugonia’ is a fascinating, tense and darkly comedic tale with outstanding performances by stars Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons who both shine at every turn and help this one to become as moving and powerful as it is. It creates a sense of confusion and uncertainty around the situation and cleverly leaves the viewer hesitant as to what is truly going on; granting the audience the opportunity to guess at the reality of the situation as things propel along an increasingly dark and uncertain path. The film gives insight into both perspectives and as little tidbits of motive or belief are glimpsed, it almost makes the viewer uncomfortable with the uncertainty of it all which curiously enough also contributes to both the tension and dark humor at times in a unique manner.

At one moment you’re fairly convinced that these conspiracy nuts are entirely insane and the blatant lack of logic in so many elements of their supposed insight and knowledge of the situation is so ridiculous sounding that it’s literally laughable, which naturally leads to the thought of what if they are actually right? It then proceeds to repeatedly throw you back and forth until you’re entirely uncertain of the reality throughout much of the film’s duration which feels like a rollercoaster ride of questions and curiosity. It’s all done in a manner that’s incredibly personal, emotional and hard to look away from and it quickly became one of my favorite films of the last year, as well as one I still find myself thinking about days later.

Overall, ‘Bugonia’ is a complex and curious psychological thriller that’s also gorgeously crafted at every turn. It benefits tremendously from the careful guidance of director Yorgos Lanthimos whose impressive work behind the camera is perfectly complemented by phenomenal performances from leads Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone to serve up an intricate tale that will have you going back and forth with uncertainty until its conclusion. ‘Bugonia’ is very highly recommended for anyone that’s a fan of filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and/or of Plemons and Stone who each play a key part in making this such a fantastic film. It may not be for those who don’t appreciate odd and offbeat films but if you’re at all intrigued by ‘Bugonia’ already then it’s not to be missed and is definitely worth making a point to check out when convenient.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Bugonia’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with HDR-10, presented in its original 1.50:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks fantastic as a whole and offers a clean, sharp and stunningly colored and detailed presentation from start to finish that never suffers from any unexpected issues or glitches throughout. Detail is spectacular on everything from characters to the interiors of the home and the expansive outdoor landscapes and the HDR helps amplify many of the stunning, lifelike colors that are always prominently showcased including grass, bees, clothing and more; with deep, rich and problem free black levels that never disappoint. Overall, this is a wonderful Ultra High Definition presentation that delivers marvelously and is a treat to behold in itself.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack is quite terrific and it offers a crisp, clean and fairly immersive audio presentation throughout. It utilizes all seven available channels in order to send music, some vehicle, action and nature effects, plus plenty other tidbits overtaking the various speakers, while never allowing any dialogue or other simultaneously occurring audio elements to become negatively affected or distorted along the way. Overall, this is a great Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that holds up splendidly and capably delivers in every way required of it.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Bugonia’ includes one extra; the behind the scenes Featurette ‘The Birth and the Bees: The Making of Bugonia’ (running approximately 23 minutes in length) which features interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray disc included in the 4K UHD Combo Pack and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on the 4K UHD & Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

–

Film Rating: 9.5/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

–

‘Bugonia: Collector’s Edition’ is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital from Focus Features & Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

–

You can purchase ‘Bugonia’ on 4K UHD at Amazon HERE!

*Screen-Connections.com is an Amazon Associate that earns from qualifying purchases